Golden Tote Review

I was gifted a tote from Golden Tote for review, but as usual, all opinions are all mine.

Have you guys heard of Golden Tote before? I had heard of them, mainly because of a few reviews I'd seen from other bloggers, but I didn't really understand it. When they contacted me and asked if I'd be interested in receiving a tote, I had to ask for them to explain it in detail.

Basically, Golden Tote is a subscription type service with a twist - you actually choose an item (or two!). They surprise you with the rest! For anyone who has ever wanted something specific from another service and not received it no matter how much they begged.. this is amazing to me.

The other big difference is that you pay for the tote and its items up front. Which can be a bit of a sticker shock.

Basically, on the first Monday of the month, the 'sale' opens for the month. The more popular items disappear pretty quickly. You choose one or two items you love and they surprise you with the rest, after you've filled out your style profile. You can also add on extra items if you just happen to not be able to live without something. I understand, I've been there. Also, you can buy things on their own, it's just better value to do the tote.

If you see something that says final sale, that means you can't return it (which I'm sure you gathered, but wanted to share because that dress is $15!).

Um, is it too early to be thinking about Christmas sweaters? It's only $20 and so cute!

Sorry, got distracted...

What I love about Golden Tote as opposed to other services is that I know how much I have to pay up front. There is no surprise $150 dress that I might fall in love with and sob when I send it back because I can't afford it. Hmm, one $150 dress vs one $149 tote with 6 items... I'm not the best at math but that definitely seems like a no brainer.

So what happens if you receive your tote and you don't absolutely love everything? Don't worry, you can return the items, thank goodness. I love to shop, but I don't ever like to feel like I'm being duped or wasting my money, so a return policy is one of the first things I check out when shopping online (along with shipping, which by the by is free for orders over $149). Previously, Golden Tote was all or nothing - meaning if you wanted a refund, you had to return your entire tote. Which kinda sucks if you loved one item but not the rest. There is a facebook trading group though, which is awesome.

This is the card I received with my tote:

For customers of the May sale, single returns will be available. This is super appealing to me because it's like an album - look, I love Taylor Swift and Adele as much as the next girl but there is always at least one song that's just not your jam, right?

Anyway. So returns, shipping, cost, we've covered it all. Shall we get to the fun part?

Here are the two items I chose:

Esley Lovely Lace Dress / Peppermint In Full Bloom Shift Dress (I think I snagged the last one).

After you've picked the item/s, you fill out a style profile - things like height, weight, body type, bra size, how you like things to fit, etc etc. You can include parts of your body that you don't want to show off, or styles you don't want to receive.

After filling out your style profile and completing the checkout process, all you have to do is wait until the pretty tote ends up on your doorstep! Speaking of the actual tote, the design changes monthly and I've been using it as a gym bag for the past week because my last one was falling apart, and I've already had a few compliments, and no-one said anything about my previous bag (gone with the wind from barnes & noble, come on!). I love tote bags but I love them more when they are actually useful and good quality, which this one absolutely is.

So, enough chatter - shall I show you what I received?

Gilli navy & multicolour striped dress
When I pulled this out of the tote, my first thoughts were 'well this will be too short'. I was so pleasantly surprised when I tried it on, I think it is super adorable and so summery, not to mention the perfect length. I know I will wear this a ton. It's perfect to just grab and throw on to run errands vs sweats and ugg boots (I know, I know, the horror!).

Gilli black & white striped dress
When I first pulled this dress out of the tote, I was so excited. I know midi lengths aren't everyones jam, but when you're somewhat tall, you don't actually get to enjoy midi that much (unless you buy any average length maxi dress... sigh). I also loved that it looked super casual but still cute. When I put it on and did my first impressions on snapchat, I wasn't sure about the stripes so obviously not matching up - however, after wearing it all day last Saturday, I've changed my mind. It really is super cute and comfy, and this is another dress that I can just grab, throw on and look put together.

Naked Zebra mint tee
I love the crossover detail thing at the top of this tee, and I love how soft it is, I love the colour.. but it is too short for me to feel comfortable wearing it without a long cami underneath, and it would be visible, which I don't like. Long torso problems. I got the bright idea to try it with a skirt for work, and I really dig it.

She & Sky green tank
I love the colour, the print, the detail... I just don't love the style. I am not a fan of big blowsy tops like this. This is definitely a problem with subscription box type things, because I actually said I like flowy tops, which I do.. Just not this flowy. Ha. I'm so hard to please. I walked out in this and KC said 'that's my favourite outfit yet' which might have made me like it a bit more. I can actually see myself throwing this on with a pair of shorts, and it would be great for the cruise. As long as the wind stays away. I just wish it were a wee bit longer!

Now for my two favourite items, coincidentally the items I 'chose'...

Peppermint In Full Bloom Shift Dress
When I first started looking at Golden Tote's items, this wasn't there. When I went to place my order, it was there and kicked the other item I was considering to the curb. Sometimes you just know when you're gonna love something. I am normally a medium, they only had a large, but because it was a shift, I figured it would work. I think a medium would have been too short.

Not gonna lie you guys, that shift makes me feel like Kate Middleton.

Esley Lace Dress
Hello my pretty. As soon as I saw this online I was like yup, mine. My pretty. I had planned to wear another dress to Oaks (the day before Derby) but then I got this and it was love at first lace. What do you think? I have strict no heels rules at Oaks/Derby, but I don't think this dress would look as cute with flats...

The one thing I want to know when I see other people post about things they received is this: would you buy it yourself, would you spend your hard earned money on it - because if you wouldn't, I just don't believe you.. you know? So the answer for me with Golden Tote is absolutely. $149 is a lot of money, but 6 items, that is about $25 per item. If you have seen any of my shopping posts, you can probably gather I spend more than that, I just spread it around. The only way I could do the $149 tote is if I spread it out and was very well behaved in other shopping areas. However, I would totally do the $49 tote, and I'll be hopping online the first Monday of May to see if there is anything I simply must have, so stay tuned!

Thank you to Golden Tote for sponsoring this post! All opinions are mine. 

So what do you think of the items I received?