Rental Review

This post has been a long time coming. It was more than one year ago when I first shared my reviews of clothing and accessory rental services, one being Rent the Runway Unlimited. At the time I was a newbie to the Unlimited program, so I’d like to update my Rent the Runway Unlimited review. Keep reading to hear my thoughts over the eight months of the clothing and accessory rental program, what I liked and what I thought could be improved. And, there’s a rental code at the end.

I first joined Rent the Runway Unlimited when it was in beta testing in spring of 2015. I paid $50 a month for an endless rotating closet of designer pieces and loved it! It was fun to browse the site, pick out three items that would arrive on my doorstep, and then send back one, two or all three at a time to switch the clothing and accessories out for the next piece. Sometimes I had special events I was shopping for, like weddings, and other times I chose everyday pieces just to wear for fun. As I stuck with the service, I noticed Rent the Runway offered more and more everyday pieces like purses, skirts, blouses and coats on the site.

I loved the service and continued it for several months, even when the cost raised to $100. I rented clothes from designers like DVF, Joie, Kate Spade and Rebecca Minkoff, and was constantly receiving compliments on the pieces I borrowed. But as fall winded down I was beginning to wonder if I still needed the service. Then, I received an email with a message that the cost would be rising and I took it as a sign. (I also did some quick math and determined it wasn’t in my budget to continue with the service!) I cancelled Rent the Runway Unlimited because I was ready to invest in my closet again with pieces I could keep.

Are you wondering if I would I do it again? Should you sign up for the service? Keep reading my Rent the Runway Unlimited review to find out.

Rent the Runway Unlimited Review

What I liked:

• The selection is a girls’ dream closet. Rent the Runway Unlimited has such a large selection of designers, there’s really something for everyone. There are formal gowns, cocktail dresses, outerwear, accessories, etc. The Unlimited program lets a girl play dress up and order practical work clothes.
• It’s a savior during wedding season. I have friends who still use Rent the Runway Unlimited so they can get something new for every wedding they attend. With Unlimited, you can try several styles and then make the last minute decision of which dress you’d like to wear depending on how you feel that day. Afterward, send them all back and get three more to choose from for you next event.
• You can keep pieces in your closet as long as you’d like! This was great because each season it seemed that I inevitably fell in love with something, maybe a cape, or maybe a purse. I’d wear it for a few weeks or a month, just in time for me to want something new or for the season to change.
• The turnaround time is pretty quick. Rent the Runway Unlimited makes it so easy to send things through UPS and it’s only two day shipping. If I returned something Monday, I could usually count on having new items by the end of the week.

What I wish were different:

• The sign up wait time could be shorter. It’s probably not like this for everyone, but several of my friends have put themselves on the wait list for the service and had to, you guessed it, wait for months.
• The cost is a little steep. Once the price raised to $139, Rent the Runway Unlimited no longer made sense for me. Of course, this isn’t the same for everyone. I see news anchors use the service. It probably actually is less expensive  for them to rent and return the clothes than to try to stock their closet with enough new outfits for every broadcast.
• Its not always a wardrobe savior. There was actually one time that I was using Rent the Runway Unlimited and still had to go order another dress from the Chicago store. I had rented three items and when they arrived found that they weren’t the right fit or fabric for a summer wedding. I didn’t have enough time to swap them before that weekend’s wedding. Because I was a part of the Unlimited program, customer service couldn’t accommodate me by rushing another dress, hence, I had to stop in the store and spend more money for one last-minute. What I’m saying is you still always want to have a back up plan. *Update 4/17: RTR Unlimited now lets users exchange their items in-store. So if you’re near one and something doesn’t work out, you can go to the store that day to swap it.*

Did you read my Rent the Runway Unlimited review and think it might be for you? Browse the selection to help you make your decision. Interested in just trying out regular old Rent the Runway for the first time? Use this link to get $30 off your first Rent the Runway order.