why I like Rent the Runway
the closest I'll ever get to a Hot Take
The concept of clothing rental has been a topic of discussion in my little corner of Substack recently, most notably the really thorough and intelligent analysis of Rent the Runway’s most recent financial statement from
and‘s post on quitting Nuuly (I also think was asking about people’s experiences with clothing rental companies on Notes… if you’ve also mentioned it recently and I’ve left you out, comment and I’ll add your remarks as well!)I’ve used Rent the Runway for almost two years now and have had a mostly positive experience—here are my thoughts…
HOW I USE IT
I’m on a two-shipment plan, and I get five items per shipment (I’ve upgraded from five to six and downgraded again several times throughout the last couple years.) Two shipments of five items a month seems to be their default/most popular option. You can keep an item for as long as you want or change out every item each time. I often only exchange a couple items a month, and end up keeping many garments for at least three or four months at a time. To get the most out of it, I scour the reviews before ordering (bless the girlies who share measurements and photos), order bigger when in doubt, and know that jewelry and bags are always going to fit.
THE BENEFITS (IMO)
Honing my style while stepping outside of it/experimenting when I want to
Learning which brands feel “worth it” and which ones don’t (for example, Staud makes good handbags but the clothes I’ve tried have been garbage quality and feel so cheap)
Ability to wear and purchase designer items I could never afford new (some probably not even secondhand) and discounts on purchasing pieces already at home.*** I held onto a Tibi Liam jacket for the longest time until the price dropped down to $70 and I officially bought it, though it had been a regular part of my wardrobe for over a year. I don’t have the kind of money to purchase a Tibi jacket full price, and finding it on sale on the RealReal or somewhere else would likely have pushed me to panic buy it immediately without having the chance to think about how it fit into my wardrobe.
Wearing dressier items that I might not want to own if I’m only wearing a couple times a year. Not in the way where I feel like I need a different outfit to post on Instagram after every event I attend, but if I’m only seeing my husband’s extended family a couple times a year for holidays or parties, I prefer to not just show up in my one Nice Dress time and time again!
AN INDIVIDUAL (BUT STILL DATA-DRIVEN) DEFENSE
In 2021, I purchased 49 items from the RealReal. Of those 49, only 16 still remain in my closet—the rest I either returned or resold.
I started using Rent the Runway in early 2022 because I wanted to wear a new-to-me dress to an upcoming wedding. In 2022, I only purchased 9 items from the RealReal, and four of those were Everyday Oil and Flamingo Estate candles I gave as gifts, bought in-store with generous promos when I went in person to consign. That leaves 2022’s clothing total at 5 items, as compared to 49 the previous year. In 2023, I only purchased 5 items total from the RealReal, and one of those was a set of drinking glasses, making that only 4 items of clothing all of last year.
Obviously the RealReal is not the only place I shop, but I’ve found that it mirrors Rent the Runway for me in that it is a pathway to designer clothing previously unavailable to me because of cost. Many of the brands I’ve rented were ones I used search for obsessively on the RealReal, gambling on sizing because the measurements on the RealReal are bafflingly off (I swear they use a random number generator) and often ending up with something that I didn’t like as much in person, or that just didn’t fit. That scarcity mindset just isn’t there with Rent the Runway. If I want it, it’s already with me—I can take my time to decide whether or not I want it to be a permanent addition.
An example: here’s something I rented recently and liked, but didn’t love—a floral Rachel Comey puffer jacket. I was tired of wearing my only puffer (a classic army green Aritzia Super Puff that I do love) every time the temperature drops below freezing, and was curious how a more feminine puffer might change up my winter look. After wearing it for a couple weeks, I decided that it wasn’t as warm as I was expecting (only as warm as my wool coats, which I’d rather wear than a puffer), and the pockets were strangely too low to feel fully functional? Like it was weird to put my hands in? When I make my next exchange, I’ll send it back, and someone else who lives in a slightly warmer climate and has significantly longer arms will hopefully rent it and rejoice! However, if I’d seen this on the RealReal for $100 or so, I might have impulse bought it and been stuck with it, or resold it and inevitably taken a loss.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
I absolutely believe the research about the limited and potentially negative environmental impact of clothing rental, and am deeply skeptical of the greenwashed aura these companies attempt to cultivate. (
From a purely individual and anecdotal perspective, I think it might be slightly better for the planet than the way I shopped online before (see: my RealReal habits.) It feels less harmful to receive and send two packages a month to and from New Jersey (I think the New York shipments come from a warehouse in Secaucus) than to receive multiple packages from all over the internet multiple times a month, potentially returning those as well. I also tend to hold onto rented garments for several months, so I’m not sending back new items to be dry cleaned every time. Still not great! But potentially better? (Willing to hear an argument that says otherwise!)
***WHAT I HAVE PURCHASED
—The aforementioned Tibi Liam jacket in plaid/black, for $70 after holding onto it for over a year.
—A pair of Agolde jeans for around $100? (the app UX still leaves something to be desired, I can’t go back and see what I paid for them)
—A pair of Ashley Park x Rent the Runway pants for $120
—A Sandy Liang shirt for ~$70 that I rented for several months in the summer of 2022 and 2023.
According to my Stylebook data, I’ve worn the Liam jacket 59 times, the jeans 49 times, the Sandy Liang top 27 times, and the Ashley Park pants 20 times. All of those purchases feel useful and considered—and I’m still excited about each one!
FINAL THOUGHTS (FOR NOW)
I do think Rent the Runway enables some of my more consumerist impulses at times (and while I despise the term “girl math,” the $70 I spent on that Tibi jacket obviously leaves out whatever percentage of my monthly fee I used to keep it for that long before actually buying it.) But I like to also think that at its best, Rent the Runway acts as a bridge between where I am now and a slower, more intentional approach to purchasing clothes.
(One last thought: inspired by ’s suggestions for improving subscriber experience… it would be amazing to have some sort of social feature where you could be friends with someone and see what they are renting currently and/or what they’ve “hearted.” I have several friends who also use RTR and I often exchange recommendations with them via text—would love to do it in a more streamlined way!)
Anyone else use Rent the Runway or another clothing rental company? How has it changed your shopping habits and your wardrobe?
<3 E
LOVED reading this perspective! Although RtR wasn't the best fit for me, I know it's a great fit for many others and this piece is a great example of that. I appreciate the shoutout!
Same!!! I’ve been on the 5 items 2x month plan for about 3 years (flexing up or down depending). It’s especially fun when im going on work trips or vacations bc I can essentially get a whole new wardrobe for that climate and then if it doesn’t work at home no worries. I’ve bought a few things from them too and totally agree about the rent to buy pipeline…it leads to smarter purchases overall.