We’ve written a number of times about Trunk Club, a personal shopping service for men. The model is pretty simple-professional stylists on staff coordinate with clients via phone and email, and actually purchase goods for clients from retailers. A FedEx package is sent to clients with the hand-picked styles and the men can keep what they want and send back the clothes that don’t work. Today, CakeStyle is launching a similar service, but for women.
CakeStyle buys fashions and accessories from designers, like Kate Spade, Elie Tahari, Rag & Bone and more, at wholesale prices and stores them in its warehouse. Personal stylists coordinate with clients via email and phone on what their style and preferences are, and will curate a collection of clothes for each season.
The clothes are shipped to a client’s home and she can keep what she loves and send the rest back. The CakeStyle service and shipping (including returns) are free—users pay regular retail prices only for those items you choose to keep. Backed by Sandbox Industries, CakeStyle also offers a showroom in Chicago where clients meet stylists in person and try on clothes.
Each shipment (per season) costs on average $2,000 to $3,000 for the client.
It should be interesting to see if Trunk Club’s model will work for women. Personally, I enjoy the shopping experience of finding and trying on clothes in a store, so I wouldn’t be an ideal customer. But there are plenty of women who don’t enjoy shopping or don’t have the time to shop, and CakeStyle could be an appealing alternative.