Short Story Box Review: Subscription Clothing Service for Petite Women

After scrambling to find something to wear for a dinner out last month, I jumped at the chance to try Short Story Box, a styling service for petite women. Read all about my experience with this online styling service, how you can receive your first box for free, and tips for a great styling experience below.

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What is Short Story Box?

Short Story Box is a San Francisco-based styling service for women under 5’4” from size 00P to 18P. The company helps petite women find modern styles that help them look and feel their best.

The service is a subscription in that you receive boxes anywhere from once a month to once every four months depending on the frequency you choose. The styling fee is $25 per box. That fee goes towards the cost of any items you decide to keep, and you can cancel at any time.

How does Short Story Box work?

Here’s an overview of Short Story Box before I get into the details:

Sign up & take a style survey
Short Story Box sends you 5 items
Try on the clothes at home
Purchase the items you want to keep
Send back the items you don’t want

Sign up & take a style survey

I signed up for Short Story Box with a referral code, which waived the $25 styling fee. The first box was completely free!

When you sign up, you take a survey so that the stylist can get to know you, your style, and your preferences. I hadn’t signed up for a clothing subscription box in the past, so I spent a day or two writing my responses because I wanted to give a good idea of what I like so that I would like what I received. I answered questions about

Height and weight
Colors I wear and don’t wear
Patterns I wear and don’t wear
Types of clothing I want to receive
Clothing I don’t want
How I felt about different styles (edgy, feminine, etc.)
Price range per item
What I’m currently searching for

I was eager to try Short Story Box because I want clothes that fit. I don’t want to have to settle for shirts and sweaters with sleeves that have to be pulled up or pants that have to be hemmed.

I also realized that I don’t have many nice items in my wardrobe anymore after almost 2 years spent mostly at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of my clothes were worn out, given away, sold, or didn’t appeal to me anymore.

So I asked for nice clothing, items that I could wear to church on Christmas and on dinner dates and evenings out.

What did Short Story Box send me?

My box of 5 items came just 8 days after I signed up! I received two blouses, a sweater, black pants, and jeans.

Laila Jade Pintuck Peasant top in SP - Retail: $49

This was my favorite item in the box. I loved the color, the style, and the soft fabric (spandex and modal). I could see wearing this in the daytime and evening.

The problem was that the sleeves were too long, which was strange considering the top was petite-sized. The sleeves were loose-fitting so they wouldn’t stay up and didn’t look good when I pulled them up.

Daniel Rainn Elliana Split Neck Blouse in SP - Retail: $59

Daniel Rainn blouse with Muse Petite pants

This top fit the best of all the items I received. The shoulders laid perfectly. The sleeves and hem were the right lengths. The v-neck was flattering.

I didn’t keep it though because I didn’t like the feel of the 100% polyester top. It didn’t feel like it was good quality or worth $59, which was also above the price range I set for tops.

I often see this brand, 100% polyester tops, and this style of blouse for less than $20 at discount stores like TJ Maxx and Nordstrom Rack. I have to really like a very typical blouse - the style, material, and fit - for me to purchase it at this price.

Sugarlips Lola Chunky Sweater in S - Retail: $58

Sugarlips sweater with Prosperity Denim jeans

This was my least favorite item in the box but made for a fun try-on session. The sleeves were so long and bell-like that my husband said I looked like a bird, and my friend said I was drowning in it. The stock photo didn’t show large sleeves, so I don’t know what happened here.

To be fair, I said in my style survey that I sometimes wear regular-size tops because they sometimes fit me. Petite women often make do with regular sizes because that’s what’s available to them.

Muse Petite Aster Essential Pant with Slit in SP - Retail: $58

These black pants were exactly what I was looking for from a box like this. The pants are high-waisted with a belt and have a slit at the hems making for a beautiful elongated silhouette for petite women. I said a little “wow” to myself when I put them on!

I’d never heard of this brand before Short Story Box and wouldn’t have tried these pants if they didn’t send them to me. This was just what I hoped for from a box like this. But I didn’t keep these because they were too big and would have required waist and hem alterations if I wanted to keep them.

Prosperity Denim Zayd Mid Rise Slim Straight Leg Jean in 25P - Retail: $59

I had mixed feelings about these jeans. I was impressed with how well they fit. When you’re petite, you probably know how hard it is to find pants that fit. There are so many components - the waist, butt, hips, thighs, the lower leg, the length. These jeans were nearly perfect!

But the front of the jeans sat a little funny so they weren’t the perfect fit for me. Plus, they were a little too casual since I was looking for nicer clothes, and I have a few pairs of jeans I’m happy with already in my wardrobe.

Purchase the items you want to keep

After you try on all the clothes and make your decisions about them, you simply go online and purchase what you liked to keep. Checkout is fast and easy.

In my case, I didn’t purchase any of the clothes, but the checkout page includes a place to provide feedback on each of the items. I shared my thoughts as I mentioned above.

Send back the items you don’t want

You have five days from the delivery date to send back the items you don’t want. I received my box on a Tuesday, and it needed to be postmarked on its way back by Sunday.

I received an email a few days after I received the box saying it was time to check out. This was my first time trying a clothing subscription box, so I didn’t realize this meant indicating which clothes you’re going to return or exchange, not just paying for the clothes that you’re going to keep.

I didn’t do anything with the email and just shipped the items back. Whoops! Thankfully I wasn’t contacted to pay for anything.

The box came with a huge poly mailer that easily held all 5 items. You can drop it off at the post office or schedule a pick-up and you’re done!

Pros/Cons of Short Story Box

Pros

Fun - It’s fun to receive a box of goodies in the mail and try them on seeing which ones help you look good and feel good.
Less work & time saved - The entire process was easy. I didn’t spend time going out shopping or browsing online searching for clothes myself.
Try on clothes at home - Try on the clothes any time you want for as long as you want (until the 5 days are up).
Try new brands - Let a petite styling expert introduce you to brands that make clothes especially for petite women.
Try new styles - You can get out of your comfort zone and try styles you wouldn’t normally pick for yourself.
Fewer alterations - If you buy petite clothes to start, ideally you won’t need to pay for as many alterations as you need with regular-size clothing.
Build your wardrobe - You’ll build a wardrobe that you like, that fits, and is perfect for you.
Easy returns - It doesn’t get much easier than bagging the clothes you want to return in the provided pre-paid mailer and mailing them back.
Good stylists - My stylist was pretty accurate with my size and style despite not receiving many measurements or my Instagram username.
Adjustable ship frequency - You can request a box anywhere from once a month to once every four months.

Cons

$25 styling fee - The fee is normal and reasonable for the service. It’s not bad if you keep at least one of the items, but it can add up each month if you don’t often keep anything.
You might not keep anything - You might decide not to keep anything whether it’s because of the fit, style, or price. It can be disappointing to not add anything to your wardrobe when you really want or need some pieces such as for work or evenings out.
Items are full price - Although you can indicate the prices you’re willing to pay, if you’re a bargain hunter, you might find the items priced too high for your liking because they’re all sold at full retail price.

Is Short Story Box worth it?

I found Short Story Box worth trying because it’s a fun and easy way to get new clothes. Plus, the first box was free with a referral code. I didn’t keep anything from my first box, but I’m excited to update my profile and try it again next month.

I thoroughly enjoyed my experience from filling out the style survey to waiting eagerly for my box, trying on the clothes, seeing myself in new styles, and asking my husband and friend for their opinions.

You’re asked at checkout what you would like to see in your next box. I really want a nice dress for an evening out. I can’t wait to see what the stylist will pick for me next month.

Tips for using Short Story Box

Here are a few tips that may help first-time customers of Short Story Box or any clothing subscription service.

1 | Use a referral code to sign up so your first box is free!

Short Story Box waives your first $25 styling fee when you sign up with a referral code. I was willing to try the service even if I had to pay for it the first time around because I want some new clothes this year, but happy to have a found this option.

If you like this review and find it beneficial to learning about Short Story Box, you can use my referral link to receive your first styling free.

If a service doesn’t have a discount or bonus for signing up, you can

Do an online search for sign up or discount codes
Ask people who use the service for advice on when they have deals and how to best sign up
Reach out to the company

2 | Provide a detailed response to the survey

The survey is very important to the styling process. It’s how the stylist gets to know you and makes decisions about what to send you, so you want to be thoughtful and thorough about it.

Some things you might want to include in the survey:

Styles you like and don’t like
Brands you like and don’t like
Colors you favor or avoid
Items, brands, styles, or color schemes you want to try
Your body type or celebrities that match your body type
Social media handles (yours or inspirational)

Add anything else that will help your stylist pick items for you!

3 | Update your profile after you receive your first box

If there’s something that you overlooked in your survey, add it to your profile for your next box.

I added some but not all of my measurements during the survey process. It didn’t occur to me to measure my sleeve length. Only when I got two items with overly long sleeves did I realize that I need to add my arm measurement so that I can get better-fitting clothes next time.

The first box even comes with a measuring tape so you can easily measure yourself and add the info to your profile.

I also realized that I don’t want any more jeans and especially not high-waisted jeans, so I added that to my profile too.

4 | Email for an extension if you need it

Short Story Box lets you email for an extension on returning the clothes. This might be necessary if you’re out of town when you receive the box or have other circumstances that keep you busy.

Customer service is fast. I emailed with a question about my return date and received a reply within 24 hours.

5 | Document if any clothes come damaged

If you find an item that comes with damage, take a picture of it and inform the company. This way you are not held responsible for it.

All the clothes I received appeared new and clean, but I noticed the belt on one of the pants had a mark on it. This was before I even tried it on. I took a picture and made a mental note of it in case it became an issue later on.

I don’t think this sort of thing happens often. It’s just a good idea to check what you receive from any company to ensure it’s in the condition you expect and get it addressed right away if it’s not.

Wrap up

Short Story Box, a styling service for petite women under 5’4” from size 00P to 18P, is a welcome addition to the online subscription styling space. Shopping for petite clothing can be a difficult and frustrating process. Short Story Box makes that process easier so petite women can feel good and look great too.

I loved trying on clothes meant for me at my convenience at home. Although I didn’t keep anything from my first box, I learned a lot about my likes and dislikes and am ready to work with the stylist again for my second box.

Plus, the company makes it easy to try the service for the first time at no cost. After that, the reasonable $25 styling fee is credited toward any item that you keep. It doesn’t get much easier for petite women to shop for items made just for them.