In recent years the trend of renting clothes has become more and more popular. But are companies that have popped up to meet this demand, like Rent The Runway, legit?
Is the monthly subscription model of a Rent The Runway membership worth it? What about Rent The Runway Unlimited plan? In this Rent The Runway review I’ll be dishing on my experience with Rent The Runway full closet access. Let’s get into it..
These days, many gals are deciding that they’d rather not buy an expensive outfit for one occasion, but instead pay to rent and wear just once. For frequent travelers, or anyone who just doesn’t have the closet space, a clothing rental subscription service like Rent the Runway can make a lot of sense.
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For one, renting clothes is a great way to try out new styles without spending a lot of money. Secondly, it’s a great way to save space in your closet. And finally, it’s a great way to help the environment by not creating more clothes that will eventually end up in a landfill.
As a single gal out and about in the city, I had an eventful weekend coming up (and quite a few dates too 😉). I decided to try out Rent The Runway’s full closet access plan for a month to see what all the fuss was about.
What is Rent The Runway?
Rent the Runway is a company that allows you to rent designer clothes. They offer various categories of clothes and accessories including dresses, shoes, jewelry, and outerwear.
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Subscribers to Rent The Runway Membership plan can rent the outfit of their dreams for an event, hold onto it for a number of days, and then send it back in a pre-paid envelope. Rent The Runway does all the cleaning of the garment and no one needs to know that you don’t actually own that fabulous $700 designer dress.
Founded by Jennifer Hyman and Jennifer Fleiss, two ambitious women who met in grad school at Harvard’s Business School, the company has been around since 2009.
Rent the Runway now has over 6 million members and a whopping $800 million in venture capital. The company has also partnered with some of the biggest names in fashion, including Diane von Furstenberg, Michael Kors, and Tory Burch.
How Does Rent The Runway Work?
Rent the Runway make borrowing designer duds a really simple concept to understand.
As a subscriber to Rent The Runway’s full closet access plan, you can have up to 16 rentals each month (depending on your plan). At the moment, their highest tier plan allows for the rental of 4 items at a time and includes up to 4 shipments per month.
Once you’ve picked your clothes, you choose a date to receive them and then a date to send them back.
Rent The Runway Pricing and Plans
At the moment, there are three tiers of Rent The Runway membership. With a Rent The Runway membership, you gain access to a forever-rotating closet of designer clothing, accessories, and more. The best part is there are no commitments, as you can pause or cancel anytime.
Before we get into the Rent The Runway Pricing and Plans, let me make an important distinction between levels of “access”.
- Basic Closet Access: Includes more “casual and workwear styles” with a retail value up to $350.
- Full Closet Access: Includes access to RTR’s entire collection including evening wear, formal dresses, and premium styles with a retail value up to $3500.
Ok no for the Rent The Runway membership plans…
Basic: “For a monthly pick-me-up with versatile essentials and statement pieces.” This plan includes basic closet access and 1 shipment with up to 4 items per month.
Mid Tier: “For outfit updates and special occasions, including work and weekend looks.” This plan includes full closet access and 2 shipments with up to 4 items at a time.
High Tier: “For weekly newness for every moment in life — big or small, and everything in between.” This Rent The Runway plan includes full closet access and 4 shipments with up to 4 items at a time.
Does Rent The Runway Have an Unlimited Plan?
Rent The Runway no longer offers their beloved retired unlimited plan. When I tried Rent The Runway for the first time back around 2017, I remember thinking how brilliant this option was to have the option to swap as many items as you want per month. This era unfortunately however has come to an end.
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According to Rent The Runway, only 4% percent of Unlimited users were swapping out their items more than 16 times a month. So the shift away from Unlimited is to address the fact that many users were paying for more items than they were actually using.
Rent The Runway Promo Code
Rent The Runway does have a “refer a friend” program where you’re able to share a referral link that saves you 40% OFF your first month’s subscription. As a blogger or “influencer” however, I’ve been having some trouble sharing my own referral link with you, my readers.
I’m currently working on getting a Rent the Runway promo code for you all. As soon as I get a valid Rent The Runway promo code, I’ll be sure to update it here.
Rent The Runway vs Fashion Pass
When it comes to clothing rental services, Rent The Runway isn’t the only kid on the block. As they offer a very similar service, I think that Fashion Pass is worth mentioning in the Rent The Runway review.
Fashion Pass is a clothing rental service that offers “unlimited access to the latest fashion trends.” That’s right, unlike Rent The Runway, this competitor does in fact offer an unlimited option that allows members to swap your items for new ones as often as you want.
There is a major difference however between Fashion Pass vs Rent The Runway. Fashion Pass focuses is less on high-end brands and more on pricey fast fashion. Think more expensive than H&M or Forever 21, but less durable than designer pieces.
FashionPass carries in brands that have a beachy, music festival vibe such as Free People and For Love & Lemons. Think outfits a Bachelor contestant would wear on a date (several former contestants have served as brand ambassadors for the brand).
If this service sounds interesting to you, check out my full Fashion Pass review here.
My Rent The Runway Experience
Now that I’ve let you in on the details of a Rent The Runway membership, how does Rent The Runway work, and how much does Rent The Runway cost… I know inquiring minds want to know.. so, is Rent The Runway legit? Is Rent The Runway worth it?
This is the part of this Rent The Runway review where I get into the nitty-gritty and spill the tea on my experience.
As I mentioned, I tried Rent The Runway some years ago (back when they had their unlimited plan), and was so happy with the service that I decided to give them another try. For this go around, I signed up for Rent The Runway’s mid-tier membership plan.
For my first shipment, I snagged 4 semi-formal dresses.
Below, I’ll share some photos that I took in my Rent The Runway dresses as well as my initial thoughts. Additionally, to see my full Rent The Runway review, you can head on over this Youtube video where you can watch me try everything on as well.
Rent The Runway Dress #1
Black Halo Deklyn Romper, Size 0
Ooo, feeling hot, hot, hot. Sweet flutter sleeves further the trend-right style of this hot pink romper from Black Halo.
I loved this sexy romper so much I’m considering keeping it and not sending it back, ha! Seriously, it literally fit me like a glove. I wore it to the South Beach Wine and Food Festival in Miami and it was perfect. Stylish, eye-catching, and I can’t tell you how many compliments I got all day and night.
Rent The Runway Dress #2
C/MEO COLLECTIVE Motivations Dress, Size XS
A refreshing orange wrap dress styled with voluminous short sleeves and a ruffled hem. Perfect for a hot night out. Literally; it’s made from lightweight cotton.
My favorite aspect of this Rent The Runway dress was the unique puff sleeve style. Additionally, this orange color was very bold and eye-catching. If I were to borrow this dress again from Rent The Runway, however, I think I’d size up a bit because I felt as though it fit a bit small.
Rent The Runway Dress #3
Lavish Alice Khaki Corset Mini Dress, Size 4
Tonal trim highlights the corset-style bodice of this collared and pleated Lavish Alice mini dress for an alluring weekend look.
This stylish Rent The Runway dress was very trendy and cute. Although I think it looked great on me and it’s a very pretty dress, I’m not certain how comfortable I would feel wearing this dress out and about. The length was quite short on my long torso, and I felt as though I’d have to adjust it constantly. Perhaps on a shorter girl, however, this dress would be just fine.
Rent The Runway Dress #4
Hervé Léger Yellow Bandage Dress, Size Small
Brighten everyone’s day in this vivid yellow knit bandage dress styled with a trend-right square neckline by Hervé Léger.
This was perhaps my favorite Rent The Runway dress of the bunch. The color was so beautiful and vibrant and the material of this dress fit my body and curves just perfectly.
Rent The Runway Review Takeaway
Overall, I’m really happy with my Rent The Runway experience and would recommend it as an option for those looking for a more affordable way to have new wardrobe pieces without committing to buying something outright.
So is Rent The Runway worth it? Yes, absolutely Rent The Runway is totally worth it. If you’re someone who likes to wear switch-up things often and always have something new to wear or who is looking for a more affordable way to get their hands on designer clothes, then Rent The Runway might be the perfect solution for you.
What do you think? Is Rent The Runway worth it for you? Let me know in the comments below!
