UPDATE: As of 30 November 2022, Thread is no longer trading. It has gone into administration with the IP being bought by M&S. We’re a little short on details beyond this but we will update this page as and when we know more.
If you’re looking for an alternative then we highly recommend Stitch Fix. It lacks some of the direct styling advice of Thread but instead, a stylist picks clothes for you and sends them monthly. This helps take the hassle out of shopping online and puts the onus on the experts to dress you. We love it and have been using it for years now.
You can read more about it in our Stitch Fix vs Lookiero guide, or you can start exploring the service by clicking here.
To get £15 off your first Stitch Fix box, sign up using this link: Stitch Fix Referral
Original Thread review continues below
We recently pitted two of the UK’s largest personal styling services together in our Stitch Fix vs Lookiero reviews, and this appears to have sent our targeted ads into a frenzy recommending all sorts of fashion apps and sites. Most are simple e-commerce shops but one ad did catch our eye, and that was for a service called Thread.
Thread calls itself “Stitch Fix without the subscription” and, as a result, offers some of the same features of other personal styling services, albeit with a slightly different spin.
With Thread, you still get a personal stylist, tailored advice, and suggestions in your size. However, you choose what and how many items you buy from Thread’s huge catalogue of 500 brands.
We’ve spent the past month putting Thread to the test and this is what we think. You can sign up via the link below, or you can get 20% off your first order over £75 using this link instead.
Sign up to Thread
Thread/Victoria Woollaston-Webber When you first sign up to Thread, you fill in a style profile. This profile asks you questions about your height, budget, and the brands you like. You need to put in your measurements, but if you don’t know them you can manually change these at a later date.
From here, you are assigned a personal stylist who pulls together a selection of outfit choices and style recommendations. What’s more, you are given Style Tips that help you make more of your own informed choices. For us, Thread said that V-neck tops will suit us best, in deep plum and navy colours.
When you’re ready to browse and buy, only options that suit your style and that are in your size and within your budget are shown. Regardless of what category you choose. For example, if you’re looking for a blazer, only blazers that are in stock and which fit your measurements are shown in the search results.
There are 500 brands in the Thread stockist list, but Thread will prioritise brands that are similar to what you like. You can also filter based on how sustainable brands and items are.
After you’ve added everything to your basket, you can choose to pay upfront or pay via Klarna. If you choose the latter, you have 30 days to make your payment, allowing you enough time to try the clothes on and return any you don’t want before any money leaves your account. You then have an extended 100-day return period.
Thread/Victoria Woollaston-Webber On first glance, Thread and its wide array of outfit suggestions, styling tips, and recommendations are entirely overwhelming. One of the reasons why we love Stitch Fix so much is because it removes the hassle and confusion (and the price) of shopping online.
However, if you start off by ignoring what images the app is showing you, and instead concentrate on the styling tips, everything becomes a lot clearer. For instance, we have a fuller bust, so our Thread stylist Leanne suggested V-neck tops would look good on us. Because we have broad shoulders, it similarly suggests V-neck and scoop-neck tops.
Elsewhere, Leanne recommended wearing warm colours like stone and sand to complement our blonde hair, while our pale skin suits jewel tones: “vivid, gem-like colours like sapphire blue, teal and aubergine that are so rich and nuanced they can make basic clothes look higher quality.”
From here, you can shop by entire outfits, from the My Ideas tab, or from the general Shop tab. The great thing about any of these options, though, is that Thread will only show you clothes that in stock, in your size and within your budget. Many will also be shown with your body shape, type, or style in mind. This takes away so much hassle from clicking on items online only to find out they won’t fit, or they’re not available.
You then simply add your items to the Checkout and pay either via card, or via Klarna. We managed to add £389 to our basket, knowing full well it’s unlikely we’ll keep all of it, but because we know we have the 100-day return window, we felt more confident about giving things a go and being able to easily send them back.
With Klarna, by delaying the payment by 30 days, too, you can try everything on and return what you don’t like before any money has left your account. In this way, you save time and hassle with refunds.
The biggest downside, so far, is that delivery takes AGES. We made our first order on the 12 April and we only got a notification that it had shipped on the 19th. This is disappointing as we a) weren’t told delivery times would be so long and b) had ordered items to arrive in time for Easter. Which they didn’t.
When they did arrive, they were extremely well packaged. Out of the eight items we selected, we kept four and returned four. Three didn’t fit but one we just didn’t like the look of when it was on.
Returns are incredibly easy. You get a choice of return options and we simply used the self-enclosed Royal Mail label. We took it to our local Post Office inside a One Stop and the box was returned for free. We haven’t had this return processed, yet but we’ll update this Thread review once we do.
Sign up to Thread
