Dress via Rent the Runway | Blazer via Banana Republic (old) | Photos by
I’ve talked so much about my Rent the Runway (RTR) Unlimited subscription. I don’t want to become a broken record, but when it comes to my style posts, most of them include a Rent the Runway item. So of course I talk about how much fun it is to be an Unlimited member. I like shopping the RTR site to find clothes and accessories for all occasions. The $159/month price tag might seem steep to some people. But to me, an avid shopper, it wasn’t that jolting. Still as much as I’ve talked about the subscription, I haven’t mentioned one thing I like that most about it. And that’s the reality that I’m no longer making such a big carbon footprint filling my closet with cheap clothes or new accessories every other week.
I didn’t realize this benefit to being an Unlimited member until a few weeks ago. There’s a corner in my bedroom that’s always filled with bags. Bags of clothes to return, make a decision on, or cut the tags off of and put away. I’ve had this corner in every room I’ve lived in for the last eight years. One Sunday I realized that corner was empty except for a RTR shipping bag. Exchanging RTR items week after week saved me from feeling as if I constantly needed to shop. So without new clothes coming for quite a while, there weren’t any errands or decisions I needed to make with bought clothes. Wow, I realized the subscription was starting to pay off in ways I hadn’t intended.
If you’re someone who doesn’t have a compulsive shopping habit (I’m kidding — mostly), you might think this is nothing special. But if you do enjoy shopping and get a high even just browsing through the sale racks at TJ Maxx, you probably feel me. I’m constantly bringing clothes and accessories in and out of my house. It feels good to just do it with RTR items, ones that will be returned and sent to someone else. Not something new that I bought to add to my closet next to something else new I bought. That habit is wasteful, and one I’m happy to cut down on.
Of course, this is one of the benefits RTR intends and they’ve done lots of campaigns around it. The company is committed to being eco-friendly, although there are still a few things I’d like to see them continue to improve upon. For instance, every piece of clothing comes with a plastic hanger. Could they instead install metal hangers into every UPS bag that gets shipped and returned with the rentals? Each piece of clothing also comes in a dry cleaners bag. I recycle mine at a grocery store location, but I’m sure there are lots of users who just toss them. Still, the act of fewer clothes being made and more being rented and swapped is helping cut down on the consumer economy (my personal consumerism, too).
If I’m being completely honest, I’ll never be able to give up shopping for renting. Just the other week I ordered several black pencil skirts offline to try on at home. A simple skirt is one of the things I’d prefer to own for years, just like the black blazer I’m wearing in this post. I also shop cheap sites like SheIn for clothes that are say, less classy than on the RTR website (Vegas-ready) or trendy pieces I know I’ll wear a lot for one season.
Still, bringing in less goods to the home has made me feel good. I plan to continue my RTR subscription to whittle down what’s hanging in my closet but continue to enjoy “new” clothes and accessories often.
Rent the Runway has several ways to rent, including Unlimited.
Check out all of your options and discounts for first time members here.