Styling advice: we tested “La Boîte” de l’Exception – David/Nicolò

David's review

1. The initial questionnaire

The questionnaire is made up of around thirty questions. Allow around fifteen minutes to complete it.

It starts with choosing the styles that suit you best. Although imperfect, this helps guide the selection in the broad sense.

Then, there is a succession of other “filter” type questions: you are asked about the types of clothes, colors, sizes or patterns you wear. And more specifically, you can indicate what you don't wear by unchecking certain boxes.

To choose is to renounce

On the last third, you have questions about your height/weight, your budget by type of clothing and finally blocks of text to leave comments.

We can mention that there is the possibility of having more ethical requests : we can indicate that we want clothes made in France or made from organic/recycled fibers for example.

The questionnaire is generally interesting if we look at it from a more general public point of view. It is easy to understand and goes into enough detail that we can give our preferences in broad terms.

Moreover, a question asks us if we would like to be called by a stylist.

I checked no.

But in the end, there was a call. Not to me, but to my friend. In fact, I chose to place the order in the name of another person to anonymize my request.

My friend reported to me that the interview went well. The person on the other end of the phone was attentive, caring and tried to understand his style preferences in more detail.

2. The contents of the box

First thing to mention: the cardboard is bulky. Logical given the quantity of clothes there.

Here is the box before it was reshipped. I'm the one who added the tape

Regarding the unboxing experience:

• Some parts are sealed in a plastic bag
• Others are put right in the box, without additional packaging
• The outline of the box is padded with kraft paper

Here are the details of the parts received:

• Jacket - Olow
• Turtleneck - Nudie Jeans
• Sweater - Oliver Spencer
• Sweatshirt - Faguo
• Shirt - Samsoe & Samsoe
• Shirt - Knowledge Cotton Apparel
• Shirt - Frog Leg
• T-shirt - l'Exception Paris
• Trousers - Suit
• Pants - NN07
• Jean - Ateliers de Nîmes
• Socks - Bonne Maison
• Sneakers - Clae

Total cost of clothes in the box: around €1600.

All the parts in my box in one image

Despite some subpar parts as we will see, I find that the proposal is generally interesting.

With one or two exceptions, the selection isn't too basic . Each piece has a little twist, whether in terms of color, material or pattern. More or less successful depending on the piece, more or less to my taste, but this twist is there.

For example, I really liked the Oliver Spencer sweater, featuring a beautiful mix of colors.

Probably my favorite part of the box

The Suit pants also interested me: they are high waisted and have a slightly carrot cut. . High waist often goes hand in hand with fullness, so if you're looking for pants that hit your belly button but aren't very baggy, these are a good choice.

I liked the high waist of these corduroy pants

I also noticed that there was only one piece from the l'Exception Paris brand: a plain t-shirt. Is it honest of them not to push their brand too much, maybe even a little too much?

Their collection presents good value for money and I wouldn't have minded an extra piece.

The sizes chosen are good : there is M/50 at the top, 32 at the bottom. This is my usual size.

Overall, the pieces pretty much fit me. It must be said that apart from voluminous thighs, I have a physique that is relatively easy to dress, which works well with ready-to-wear cuts.

There are still a few pieces that are less suited to my tastes. Here they are :

• Clae sneakers

The least interesting part of the selection.

The shape, the color, the quality of the leather... it doesn't speak to me at all.

This pair reminds me a little of the "shoe/sneaker hybrid " that we don't recommend.

• Faguo sweatshirt

I'm not sure anymore, but I seem to have indicated in the questionnaire that I didn't want printed or logo clothing.

I also find this color unflattering.

The 20% polyester (recycled, of course) has finally dissuaded me.

• Jean Atelier de Nîmes

It may be that the telephone interview had a slight influence, but I remember that on the questionnaire, I took care to indicate that I wanted loose/loose cuts whenever I was able to do so.

These jeans are unfortunately leggings on me. The cut is not at all suited to my body shape.

3. Focus on the looks

I asked in the questionnaire to receive complete looks. I wanted to study the styling proposal that would be made to me.

Here is what was offered to me.

Look #1: brown galore

This look is the most successful.

If we put the sneakers aside, there is texture and the shades of brown work quite well. I'm wearing quite a few colors in these tones at the moment.

The NN07 pants, although made of synthetic material, are visually quite nice.

The quality of the Olow jacket is not incredible (material not very thick, collar not removable), but it has the merit of being 100% wool, quite pretty and not too expensive.

It's more my style.

Look #2: cables, velvet and chambray

This look is interesting.

I don't like socks, too fancy for me, but that's not a big deal.

The shirt is not bad, the color fits well into the outfit, but is not ideal under a turtleneck anyway.

I remember here that the combination between the twisted ecru turtleneck and the green velvet pants is good. This is the kind of combination I would wear.

Look #3: orange galore

This look is the least successful in my eyes.

If we put aside the cut of the pants, which is not suitable, I am not convinced by this shades of orange which lacks a little subtlety in my eyes.

This is not the kind of outfit I would wear.

4. Conclusion

I'm not sure I understand who this service may be aimed at , in this formula.

If you are looking to save time, keep in mind that ordering, trying and returning the box takes time. I would say a good two hours .

With these two hours, wouldn't it be more judicious to explore the eshop's selection?

And if you need styling ideas, are three outfits for 12 or 13 pieces enough?

However, I find that there is potential:

• We find nice things at l'Exception
• The form is pretty well done
• Human contact is pleasant and there is an idea in the proposals and selections that are made

Nicolò’s review

1. The initial questionnaire

The questionnaire starts with the essentials: gender, age, reasons why the service interests us...

Then comes the first question: “Which styles suit you best?”

And here, already, I'm a little doubtful: you have the choice between "formal" , "sportswear" , "casual" , and "outdoors" .

Boxes that are a bit of a catch-all, into which you could fit anything and everything. In the illustrations proposed, raw denim, for example, is found in outdoors. But the Barbour type waxed jacket is casual.

Rather broad categories when it comes to qualifying style.

“Formal” seems to include everything that falls under the “dressy” register, from the V-neck sweater to the coat, including the tie and the blazer. Only sportswear seems clearly delimited: t-shirt, sweatshirt, hoodie, jogging, running-type sneakers.

In short, seeing these categories I tell myself that the questionnaire is obviously aimed more at the neophyte: I therefore tell myself that rather than answering it as "myself", I am going to imagine a character .

His name will be Nicolas Mintille , he will be 27 years old, and he will work “in communications” if we ask him. He will like casual and formal, and his favorite brands will be BonneGueule, Drapeau Noir, and Suitsupply. A guy with eclectic tastes, but rather classic tastes overall.

He will answer that he likes classic sneakers, ankle boots, derbies, Chelsea boots, but not too much running sneakers or “outdoor ankle boots”.

We then offer him categories of “strong pieces”, asking him if he likes them: shiny down jacket, logo cap, logo sweatshirt or polo shirt, bright red chinos, “Christmas sweater” style jacquard sweater, salmon shirt ...

No, he and L'Exception definitely don't have the same tastes in "strong pieces". Among the categories offered, only the short-sleeved shirt finds favor with its eyes. It's a shame, because we're in the middle of winter.

Next comes the list of “prints” and patterns. Here too, Nicolas shuns the patterns designated “Arty”, “Fantasy” and “Floral”. He's a little afraid of what we might send him if he accepted them...

And it continues with other questions: what colors do you like? What budget for which room? Do you want something made in France? What do you wear to work? What is your weight, height, top, bottom and shoe sizes?

In short, the feeling when we finished the questionnaire is that it seems quite exhaustive .

After completing it, I even found myself thinking "If that turns out, I'm really going to want to keep some of the pieces that we offer to dear Nicolas Mintille." I was hopeful!

Some time later came the telephone interview. I was a little surprised, because I had made it clear that I did not want to be called, but I received a text message inviting me to do so anyway.

“Come on, why not!” I tell myself.

The contact with the stylist was good, warm, and reassuring: she asked the right questions, about style and desires. There was palpable competence there, particularly on questions of color relating to skin tone and hair tint.

The question of morphology and cuts was treated a little more superficially, and Nicolas had to provide his own details.

We were a little more vague when we talked about style, and it was more difficult to agree on the terms used, unless I was extremely precise in my descriptions... But Nicolas could not afford to be too precise, and betray the presence of Nicolò, editor at BonneGueule.

Let's just say that I painted the portrait of a client demanding on quality and style , informed, but not necessarily "expert". And I find that the client, if he had been a real person, would have been served up to his expectations in terms of support.

2. The contents of the box

(Total price of the box: 2144 euros)

The selection of this Box leaves me with rather mixed feelings. Let's say, a half-hearted satisfaction.

Overall, the pieces correspond well to the brief : rather classic, "with a twist", casual but elegant. The idea is there.

When it comes to colors, we have a lot of blue and gray , while Nicolas said he liked beige, brown, burgundy, olive green... Well, never mind, the choice of safety is understandable. But the first look is still a complete monochrome of dark blue, and that's a shame in my opinion, where my character had asked to "be surprised" and "discover new things".

It's very, very dark blue, all that. But composition not bad, flat, out of the box. The pieces are more interesting combined together than individually.

Second look a little less convincing. And this “Friend of Heart” shirt broke my heart.

For style expectations there are some good pieces: the Norwegian Rain overcoat, although very, very classic in its shape and color, is a quality choice. The Officine Générale belted pants also hit the nail on the head with what was requested. And this without the brand having been mentioned. The Oliver Spencer cable sweater would satisfy Nicolas : classic just enough with this choice of knitting, but with a real touch of character via the asymmetry.

Morphology-wise, we feel a little more left behind.

The problem is that, like the person who imagined it, Nicolas is 1m71 tall, and all the pieces fall like a slightly long dress on him. The taper of the chosen pants is too marked even though he said he preferred slightly straight but fitted cuts, even if it was noted that he had strong thighs.

But overall I have the impression that the shape of the wearer is taken into account less than the desire to offer a style.

Very nice seen like that, these thick wool Albam joggers have a very, very "tapered" cut, without pleats, which will give a "diaper" effect on body types with stronger thighs.

I completely understand that ready-to-wear, especially on these e-shops, is cut "for model physiques": it has always been like this, and it is not the will of Exception. But if necessary, we would have liked to read instructions or details concerning what the customer should do to be able to wear the pieces according to their body type.

Finally, the most problematic point, we have the feeling that some of the parts that were sent correspond to a need to sell off stocks.

Why this Ami shirt "Collection Ami de Coeur" with gigantic embroidery on the chest, when Nicolas had made it clear that he did not want fanciful patterns? Probably because not many people want it, given the fact that 100% of sizes are still available on this model...

Sorry, but for this Ami shirt , I'm willing to bet my best boots that I was given stock that was selling poorly.

And why are these boots halfway between sneakers and heritage ankle boots when Nicolas has clearly said that he likes the “shoe” shoe according to the rules of the art? We asked him “if he had nothing against a commando skate” , or a slightly more rustic look.

The suede is pretty but the "sneaker-boot" design of the Zespa pumps is hazardous... The Bonne Maison socks are fun that said.

Rustic, I mean it, yes. But there... Nicolas rather has the impression that he was given the failed creative momentum of a brand which tried to think outside the box, and which would not have succeeded in its bet.

And why Velva Sheen tees, in plain blue jersey, in packs of two when Nicolas specified that he is well stocked with basics, and does not like materials that are too smooth and without roughness?

So obviously, this only concerns a quarter of the selection.

But here it is: Nicolas would not have been fully convinced of the advantage of having used this service, any more than I, as Nicolò.

3. Zoom on brands/parts.

I will present the remaining pieces of my box here.

The Norwegian Rain raincoat. A sure value, although this one is the most basic of the brand's entire offering.

A Moct sweatshirt in Japanese loopwheeler fleece. Very basic, perhaps too much for the profile that Nicolas presented.

Two Velva Sheen tees. Good stuff, but Nicolas made it clear that he didn't want flat, featureless materials, and that he was fairly equipped with basics.

Nice NN07 cardigan, but nothing more, expensive, and oversized cut. Not what I would have sent to someone who is 1m71. (And what's more, it scratches)

Well, we like the Officine Générale belted pants on the team. That said, this one also had an exaggeratedly “tapered” cut and it was a little big. Relevant choice, however.

We end with the only piece that I almost kept for myself: this Oliver Spencer sweater with the asymmetrical twist. Really hot. But it was so long...

4. Conclusion

If I had to summarize my opinion in one sentence, I would say that the service is as good as it can be given the constraints to which it is subject... But unfortunately this is not enough for me to recommend it to someone.

This is in a sense quite "normal", since in my opinion we cannot hope that a free service , complementary to a multi-brand e-shop, will not make any compromise as part of a commercial strategy.

For example, it would be natural for the stylist to favor pieces that flow less well.

And at the same time, normal or not, it makes me doubt the usefulness of such a service for the customer.

Because if we can highlight the added value of free advice, I find that the absolute beginner does not need such advanced stylistic help, and will be better served by purchasing basics at very good value for money /price. And that is difficult to find on a multi-brand e-shop, since as a sales intermediary, its cost structure results in a higher margin.

In addition, I find that the pieces are too much thought of as "merchandising" , which go well together coming out of a box, or on a rack, but not thought enough as "an outfit" , corresponding to a wearer, to his body and appearance.

To be fair, I would say that it is probably not the stylist's expertise that should be called into question.

There is no doubt that, in a suitable context, with the necessary time and resources, a good stylist could ALWAYS make enriching suggestions. And this even for the most seasoned amateurs!

But the constraints with which they work here don't really allow it : the stylist doesn't know the client, has never seen them, and I'm not even sure she's ever seen the pieces in real life.

Furthermore, a simple “robot portrait” questionnaire and a phone call do not replace the more in-depth (but expensive!) support of a dedicated personal shopper.

While for the most independent , it will not bring much to the personal and independent journey of the enthusiast, who informs himself, tries and chooses for himself.

Finally, I would say that the biggest constraint is having to deal with the offer and the selection of an e-shop which already has its own style choices , its own biases, which will not make the unanimity. The stylist might have the best idea in the world in mind, but if the piece is not sold by l'Exception, she would not be able to offer it to you.