LOT Subscription Box Review – October 2017

LOT is a monthly subscription box that's... well... a little mysterious, to be honest. Here's what their website says:

LOT is a subscription-based service which distributes a basic set of clothing, footwear, essential self-care products, accessories, and media content. The clothes are dispensable: as they wear out they can be bundled and returned, eliminating clutter.

Note, however, that this isn't your ordinary fashion or basics subscription service. Just watch one of their press videos:

So. Yeah. What exactly are we dealing with here? A minimalist subscription box? The company of the future? An art student's very involved senior thesis project? I'm about to find out.

LOT offers three levels of subscriptions to choose from—the Basic plan ($49.00 per month for a pair of socks, a shirt, briefs, and a random item), the Advanced plan ($99.00 per month for the Basic items plus a self-care product or an accessory), or the Free plan, which gives you access to digital content from various contributors.

My Subscription Addiction paid for the Basic plan, but LOT was kind enough to bump us up to the Advanced plan for no additional charge. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).

The Subscription Box: LOT (Advanced Plan)

The Cost: $99.00 per month

The Products: A monthly set of "dispensible" socks, briefs, and a t-shirt, plus accessories or self-care products ranging from soap to (no joke) a tattoo gun.

Ships to: 20 countries, including the US. Find out if your country is included by emailing here: [email protected].

Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!

When you sign up for LOT, you input some information to guide sizing. The subscription centers around men's sizes, but women are shown wearing LOT items in some of the photos, so I figured I was safe to give it a go. Just an FYI once we get to the clothing part.

First, though, we've got to deal with this mysterious little tube.

This plastic tube twists open, revealing the papers inside. Silly me—I assumed there'd be an information card like in regular subscription boxes.

Number Poster

Instead, I got this poster-sized glossy sheet with the numbers 2, 6, 0, and 4 printed on it in a diamond shape. This rather unsettling text appeared along the side.

Tattoo Gun Poster

Oh, and I also got this. Same poster size. And honestly, pretty cool looking.

Let's move on to the basics I got this month. The first arrived in a foil-like package. The little line of text has my order date and time on it, fabric content percentages, and cryptic phrases like...

THE REMINDER

IS THE LAST HOUR

LOT

LOOKOUT

THANKS BYE

Black Cotton T-Shirt

The shirt inside the package is indeed a basic black tee. It's a men's/unisex cut and quite nice quality, I've gotta say. It feels thick and tightly knit.

It is, however, a bit eerie with the number from the poster embroidered in black on the back.

Black Briefs

These stretch cotton undies came in a package that read, among other technical product details:

UNDERPANTS

FOR THE GOOD DEATH

Had it not said "UNDERPANTS" on it, would've seemed just as sinister as the t-shirt envelope did. Why so serious, underpants?

These undies aren't the most flattering thing in the world for a gal shaped like me (my squishy stomach likes to muffin out over the elastic band), but they'll be good for lazing around in at home.

The packaging for the socks was honestly the weirdest. Some of the hits from this package's text were

SOCKS

THE LITTLE HOURS

SHE DOESN'T KNOW

CALL/TEXT: +1 628 444 9791

Huh. Well, I just recently saw the movie The Little Hours with Fred Armisen and Alison Brie (it was great), but I doubt that's the reference here. And I'm not sure what "SHE DOESN'T KNOW" could mean, but I guess, in that way, I relate to whoever this mystery woman is, haha!

And while I was hesitant to do so, I ended up texting that phone number (I'm way too nervous on the phone, let alone if I'm calling a mysterious, oddly death-centric organization). Lucky (???) for me, this is as far as our conversation got:

And that's all she wrote.

UPDATE!: Much later that night, I got more texts! It seems like this is their customer service number—the friendly person who responded to me asked about how I liked what I got and inviting me to "ask anything at any moment." Part of me wants to get all of the details about the meaning behind all of these messages, but another part of me wants to just keep puzzling it out for myself!

Meanwhile, the stretch cotton socks were really comfortable. I don't have a lot of tall socks, but I was really pleased with how soft and cozy these were. They're embroidered with white LOT logos on the ankles. Fashionable? Well, not quite. But definitely functional, which I think is the goal here.

Black Plastic and Brass Necklace

Onto some of the stranger items in the package. This "necklace", as LOT refers to it, is basically cord with two "pendants" made from plastic-wrapped brass tabs. The plastic has "BECAUSE IT IS WRITTEN" printed down the length of it, and the message appears on both tabs. I've been a little suspicious about a vague religious context for all of these messages (even the name "LOT" is technically a character from the Bible). Is that the gist of this subscription?

All-Black Grooming Kit

This heavy canvas grooming kit is outfitted with snap-shut loops, Velcro panels, and other ways to attach it to whatever backpack or belt you might have handy. Inside, there are individually plastic-wrapped tweezers, nail clippers, and scissors, all of which seem like they're made of some kind of sturdy steel. It feels a little vain using these edgy tweezers to pluck stray eyebrow hairs in the morning, but I can say they work remarkably well!

Black Bar of Soap

Last but not least, some simple soap. "BE STILL," says the black package. "MY SOUL," it reads on the other side, amidst the ingredients of this bar. It's definitely got the most calming messages of all of the packages, though there's still something rather grave about it. The soap works great, of course. I'm just preoccupied trying to figure out this strange little subscription...

The Verdict: Well. I'm not sure I "get" it (though I am desperate to figure it out). But taking the items at face value, I can say that there's a lot of quality here and plenty of function. If you're not concerned with (or better yet, are eager to adamantly reject) the razzmatazz of typical clothing subscription boxes, then this box is for you. I am a little wary of how things will suit me as a curvier woman (most of these products seem more fitting for a narrower silhouette). If something doesn't work out, however, it does look like I can exchange items. And while I'm not sure how the "disposal" system works (remember how they said these "disposable" pieces could be sent back once they've worn out?), I'm curious to find out.

Do you think you understand the theme and thinking behind LOT? What patterns do you see? Do you think there's a deeper meaning lurking beneath the surface? Have I been watching too much Stranger Things?

To Wrap Up:

Can you still get this box if you sign up today? Yes, though what accessories and extras you get may vary from what I received.

Value Breakdown: This package cost $99.00, meaning the average cost of each of the 8 items inside (counting the two posters) is $12.38.

What do you think of LOT?