SprezzaBox Review

Watch the full video above or read the lightly edited transcript below.

Today we’re going to be taking a look at SprezzaBox, which is a monthly subscription box for men’s accessories. I’ve got a lot to show you today. This is my first order from them and I’m really excited to show you what’s inside.

A little bit about SprezzaBox. They’ve been around – actually they just celebrated their fifth anniversary at the time of this filming, so haven’t been around for too long. But they’re definitely one of the leaders of subscription boxes focusing on men’s accessories. There’s a few others out there, but today we’re going to focus on them and see what kind of fun stuff they have.

Why an Accessories Subscription Box?

So why an accessories subscription box? Every month, expert stylists pick out four to five of their top picks for that time of the year and they put it together in one box and it just adds a lot of value – they all coordinate, they all match.

So you’re not trying to show up at a store or trying to pick out everything – “does this go with this?” It’s really about that convenience of having everything in one place and being able to just throw it all together, mix and match with what you already have and have fun.

And it’s also about the entertainment value. It’s a surprise – you don’t know exactly what you’re going get each month. Currently the monthly subscription starts at $28 per box, and there are cheaper plans if you subscribe for longer periods of time. But if you think about it – that’s basically the cost of a cheap dinner and a movie (for one person). Stay home, watch some Netflix Originals and you’ve pretty much paid for your SprezzaBox for the month.

Unboxing The Henry

So let’s dive in and take a look at what exactly was in each of the two boxes I received and talk about the items they contained. First of all, let’s start with the Henry.

First opening the box, they include a nice card that has a list of all the things that are contained inside. The card also shares some styling tips on how to actually wear each of the items. So it’s not just, “hey, here you go, here’s a bunch of stuff, figure out how to use it.” They actually take the next step and really make sure that you’re going to get the most use out of it and teach you what is correct in terms of the best way or creative ways to actually use each item.

A Tie for Every Tie Guy

First of all, I’m actually wearing one of the items from the Henry and that is a necktie from Nautica. SprezzaBoxes often include ties, and there are pros and cons around that. I’m not in a situation where I need to wear a tie everyday to the office. Some folks have commented,”Hey, do we really need a tie in every box?” But I know that there are those people who do wear ties every single day to the office. And so for them, getting a new tie a month at a reasonable price probably makes a lot of sense.

So one thing to think about is – do you need a new tie every month? Maybe you want to refresh the ties that you have and build out a nice collection of seasonal ties based on different trends and color tones, formal and informal. Mine were getting a little bit stale, and so I think it’s nice being able to count on a new one each month.

Nice Minimal Tie Clip from INDOCHINO

Next is a tie clip from IndoChino, sporting some some nice minimal stripes. This will go with pretty much anything you’ve got. Love it. I think that was a great  addition to the box.

MacGyver Your Shirts with Lawrence Hunt Collar Extenders

Next, I’m wearing a collar extender, which you can see if you look closely. This shirt fits a little tightly around the neck. So what I wanted to do was have a bit more breathing room. How does it work? It goes around the button and then just gives you a little bit of extra stretch from there. And then the additional metal piece goes into the placket and button hole on the other side.

If you’ve got a dress shirt that you really love but that’s a little bit tight around the neck, this is a nice little addition to make sure that if the rest of the shirt fits fine, you don’t have to get rid of it and you can use one of these guys and get some extra life out of it.

Anchor Cufflinks by Weekend Casual

So next in the Henry box we have some cufflinks by a company called Weekend Casual. They came in a nice bag. Obviously, in order to use them you need a French cuff shirt. I don’t have a ton of those, but if you are the kind of guy that has a lot of them, then these are going to be really nice. They seem pretty good quality. I do like the material and construction, and nautical is very big right now. But I can’t take advantage of it without having a lot of French cuff shirts laying around. 

Flaskin’ it with Elijah Craig

Moving on, we have a flask from Elijah Craig Bourbon. Yeah, I don’t do a ton of flasking in my daily life, but I know that there are folks that do. It’s wrapped in a faux leather. It will work, but there are definitely nicer flasks out there. They say the retail value is about $8, so it’s not trying to be your be all end all flask.

Striped Socks From Sprezza NYC

And finally the last thing to talk about in the Henry are these really nice navy & yellow striped socks. They’re from the Sprezza NYC brand. And they look very comfy. I do tend to get particular about how socks fit – not being too tight around my calves – but these definitely feel really soft. They’re 65% combed cotton, 24% polyester, 9% nylon, 2% spandex. So I think they will hold up pretty nicely in the wash. And they go with the theme and complement the tie without being too matchy-matchy.

So overall for my first SprezzaBox experience with the Henry, I’m pretty pleased. I thought that there was a ton of value. There’s lots of stuff inside that I would actually use – it’s really nice to have some fresher items.

What is Sprezzatura?

So you also might be wondering – where does Sprezza come from? It actually comes from an Italian word, sprezzatura, and the idea is it’s a kind of intentional, studied carelessness.

So it was originally referred to the activity of courtiers in royal courts. You had people that were campaigning for power and they had a lot of ambition, but they couldn’t appear to have too much ambition. They couldn’t come across as being too power hungry or trying too hard. And so they had to make difficult tasks look easy. That’s where the idea came from, and then it became translated into the world of style: looking like you carelessly threw together the right accessories and got everything to compliment each other in a very interesting and unique ways. The idea is that you pull off an effortless feel, that you didn’t really have to try that hard to make it happen.

So that’s kind of the idea behind the SprezzaBox. The drawing on the history of the term, the name is basically means, they have done all the hard work to create a complete look that makes you look like you really put it together nicely, but at the same time it just kind of came together. So that’s the idea historically and behind that term and how it gets translated into the subscription box and what they’re trying to offer.

Unboxing the Hillcrest SprezzaBox

So next we’re going to take a look at the second box I received as a part of a two for one signup deal, and that is called the Hillcrest. And that’s actually the June, 2019 box. I’m really super excited about this one. I think I’m leaning towards being more excited about the Hillcrest than the Henry. But let me tell you why.

Elevon Watch

First of all I’m wearing actually a watch by Elevon that came in a really nice little case here. So I love watches, although my Apple Watch Series 4 can sometimes limit the options I have in terms of wearing a watch. But yeah, I’m just super pleased with this guy. It’s not a Rolex in terms of quality but it looks fantastic as an accessory. So I was super stoked. I was hoping to get a watch in my first couple boxes because I had seen from some of the other boxes online that included one. Super excited to actually see that in this box.

Weekend Casual Anchor Socks

So this box also contains some socks, which is great because I really need to build out my sock game. And so for me, I was really excited to get more socks. Again, I think the nautical theme is very strong this summer, so it goes with everything else – the cuff links from the Henry, for example. They’re the same kind of material composition as the ones from the other box. So mostly cotton, but with some poly and some spandex for a little bit of stretch. Overall they feel pretty substantial – I think they’re going to last a while.

Burgundy Dot Tie from SPREZZA

So this is a tie from the SPREZZA brand itself. I like the tie. I think that it looks great. It’s the right width to be modern. I do like the dots. I don’t have many maroon colored ties. So overall I thought this was a nice piece, kind of summery and 4th of July. You can actually buy this tie from the SprezzaBox store.

Tweezers by Razor MD

So another popular item that you’re going to see in SprezzaBoxes is men’s grooming or personal care products, including consumable items like soap or shampoo or face lotion, or whether it’s actual products that are used as a part of the grooming process. And so in the Hillcrest you have this little guy here by Razor MD: tweezers. I can finally stop borrowing my wife’s tweezers when I’ve got those annoying little hairs that need to come out. Now you might already have this as a part of a complete grooming set, but for me this was a nice item to get. It’s not something I’ll use every day, thankfully, but on a semi regular basis just to keep everything nice and tidy.

Pocket Square from Ainsley & Troupe

So next we have a pocket square in a really nice material. It’s from brand called Ainsley & Troupe. It’s pretty thick, so it’s going to make really nice creases when you fold it. I really like the colors too – the dark gray, the red and the little bit of almost lavender gray. And I think it goes really nicely with the socks. They intentionally really tried to make a nice pairing between the two of these.

Overall, I really enjoyed the Hillcrest. I think this was a great box for $14. It would be a great box for $28. I think the value to me well exceeded that price point. So I’m super stoked about this. 

Is This Stuff Adam Likes?

So that’s my overall review of SprezzaBox. I really like it. I think for someone like myself who has kind of neglected the accessory side of my wardrobe, I think that this is a great way to build up a lot of fun stuff that you’re going to use on a regular basis. I think if you are a fashion guy that just always wants something new and fresh every month, I think this is a great place to go to for that. Expect ties, expect socks, expect other kinds of neat accessories. They’re going to seasonally pick those things that are going to make the most sense so that you always feel like you’ve got something fresh and new. That’s a lot of the value that SprezzaBox brings: that sense of fun and the excitement of opening a new box each month and figuring out how you’re going to actually end up wearing this stuff and incorporating it.

So I think it’s really fun and I think it’s definitely worth an investment at least to get started. And then ongoing, I think the question will just be, does it get to a point where, okay, I’ve got enough ties, I’ve got enough socks. I don’t think you can really have enough socks. I think for me personally, there could come a point where I have enough ties. But in terms of all the other kinds of cool stuff, I think it’s just fun. It’s a really cost-effective, convenient, efficient way to get some of those accessories that you’re not going to go out to the store and spend hours picking out the exact matching pieces that are going to all come together. And even if you do, there’s a good chance the cost will far exceed the price point of SprezzaBox.

So the question is: is SprezzaBox Stuff Adam Likes? And the answer is yes! I’ve really enjoyed going through each box, having a lot of fun with thinking about – “how can I use this? How can I use that?” The value is there for sure. And again, over time, does there come a point where you have enough or is it fun to continue to keep getting stuff each month for a minimal amount of cost? I think that’s a decision you have to come up with yourself. But for me, I definitely plan on subscribing for the near future to see what fun stuff they have in store.