I have a new obsession that I am so excited to share with you guys: Rent the Runway Unlimited. For those of you who don’t know, Rent the Runway is a clothing and accessory rental service. In the past, I had only used RTR for weddings and bridesmaids dresses. The service does have its pros and cons.
Since I work at a news station, I heard about RTR unlimited from the reporters and anchors. When you are on-air you need a LOT of different outfits and many of the girls rave about how awesome this service is. I decided to give it a try through the holiday season, since there are a lot of parties, dinners, etc. I figured in-between those events I could rent a few nice outfits for work and a fun handbag here and there. So far I am loving it!
Here’s how it works:
- You pay $139 a month (that includes all shipping costs and insurance)
- Select 3 items to be shipped to you
- Enjoy the items as long or as short as you would like
- As soon as RTR processes your return, you get to select another 3 items
- You are automatically charged each month until you cancel
Here’s what I rented my first month
Pros:
It is AWESOME going through all the amazing designer clothes and purses! I have to admit, a $500 dollar dress fits so much better than my $20 Target finds. (but Target I will always love you, we are not breaking up) It is crazy, when I wear something I rented, I always get tons of compliments. The clothes just look and feel different. I’m obsessed. The app is awesome since I can scroll through, save my favorites and order right from my phone. They use 2-day shipping both ways which makes switching out items fast & easy. I love the reviews since most of them include pictures of real women in the clothes. (which is why I have been very good about posting my own reviews) I love knowing that I can have a number of designer dresses to choose for any holiday party or event I have coming up! Also, I can’t even tell you how much fun it is wearing a $1200 dress to work. Just because.
Cons:
Paying $139 a month and having nothing to show for it was a hard pill to swallow. However, I am super fast when it comes to wearing my outfits and sending them right back, so I have been able to easily rent 9 items a month. (my co-workers say this is the average amount they get, too) That breaks down to about $15 bucks an item, which is really good. Most of the items I choose are between $40-$75 to rent and you need to pay shipping when you do a one time rental. So when you break it down that way it really is a good deal, but still. Finding your size can also be tricky. With a one time rental, they ship you two sizes… but with unlimited you get just one. The reviews are really accurate and tell you when an item runs large or small. When in doubt, size up. Designers tend to run smaller than what I usually buy and I find that works best. I have never had an item be too big on me, but I have had a number of dresses that were a bit too tight or short.
Final Thoughts:
I am going to continue this for a bit since it is SO MUCH FUN. I recently ended my affair with Stitch Fix, so this ends up costing me the same amount each month… if not LESS. I may not get to keep the items, but I love getting to wear amazing quality dresses to different parties and to work. This also takes the stress out of shopping for a specific event. I have all the variety I could ever want!
If you want to try Rent the Runway, I would love it if you used my link to sign up. (this isn’t an affiliate link or anything… it is just the regular referral email offered to everyone) If you DO use my link, you will get $30 off your first order! So even if you don’t end up trying Unlimited, you can rent yourself a hot holiday dress just because! 😉
If I had more places to wear nice outfits too I think I would love this!
They have some casual stuff too, but more for the summer. (think maxi’s and cute rompers) 😉
This is the first time I’ve heard of Rent the Runway unlimited. It sounds like an awesome deal, being able to wear designer pieces for a fraction of the cost!
One Awesome Momma
It is so much fun, I am totally addicted!!
I’m so torn on rent the runway. I love the idea that it reduces clutter in my closet, but I would be so sad to send all the beautiful clothes back in the end! I do however, love their sales when they are clearing their stock out! I got a $400 dress for $60 once, I feel like I have super powers in that dress!
-Mackenzie
http://www.kenzywho.com
I know! I loved the Erin Featherson dress I rented SO MUCH.. I really wanted to keep it!!
One of the things I love about this is that you can constantly be wearing new things. Which I particularly love for items that are a bit more of a trend. I’m totally fine spending extra money on items I can wear for several seasons but when it’s something that will probably only be fashionably relevant this winter, it’s difficult to swallow spending a lot of money. This is the perfect compromise!
Interesting idea. I definitely see the appeal (especially the part about wearing a $1200 dress to work just because) but wouldn’t do it myself because it would make me so sad to be spending all that money and not getting to build my wardrobe.
I loved the idea of RTR unlimited but ended after a month over issues with availability of sizes and more. It never seemed my size Small was available and there isn’t a way to filter availability based on size, so you end up wasting a lot of time on the website. I also received one piece that had clearly been worn and not laundred (GROSS!) although to be fair, in general I found the clothes beautiful and in excellent condition. Another major drawback is that the included insurance does not cover theft, and if your return package is stolen you could be left with a bill for thousands based on the high value of these items..
I’ve rented dozens of dresses from RTR over the years and have almost always had excellent experiences. There was one dress though that REEKED of body odor. It was disgusting. Fortunately I called and they immediately shipped a replacement to me in time.
Do you still rent the runway unlimited? Did they “grandfather” you into the old pricing? I saw that they raised it to $159!
Yes, I was lucky enough to be grandfathered in. Unlimited used to be 3 pieces at a time and when they upped it to 4 they raised the price, which kind of stinks. They have a few other options now, like the one that allows 4 pieces a month.