Amazing Workwear Styling (From a Real Human) via Text: The M.M.LaFleur BENTO® Styling Service

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. Please consider clicking through them if you choose to make a purchase; this helps support my ability to run this blog. Thank you! All reviews are based on my honest opinion.

I love the idea of having a personal stylist go through what’s new each season and pick out new pieces for my wardrobe – but hey that’s only for celebrities, right? Wrong! I just tried the new M.M.LaFleur BENTO® Styling Service and not only does it put a fashion expert at your fingertips via text, it’s zero commitment and so easy to use. Here’s how it all works, what my stylist Lisa picked out for me, and why I’d use it again in a heartbeat.

Try the M.M.LaFleur BENTO® Styling Service–new customers can get 20% off with code VANESSA20

About M.M.LaFleur

If you aren’t familiar with M.M.LaFleur, the brand creates modern women’s workwear–think machine-washable wool suiting, silk t-shirts, polished pants in their signature “better than denim” cotton, and tons of classics-with-a-twist that go effortlessly from office to happy hour. I personally think of M.M.LaFleur as clothing that works outside of work, because I find myself wearing my M.M.LaFleur pieces with heels and lipstick to night-time events, as well styling them down with sneakers for the weekend.

I’ve been an M.M.LaFleur fan for a few years now. As I’ve moved up in my corporate marketing role, work has gotten busier and busier, and I’ve found myself turning to their pieces more and more. From pitch meetings with our president to presenting at a company-wide summit, to just wanting to look polished around the office every day – M.M.LaFleur has me covered. With that said, I don’t always have time to visit my closest M.M.LaFleur store which is an hour away in Washington, D.C., so the text-based BENTO® Styling Service appealed to me.

How does M.M.LaFleur’s BENTO® Styling Service work?

The service starts with a quick BENTO® quiz–it asks about what kind of clothes you’re looking for, your personal style, fit preferences, and budget. It took less than five minutes for me to fill out. You’ll need to login to or create an M.M.LaFleur account to take the survey.

Within the hour, they’d matched me with stylist Lisa Andrews who reached out to introduce herself over text. She asked me a series of follow-up questions about what colors, prints, and cuts I like. I let her know I was looking to update my wardrobe with some fall/winter “star” pieces that could be dressed up or down, and that I love luxury textiles and investment pieces I know I can wear for years to come.

It didn’t take Lisa long to share a link to my personalized lookbook! I love that it was visual and mobile friendly, and that Lisa added notes about why she picked some pieces for me and how I could style them. I added what I wanted to my shopping cart, and checked out. There’s no order minimum and actually no commitment at all, unlike some styling services that have a fee they’ll put towards your first order.

My BENTO® arrived a few days later and I was so excited to try everything on! Here’s what I ordered:

The Lea Sweater – Loop Knit, Ivory, size XS – This cozy sweater and its unique texture immediately caught my eye. It would look beautiful styled with winter white trousers to make a chic monochrome statement.
The Ciela Dress – Italian Jersey, Grenache, size 00 – I geek out over beautiful textiles, so I knew I had to try M.M.LaFleur’s new Italian Jersey. The rich burgundy color of this dress is so perfect for fall and the holiday season.
The Percy Top – Italian Jersey, Black, size XS – Another one from the Italian Jersey collection – I love pieces that look like basics but have a unique cut, fit, or fabric. This top would elevate any look, from jeans to silk jacquard pants.
The Kerri Skirt – Double-Face Wool, Camel, size XS – Nothing says luxury better than double-face wool and cashmere. This skirt looks straight out of a Milan atelier and I couldn’t wait to style it with some chic boots.
The Viola Coat – Double-Face Wool, Camel, size XS – A classic that looks (and feels) like it cost four times more. Not only is it perfectly layerable with roomy sleeves for chunky sweaters, but it has an effortlessly elegant fit and the color is a gorgeous.

The double-face wool Kerri skirt and Viola coat were so dreamy, I knew I wanted to keep them. I had such high hopes for the gorgeous Italian jersey, but it was quite slinky and cool to the touch and I get cold easily, so I elected to return those. Thankfully returns are super easy to do via Happy Returns. I didn’t have to box up anything – I just brought it to my neighborhood UPS store, had them scan each item and my return QR code, and M.M.LaFleur sent me an instant return confirmation. I let Lisa know what didn’t work out and why, and she picked a handful of new items for me.

I ended up placing a second order for these pieces:

The Milo Wide-Leg Jean – Eco Better Than Denim, size 0 – I have these in black and love them; as a “winter white” pant, they complemented my black and camel color palette.
The Valencia Dress – Crosshatch Suiting, size 00 – I told Lisa how much I adore the Amara skirt from M.M.LaFleur’s pre-fall collection, and she recommended this chic dress with a similar front slit/faux wrap. It was love at first sight.
The Mira Top – Washable Silk Top Stitch, size XS – For an elevated, makes-everything-better black top, the unique ivory topstitching on this shirt won me over. It’s a subtle detail that adds a touch of visual interest.

Would I use the M.M.LaFleur BENTO® Styling Service again?

Yes, 100%. I love that my stylist Lisa had access to all my past orders, so she could see what I’d purchased and returned in the past. It was really cool to have a real person, not AI or an algorithm, pick things out for me. And Lisa was fantastic at interpreting my feedback and picking pieces that I wanted to try. Plus the texting couldn’t have made it easier. I have been skeptical of styling services in the past, but this one really did save me time and gave excellent recommendations. It’s a great service for busy professionals who need a wardrobe update, but would welcome a little time back in the day. See my Instagram Reel about my BENTO experience here.

[Sponsored post; all reviews are based on my honest opinion.]