Fashion-Impaired? Let Trunk Club Pick Your Wardrobe
The service sends a personalized trunkful of stylish clothes—buy what you like, return what you don’t.
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Are you a rumpled slob, too stressed and busy to think about your attire? Perhaps you’re just clueless as to what looks good on you, or maybe you simply don’t care. Unless you fall into that last category, you could probably do with a stylist—someone who can look you over and make those crucial fashion decisions for you.
The only problem is, hiring a personal stylist is an obscenely expensive proposition.
Trunk Club is an outfitting service that literally sends fashion-strapped men trunkfuls of fashionable clothes. Once you get a trunk, you cantry on the items, pick out the ones you like, and return the ones you don’t. Shipping is free, and you don't pay a dime up front.
The selections are meant to suit your personal tastes and size specifications, but most importantly they’re all chosen by a stylist who is personally assigned to you. If you like every item in the trunk, keep it, and your credit card will be charged. If you only like one item, return the rest and you’ll only be charged for that one item.
This personalized aspect is key. Each stylist calls you and talks to you in person about what you like to wear and how you like to wear it. They even include a handwritten note in each trunk. The idea is to maintain the appeal of hiring a personal stylist without the fuss of, y'know, actually hiring a personal stylist.
As you might expect, the prices are pretty steep—certainly higher than most folks are willing to spend on clothes. Casual shirts will run you anywhere between $100 and $200, for example, and jeans are likely to be in the $170–$250 range. The quality is all top-shelf, but you'll have to be willing to spend a very pretty penny to get it.
That said, it’s not just a clothing retailer—it’s a service, too. Most men loathe the process of shopping for clothes (this writer included). Even if you have a sense of fashion and appreciate good style, shopping is an inconvenient, time-intensive drag. If you're clueless as to what looks good on you, and you’re willing to pay a little extra to avoid the awkward process of trying on shirt after shirt in a public environment, this may be an intriguing product.
And Trunk Club isn't alone in disrupting the traditional men's clothing market. Other online-only services—some subscription and some a la carte—include Bombfell, Five Four Club, and Frank & Oak.
Full disclosure: I signed up for Trunk Club before deciding to write about it. I’m currently waiting on my first “trunk,” and I have to admit, the prices are a bit intimidating. But with the free shipping, I have nothing to lose by trying it.
We’ll be sure to bring a more in-depth feature about the experience in a few weeks—with photos!