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If you’ve been reading for a while, you may have seen some pieces here and there from Golden Tote, or as part of my Budget recaps. It’s been awhile, but I figured I’d treat myself to a tote this month for my birthday.

Well… let’s just say it didn’t go exactly as planned. You’ll see why below, but first I’ll take a step back and explain a little more about Golden Tote from an insider’s perspective. (And I say insider as someone who actually purchases totes and doesn’t receive a “blogger tote” for review.)

I started following Golden Tote over a year ago and bought my first tote last February. It was love at first checkout. Their house brand, Puella, is made in California and very much has that California-cool-vibe. Their pieces are also sold at Anthropologie, dresses going for about $70-80 and tops for $50-60. When you buy a tote from Golden Tote though, you get to pick two pieces that they’ve curated for that month’s collection, and then 4-5 more are added to your tote by their “stylists” for $149. There’s also a smaller tote for $49 that lets you choose one item and they pick one or two other things for you. The small tote has a much smaller selection of items, however. You then fill out a quick survey/style profile and can add comments about things you do or don’t like.

Here’s the thing though: Golden Tote isn’t really customized. Not like Stitch Fix anyways. They basically have a pool of “surprise” items each month that they go and buy from smaller designers, then when your order is fulfilled, you are getting something from that pool. This used to work well for me, as I tend to gravitate towards boho and flowy pieces that they used to almost exclusively stock. Now? Well, it seems like Golden Tote and I may have parted ways in the style department.

Besides the unique way of shopping, Golden Tote also has a Facebook group that they encourage tote purchasers to join. You can then buy, sell, or trade items in the group with others, at your own risk, of course. This has proven valuable to me to get pieces a la carte since I haven’t bought totes for a while and only want a single piece. The other bonus? Tons of women who have a shopping/fashion obsession. We’ve had two meet-ups in my area and there are even off topic groups to participate in too.

Now that I’ve prepped you with some details about how it all works, onto the Golden Tote review!

Golden Tote February 2015 Review

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