MY BEST (NOT KEPT) SECRET.... RENT THE RUNWAY UNLIMITED

In the category of life hacks, I feel like I have found the holy grail. And I have to share it.

Every time I would scroll Instagram I would wonder how the heck these girls afford to have so many nice clothes and new pieces in basically every photo. Of course there are sponsorships and borrowed clothes for photoshoots…. and friend’s closets. There is a long way to climb before you reach that level and a lot of events that need cute outfits along the way. So how do you manage keeping your budget in line, keeping your outfits fresh, and getting to enjoy quality pieces? Renting them. 

This is the secret that I have just found out about.
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Rent the Runway Unlimited.​

You all know, before I recommend something I like to try it for a bit of time and weigh the pros and cons. I’ve been using Rent The Runway since October (so almost four months now) so I feel like, now, I can give you the full scoop.

I’m going to break it down for you as to what RTR Unlimited is, why I have been loving it, and some of my tips for getting the most bang for your buck.

You all are probably familiar with Rent the Runway, the website (and brick and mortar) where you can rent designer pieces for a specific amount of time for super affordable prices. I’ve used RTR for many different occasions and always have had a great experience. My friend, Julianna from Barre to Table, told me about Rent The Runway Unlimited and I figured based on my previous RTR experiences, this one would follow suit.

RTR Unlimited takes the original concept of RTR and amps it up to fit your everyday needs. Basically it is Netflix for your clothes. You can borrow up to four designer pieces that you personally select for as long as you want and exchange them as often as you want. It is pretty simple and self explanatory, like you can’t mess this up.

I was curious as to what the selection of pieces would be and I was happily surprised to see the wide variety of clothing and accessories available to Unlimited members. There are brands like Tory Burch and Kate Spade that may already be in rotation in your closet, but renting allows you to get your hands on some more unique pieces without feeling like you made a sunk investment. There are also other brands that may not be in your everyday affordability range but renting them allows you to wear them without the hefty price tag. ​
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Speaking of price tag, I won’t lie, I was a bit skeptical at first about the $159/month fee for RTR Unlimited. It sounded great but was it worth it? I got my first month for $99 (you can also get that discount here!) which happened to coincide with my anniversary and two photoshoots. I thought this was perfect because I was already going to have to get new outfits for those events so I might as well just try renting instead… for experiment’s sake. You can also pause or stop your membership at any time so there was really no penalty in trying it. I ended up totally getting my moneys worth for the first month and swapped out a grand total of 11 pieces in the first month alone (I’ll get more into getting the most bang for your buck later on). I have kept my subscription going and still feel like it is totally worth it at $159/month.

Here’s why….

I feel like I actually save money and don’t buy shit I don’t need.

How much of your closet is full of random clothes you bought for one occasion, wore for one Instagram picture, and then threw on a hanger to fade away into forgotten darkness. That is a lot of my closet and it is sad to see how much money I’ve thrown away on clothes I don’t wear that aren’t even that great of quality.

By renting pieces I am not tempted to purchase clothes for one time wear which saves me money and closet space. It also allows me to rent super trendy pieces without feeling guilty for spending money on something I will only wear for one season (or one Instagram if we’re being honest).

If there is something you rent and can’t seem to part ways with, you are in luck. RTR has great deals on purchasing rented pieces. Like really good deals. So far I got a $290 Tory Burch tote for $70 (in perfect condition) and a winter coat that was usually around $300 for only $79. I’ll also note here, if you love something but don’t want to commit to it just yet you can keep renting it, month after month.

I hope you are sold on at least trying it for a month because I swear it is a game changer. If you are in, keep reading because I’m sharing my tips to get the most value out of your subscription.

Always check the reviews before your order a piece. This part works similarly (read: identically) to traditional RTR. Other renters can post their reviews/photos and you can look up the reviews from people with similar sizes/body types to yours. This is so helpful especially when you are shopping brands that you aren’t super familiar with. It also helps to eliminate any surprises when you see what a piece likes on an everyday person versus a model.

The most important thing in my opinion is….

Plan, plan, plan.

This is key. The shipment schedule is everything here. Usually I return my rented items on a Monday, they arrive at the facility on Wednesday which is when I can make my new selection, and my next shipment arrives on Thursday, in time for the weekend. I strategically decide when to rent pieces and how many pieces at a time based on the events coming up. If I know it is a busy month, I will plan out specifically the days that I will place and return my orders so that I can ensure I get a fresh shipment every week. If you want optimal delivery time you have to place your order before 3pm so to make things easy I keep the next pieces I am eyeing saved in different folders. This makes it easy to just make your selections in between a meeting or on a trip to the bathroom at work without having to put too much thought or time into it.

If you are maxing out your subscription, you can get up to four new pieces per week, you just have to be diligent about exchanging them on time. If not, it isn’t a huge deal and you still will get a great value, but with proper planning you can really make your subscription worth every penny.

You also don’t have to return everything at once. RTR delivers your shipments in an easily shippable garment bag with a prepaid shipping label, so as long as you have one of those in your possession you can always swap out items. There has only been one occasion where I wanted to return a piece but didn’t have a garment bag, but that was my fault thanks to poor planning and I ended up getting a new shipment and using that bag to return the piece within two days. Another perk of being able to send back pieces after you wear them is you don’t have to do laundry. They dry clean everything for you which, especially when dealing with delicate fabrics, makes life a whole lot easier.

The moral of the story is, Rent The Runway Unlimited is LEGIT. It has saved me money, helped me style some super cute outfits, and feels like Santa is coming to your house once a week. I could go on for about five more posts talking about the little details of RTR Unlimited but I will chill out for now. I’m interested to hear if you all have tried RTR/RTR Unlimited or if you are now interested in trying it. If so you can use my link for a little discount (YAY!).

If RTR is something ya’ll get excited about I would love to continue with some posts on my favorite RTR picks, how I use RTR Unlimited for trips, and maybe even share some tips on fits/styling. I just love being able to share such a helpful service and share a little secret of what is behind a lot of blogger’s trendy Instagram’s. It always confuses me when bloggers/influencers don’t want to share where they got a piece of clothing or if they rented something/got something used. I feel like it is so important to share the reality because for most of us, just casually buying a Chanel bag for an Instagram photo isn’t attainable.

I think RTR Unlimited is a totally genius idea that puts the luxury of fashion into everyones hands, helps to reduce waste, and can save the members of the Instagram generation a whole lot of money. You know I nerd out over how businesses are built and the psychology behind their concepts and RTR caught my attention in that realm. I highly recommend you listen to the “How I Built This” podcast episode with RTR creator Jean Hyman. It will give you an even deeper appreciation of the brand and the mindset shift the fashion industry had to make to make it successful.


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xx

Photos by Jade Nikkole Photography