Rent the Runway

bougainvilleas

Grand Dame
Feb 21, 2017
711
2,727
New York
Wondering if any of you ladies have experience with RTR, and especially their new subscription service Rent the Runway Unlimited ($139/month). I've been considering trying to it out -- it lets you take out three items at one time but exchange them for new ones as many times as you want.

Pros: lots of variety in my wardrobe, and some pretty lovely pieces in the catalog. Cons: mailing hassle, and no guarantee of size availability? Ack. Any advice would be appreciated! Really looking for new style inspiration this spring <3
 
Wondering if any of you ladies have experience with RTR, and especially their new subscription service Rent the Runway Unlimited ($139/month). I've been considering trying to it out -- it lets you take out three items at one time but exchange them for new ones as many times as you want.

Pros: lots of variety in my wardrobe, and some pretty lovely pieces in the catalog. Cons: mailing hassle, and no guarantee of size availability? Ack. Any advice would be appreciated! Really looking for new style inspiration this spring <3

I've never heard of it before, but since you can cancel the subscription at any time there doesn't seem to be any risk in signing up; you can just try it out for a few months and see whether it's good value for you. It looks like a great way of a) accessing garments that you only want to wear once/a few times and b) trying out pieces to decide whether you want to purchase them for your wardrobe.
 
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Never done it, but I agree with @Silent Night on giving it a go if the idea excites you!


While there's a good variety, the items trend quite effeminate.

I'm like one of those old fairytale dragons that hoard nice things just to have and look at, like actively not wearing items to keep them pristine, so swapping out clothes continuously is not appealing to me personally. Also, I'm a bit irrationally germaphobic when it comes to other people in my fabrics...:oops:

I can see if you have a number of major events a month though and ought to wear a new piece each event this service would be grand! :flower:
 
Wondering if any of you ladies have experience with RTR, and especially their new subscription service Rent the Runway Unlimited ($139/month). I've been considering trying to it out -- it lets you take out three items at one time but exchange them for new ones as many times as you want.

Pros: lots of variety in my wardrobe, and some pretty lovely pieces in the catalog. Cons: mailing hassle, and no guarantee of size availability? Ack. Any advice would be appreciated! Really looking for new style inspiration this spring <3

I've tried it for event-driven clothing that I don't want to own (i.e. a fundraiser I don't feel like buying a new formal for, a bachelorette party where the hostess wants everyone in sequins, a random theme party, etc.). For that, it's worked great - easy shipping to and from, clothes in good condition and fit. I haven't done Unlimited because personally, I can't justify the cost ($1600/yr) for the benefit (new designer clothes constantly).
 
@bougainvilleas, I was wondering if you ever got around to trying this out. Or if anyone else has opinions about RTR/other fashion subscription services. I've been thinking of purging my closet in time for a September move-in to a new apartment and dressing myself with a leaner wardrobe supplemented by rented variety.

(Looks like RTR Unlimited is now $159/60 days, at $80 off for a trial run.)
 
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@bougainvilleas, I was wondering if you ever got around to trying this out. Or if anyone else has opinions about RTR/other fashion subscription services. I've been thinking of purging my closet in time for a September move-in to a new apartment and dressing myself with a leaner wardrobe supplemented by rented variety.

(Looks like RTR Unlimited is now $159/60 days, at $80 off for a trial run.)

Wow, I took an accidental hiatus from SG and completely forgot that I'd started this thread in 2017! I did try this subscription out actually -- I had RTR Unlimited for about 11 months and canceled it because it was quite expensive and not worth the hassle, in my opinion. But I feel it could definitely be worth the price for a different person.

I'll list out what I liked and didn't:

Pros
+ Revolving wardrobe of varied pieces at a fixed monthly rate ($156/mo for four item "slots" and you can swap them out with new items whenever you want)
+ Some really nice brands on there -- Marni, Oscar de la Renta, Theory, ALC -- especially for someone seeking a ready-made work wardrobe
+ Lots of "you have so many beautiful clothes!" compliments from people around you
+ If you happen to attend a lot of formal events, the cocktail dress and ball gown collections are quite extensive
+ Accessories, jewelry and bags collections are also fairly extensive
+ Searching and ordering new items is fairly easy because the UX is well-designed
+ Each item has a bunch of fit photos, allowing you to see how things work on people of different heights and sizes

Cons
+ To return items, you have to either mail everything back (which causes days of waiting before you're able to get new items) or trek to a physical RTR location (which can be a hectic experience with a bunch of basic Soulcycle girls swarming around the store, at least in NYC)
+ Clothes are often unavailable in size 0 or have a long waitlist
+ While the brand selection is decent, the item section is not great and can feel like you're shopping a designer discount rack
+ They pad the catalog with select high-end brands and a bunch of low-end brands including their "house" brand, which feels cheap
+ Guilt-inducing eco-unfriendly practices and excessive dry cleaning
+ Ultimately, the idea of a maximalist ever-rotating set of clothes was great in theory but didn't align with my personal philosophy of only owning things that I truly cherish; I learned from the experience that I'm much more into building a wardrobe that is distinctly of my style and my choosing. I also discovered secondhand shops like TheRealReal and realized that I can still have a dynamic wardrobe by selling clothes when I don't want them anymore, thus getting a lot of money back for new clothes. TL;DR: RTR Unlimited is a gold mine for anyone wanting to try out new styles, fashions, and designers without too much risk; in the long-term, though, I found it to be unsustainable and kind of exhausting.
 
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I also discovered secondhand shops like TheRealReal and realized that I can still have a dynamic wardrobe by selling clothes when I don't want them anymore, thus getting a lot of money back for new clothes. TL;DR: RTR Unlimited is a gold mine for anyone wanting to try out new styles, fashions, and designers without too much risk; in the long-term, though, I found it to be unsustainable and kind of exhausting.
Not entirely on topic but @letter_q I definitely recommend checking out The Real Real instead of a subscription service if you haven't already. Like @bougainvilleas said, it still allows you to have a dynamic wardrobe and the best part in my opinion is that it will also save you a significant amount of money. I've gotten almost all of my favorite designer pieces through TRR and it's also the first place I go if I want to get rid of my older pieces without losing all of the money I originally spent on them. It can be a pain to try to dig through the site to find things worth buying but I've found it to be worth the hassle - I just bought a gorgeous pair of Jill Stuart boots the other day and they were only $30 :luvluv:
 
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@bougainvilleas thank you so, so much for a very helpful and thorough response! I'll probably end up taking advantage of the introductory trial offer, having some fun with it, and canceling; you've pointed out major cons (that Buzzfeed article set off some major cringe) that will likely deter me from sticking with the membership beyond the 60 days.

@psychicemotus LOL I just (like two hours ago) ordered three pairs of shoes from TRR, including one pair of Christian Dior flats. I scout out only the ones in excellent or pristine condition and it makes me feel like such a savvy shopper. :cool: Really glad you and @bougainvilleas mentioned this though--it's really the only online consignment marketplace I've ever tried out and I have been wondering how it ranks among others, so your recommendations are very reassuring.
 
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