Why We Love Renting Our Clothes
Spending too much on clothes, feeling stressed finding that dress for an upcoming event, cluttered closet, endless trips to Goodwill, ever changing sizes before and after kids—we’ve been there! We’re in a phase of our lives filled with endless plans and ever changing waistlines, which can be endlessly frustrating. While we love a good shopping spree, we’re also obsessed with clothing rental services like Rent the Runway and Nuuly.
Why We Love It
These clothing rental services give you the “add to cart” high while staying on a budget. You know your fixed cost budget for the month and can try to designers and trends without taking up that closet space. I love RTR for higher end designers and outfits for special events. RTR is my go-to for trying brands like Mother Denim, Ulla Johnson, Sea, Farm Rio without investing hundreds of dollars into statement pieces. I rent high-end jeans, purses, dresses, and sweaters. Whenever I rent from RTR for an event I always get tons of compliments!
Nuuly is a better option if you’re on a tighter budget and want more casual daytime items. Nuuly is owned by the same company as Anthropologie so you can expect to see lots of Anthropologie items on the app. This service has amazing casual pieces like sweaters, tops, jeans, leggings, sweatshirts, and even some vintage items! I love renting from Nuuly for summer events and mom’s nights out. Everything is super high-quality and fun! Bonus, lots of Nuuly items come WITH the tags on and are items you can currently shop in store at places like Anthro and Madewell—amazing!
How it Works
Rent the Runway and Nuuly have great options for any budget. Rent the Runway comes with a higher price tag that gets you higher end designers. Their plans start at $94 for 5 items a month and go up to $193 a month for 15 items a month. I’ve been using the middle plan, which is 10 items for $144 a month, which I think is perfect for a closet refresh each month. You get 5 items and then can swap them for 5 different items the same month. I love that it’s enough items to mix and match casual pieces with items for special events.
Nuuly is more simple with one plan option. With Nuuly, you get 6 items a month for $98, which is the most budget friendly at only $16 an item! You pick out your 6 items all at once and once they are returned you can start your new billing cycle and choose your next 6 items to rent. Nuuly has everything from gowns to leggings, but I tend to go to Nuuly for more casual, trendy items!
What About Fit?!
We always get TONS of questions about finding items that fit when using rental services. We’ve gotten unlucky a few times, but the vast majority of the time the items fit great! Both Rent the Runway and Nuuly have extensive member reviews that include weight, bust, typical size, size rented, and a photo of the customer in the item. This helps you hone in on reviews of people a similar size/fit to you to get an idea of how the items run. I find these reviews endlessly helpful when choosing items and sizes. The Rent the Runway app also has an algorithm that uses your feedback over time to recommend the best size in different items. When in doubt I always size up as I’d rather something be too big than too small!
Fun Facts
I use Rent the Runway and Nuuly every month—seems excessive, but I get a ton of use out of all the items!
Rent the Runway also has a one time rental option where you can rent an item for 4-7 days for a special event.
Rent the Runway lets you pick out new items while you have your current items while your Nuuly shipment must be tracking back to them before you can pick out new items.
I’ve rented 171 designers, 267 items, and $80,034 worth of rentals through Rent the Runway, look at all that money saved!
Rent the Runway has accessories like jewelry and handbags.
Yes, I rent leggings! And I workout in them! Both rental companies have extensive dry cleaning protocols for each item once it is returned. I’ve never received an item that I have thought seemed dirty.
Both services have a like/favorite feature where you can save items you love for future rentals.
With Rent the Runway you can keep an item for as long as you want, the item will just take up one of your spots until it’s returned. With Nuuly, you must return all the items together each month.
Both services have options to buy items at a discount if you love them, I’ve found some really great deals!
Want to try? Try Rent the Runway or Nuuly using these links to get a first time customer discount!
