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Golden Tote $149 Tote Review – December 2015

Haley Faye
ByHaley FayeDec 9, 2015 | 22 comments
Golden Tote
4 overall rating
72 Ratings | 8 Reviews

Golden Tote $149 Tote Review December 2015 - BOX 1

If you aren’t familiar with Golden Tote, here’s a really quick intro: Every month you get to pick out 1-2 pieces, and they surprise you with the rest. (The surprise items are completely different from the pieces you pick from). For the $149 tote, you pick 2 items and get 3-4 more surprise items based on your style profile.

Golden Tote $149 Tote Review December 2015 - BOX 2

FYI – This is not a typical subscription, each month they release a new collection and you can decide whether or not you want to buy it. For returns, they recently updated their return policy. Here’s their card describing it:

Golden Tote $149 Tote Review December 2015 - info 1

In summary, you can return your entire tote for a full refund. However, you can return individual items, any items you keep revert to their boutique price and you get charged the new total.

Golden Tote $149 Tote Review December 2015 - all items

My Subscription Addiction pays for this subscription. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).

The Box: Golden Tote

The Cost: $49 or $149 (This review is of the $149 tote)

The Products: Clothing items you pick plus surprises from Golden Tote!

Ships to: Everywhere! Flat rate ground shipping within the US is $9.95. International is $30. Free shipping on US orders of $149 or more and International orders of $149 or more are charged $25.

Delivered via: UPS

Golden Tote $149 Tote Review December 2015 - info 2

Golden Tote also includes some styling suggestion cards for the items you pick.

(Not sure why, but I only received a styling card for the first item I chose this month.)

Golden Tote $149 Tote Review December 2015 - items 1

Shearling Sweater Coat – value: $68

(80% acrylic, 20% wool; Hand wash cold, do not bleach, dry flat, iron low if needed, do not dry clean)

This was the first item I chose. This sweater coat is enormous and amazing. It feels like I’m wearing a throw blanket! Unfortunately, the sleeves are just an inch or two too short for my arms, and that makes me really sad. Some small things aren’t deal breakers for clothes or are fixable, but there’s nothing to be done with too-short-sleeves and I’m afraid that they would bug me too much to wear. I think I have to either gift or swap this.

 Golden Tote $149 Tote Review December 2015 - items 2

Not So Ugly Christmas Sweater – value: $35

(100% acrylic; Hand wash cold with like colors, do not bleach, do not twist, lay flat to dry)

This was my second choice for my tote. It’s a thicker material than I thought it’d be, but I like it. I think it’s cute and festive!

Golden Tote $149 Tote Review December 2015 - items 3

Gili Cowl Neck Dress – value: $50?

(75.5% rayon, 21.3% polyester, 3.2% spandex; hand wash cold, hang or line dry)

This is probably my favorite surprise item in my tote this month! It’s a remarkably soft material, fits really well, and the color is really pretty (it’s hard to tell in the photo, but it’s a very dark green). It’s also a thin enough material to breathe some, but not too thin to need layers underneath. Also: pockets!

Golden Tote $149 Tote Review December 2015 - items 4

Illa Illa Fuzzy Cardi – value: $40?

(50% nylon, 50% viscose; Hand wash cold, hang or line dry)

This cardigan is another great item for me. It’s fuzzy, soft, and flattering! I love the color block/ombre aspect of it, too.

Golden Tote $149 Tote Review December 2015 - items 5

Miracle Rose Sweater – value: $35?

(55% cotton, 35% nylon, 10% wool; Hand wash cold separately, do not wring or twist, reshape flat to dry, may be dry cleaned)

I adore the pattern of this sweater! I don’t have anything like it in my wardrobe. I wish the bodice were just an inch or two longer for my proportions (tall people problems) but I’ll definitely still wear it!

Golden Tote $149 Tote Review December 2015 - items 6

Lime & Chili Drape Front Tab Sleeve Jacket – value: $40?

(100% cotton; hand wash cold, hang or line dry)

This jacket is perfect for layering! I think it would even look great belted or over a dress, too. It’s a great thin cotton so I think it’ll keep me warm without overheating me.

Golden Tote $149 Tote Review December 2015 - items 7

For Cyber Monday (when the December tote launched), Golden Tote threw in a free piece of jewelry in each order of $99 or more. This is the necklace!

Golden Tote $149 Tote Review December 2015 - items 8

Here’s a closer look for details.

The Verdict: I like my second Golden Tote even more than my first! I love everything in it. I am super bummed that my chosen Shearling Sweater Coat won’t work for me, but it’s not that bad considering I love and will wear every other item I received.

What do you think of Golden Tote? Did you get a tote this month?

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Golden tote is a surprise shopping spree bundled up in a cute, canvas tote bag and delivered to your door without doing any of the work. It's a great assortment of ready-to-wear clothing and accessories curated just for you. Select one or two items, and the Golden Tote stylists surprise you with the... read more.
Haley Faye
Haley Faye
Haley Faye first discovered the wonderful world of subscription boxes in 2012 and began writing for MSA in 2014. Over the years, she has found many subscriptions to love. Now a mom of three, her favorite boxes are ones that dress her kids, help her get organized, feed her family, send her snacks, and offer educational fun for her children.

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22 comments

Gabbi

Yay for smiles with teeth!!! 😀 I love the rose print sweater and that ombré fuzzy cardigan! I’m getting my totes on Monday and I really hope I get those. Everything looks great on you! I know you have been iffy about it but in my opinion, this sub has been the most successful for getting clothes that are the most flattering on you.

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2imo

I think you always look great in everything. I would just wear gloves especially the fingerless gloves that are so trendy right now plus the length would show off bracelets perfectly. Sundance has many super cute gloves. I ordered my first tote after seeing your review so I am super excited to receive it. I think I ordered the surprise tote plus I went ahead and purchased the sweater and a few other items so I’m hoping that I get the coat in my bag.

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Eva

Great review Haley! I got the same coat and sized down, happy w/ everything but the sleeve. I figured, let’s make it intentional and just rolled the suckers to expose the sherpa 🙂 Also might bring it in to a tailor and attach fingerless gloves for that “thumbholes” look.
I got the Gilli dress as well and LOVE it! Great haul!

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Sam

I hope I get similar surprise items, especially that cowl neck dress!

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yourbilletdoux

That dress looks amazing on you! Love the dark green!

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Andrea

Wow, I like everything! The coat is my favorite, and even though B. points out bracelet length coats are a thing, I still like long sleeves and get really bummed when coats and shirts don’t come down to at least the base of my palm. It’s silly, but it makes me feel sad I’m tall-ish, and I like my height!!

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Kat

This is just making me more and more excited for their LA warehouse sale this weekend. I resisted buying a tote so I could scope out what they have there. Last year’s sale was fantastic and great fun!

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Krissy

The Gili Cowl Neck Dress looks killer on you! Total win.

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Hailey

I agree with “B”‘s comment down below! It looks great on you, and I have a coat that length as well. It actually looks really cute when you have a long sleeve dress or tee underneath, because then about an inch or so of the sleeve sticks out under the bracelet length coat! 🙂

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Judi

I think so, too! On the GT site, you can see through the “sold out” stamp over the sweater that the shirtsleeves of both the models are peeking through.

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Sarah

I love that you model all the clothes! It makes it such a fun review to read. As far as the coat, if you love it, I think you could easily find a local seamstress to add cuffs to it…possibly in the same material as the lining (looks like sherpa.) It shouldn’t be too difficult of a fix. 🙂

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Haley

Sarah –
I love our readers! You are all so helpful. I totally never even thought of adding cuffs. And you’re right – finding something that matches the shearling lining probably wouldn’t be that hard!

Thanks for the great idea. =]

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marilyn

Haley, what size was the coat? I wonder if the sleeve lengthens as you size up.

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Haley

I got a medium, and it’s possible that the sleeve lengths would get longer, but this coat is already so bulky I don’t think I could manage with any more material! =]

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Sarah

Wow! I do not get this subscription, but I have always heard great things about it. I do not like anything this month though except the coat and the dress and it seems the coat sleeves are too short. I was considering this, but maybe I should reconsider.

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Mailbox Junkie

Sarah, if you are interested you should try it. They have a FB trading group and you can trade or sell surprises you might not like or you can return the whole tote and get your money back. They are really into customer satisfaction. It is a super fun sub!

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yourbilletdoux

I wouldn’t reconsider just based on not liking one reveal. They have a ton of different options of clothing and you can put types of items you like and what you don’t like so it’s pretty personalized.

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Haley

Sarah – I understand being on the fence with some subscriptions! I think we’ve all been there with a sub before. One nice thing about Golden Tote is that you get to see their collections before deciding to order, and you can always try the $49 tote and get just a couple items, too. If you’re part of the swap site, you can also see if you can grab some things you find that you do like there. We also review lots of other women’s clothing subscriptions so check out that category in our directory to shop around too. =] Hope that helps! Thanks for reading.

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MisaMisa

I have super long arms (my sisters used to call me stretch armstrong when we were little) so I totally feel you on the too short of sleeves problem.

I love that rose sweater! Everything looks great on you 🙂

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Haley

Thank you, MisaMisa!

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B.

Hey Haley,
I hope you read this- I don’t know if it will help but the jacket looks like it’s bracelet length. That’s actually a thing and I own a coat like that. If you google “bracelet length coat” or something similar, it actually hits your arm right where it’s supposed to for that cut.

I think it looks great on you.

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Haley

Hey, B!

I like to read all the comments on my reviews! Helps me get feedback and also awesome tips like this! That’s a really good idea! I’ll have to try to make that work.

Thank you! =]

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