Have you ever used a fashion rental service? I’ve tried a few and the one that I keep going back to is Rent The Runway (aka “RTR”). I have used RTR for a few years now to rent special occasion dresses for events like weddings and bachelorette parties. I recently decided to try their unlimited monthly option for a continuous supply of fashion on demand! So, of course I had to check out their work wear options since that’s what I need and wear the most. I am still figuring out the service and how long I am going to keep it up, but I wanted to share what I’ve learned so far!
Rent The Runway
RTR is a subscription service where you can rent designer dresses, apparel and accessories. They have several different plan options to fit your needs. If you want to rent a single piece like a dress for an event, you can select RTR reserve and rent for as low as $30. You can keep the item for 4 or 8 days and the price includes shipping and a backup size. This is one of the best features of renting a single piece from RTR! Once you search and locate your dress, you can take a look at all of the user reviews. The reviews often include photos and the woman’s height, weight, chest size etc. which helps you make the best decision on which size to order. For example, if you read all of the reviews and most say fits TTS (true to size) but some people report the item ran small, you would order your true size and the next size up.
You get a 4 day window (or you can select the 8 day option which may work better if you are traveling with the item) to keep it, so if you have a Saturday wedding/event to attend, make sure the dress arrives by Thursday to ensure it fits and you love it and then plan to return it on Sunday. Your dress will arrive in a special RTR bag with a return address label and locking mechanism for the zipper. When it is time to return it, all you have to do is make sure everything is back in the bag and drop it at your closest UPS location.
Rent the Runway Unlimited
Bring on the work wear! I wanted to try this option to see if I could cut down on my monthly spending on new clothes and just rent them instead! My husband pointed out after the first month of renting ($159/mo) that it doesn’t save us any money if I keep buying at the same rate and renting! 🙂 That is a true statement…so I am trying! Lol
You can rent 4 pieces on rotation and swap one or more pieces out and keep others for as long as you want, or return them all at once and order your replacements. If you are good about wearing the 4 pieces rather quickly and then returning them for more, this can be a really affordable closet option! The shipping is really fast (usually within 2 days) so you could probably get 3-4 bags in a month’s time if you timed it right! So far, I have managed to get 2 bags a month but that is mainly because of the time it takes to shoot my looks.
Rent the Runway Designers
The selection of designer pieces you have access to is nothing short of amazing! In my current bag I rented 2 Rebecca Taylor dresses, 1 Tory Burch dress (see photos below) and 1 Tory Burch bag. The approximate value of my bag was $2,000!
I have found so many great work wear dresses by designer Rebecca Taylor that I just have to mention her in this post. Rebecca Taylor is sold at retailers like Nordstrom, Nordstrom Rack, Bloomingdales and Neiman Marcus. There are affordable and splurge items offered through those retailers. I’m not sure about you, but my closet is not stacked full of designer dresses that range from $400-$600 a piece…but now I know I can rent them! The quality of her dresses are amazing and the style is classic. I’m not able to wear a $500 dress to work every day, but when I do I feel fabulous!
The tweed dress featured in this post is Rebecca Taylor. I will link it below so you can shop it if you want to splurge, but honestly…why buy when you can rent?
Rent the Runway Plans
If you visit the RTR website today you can receive 20% off your first order or $80 off your first two months of the Unlimited plan with code: WEARMORE. This post is not sponsored and I don’t receive any commission from these links, but I want you to take advantage of the latest promotion if you’re ready to give it a try! There is a third way to try RTR; RTR Update (1st month $69); on this plan you get 4 pieces per month and can refresh each month.
If you have experience with RTR and have any additional tips or tricks, leave them in the comments below. Now, go ahead and rent yourself something amazing that will help you feel your BEST! I will continue to share RTR fashion as I receive it!