Runway 34 Review
Bran Bast
Since I'm waiting for my next shipment to unlock, let's discuss Rent the Runway! You know what I find odd? How many people still haven't heard of Rent the Runway. I hopped on the bandwagon as soon as they launched in 2009, but now that they've been around for 13 years and they're a publicly-traded company, it's surprising how many women ask about my outfits and have never heard of RTR.
But you know what I also find odd. Just how obsessed I was with this company back then. I applied and got denied and was crushed, and even gave them ideas for free. I'm going through Gmail right now and here is a screenshot of some of the ideas I had brainstormed for them in 2012.
So, as you can tell, I've been one of their biggest fans, and working for their corporation would've been a dream come true. Well, instead of snagging a job at RTR, I worked as a copywriter at Victoria's Secret for about a year and a half, and I always wanted VS on my resume too. Maybe next week I'll tell you some of their secrets.
Rent the Runway is a clothing rental company, but it was the first clothing subscription platform that provided the everyday woman with access to authentic, luxury fashion. Since its launch in 2009, RTR has gone through many iterations, some of which were the result of the pandemic, and now it's also a sustainable resale platform where shoppers can rent, buy, or subscribe to secondhand clothing.
When I started reviewing for RTR, I couldn't believe I suddenly had access to designers like Monse, Khaite, RED Valentino, and Rosetta Getty. You can find almost everyone and everything at RTR, aside from the top-tier luxury brands such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Hermes. But honestly, RTR's long list of designers (in the hundreds) makes you feel like you're sitting front row at New York Fashion Week, and instead of wishing you could afford what's sashaying past you on the runway, you can hop online and try it for yourself.
While we were all stuck home for a bit during the pandemic, once the world started opening up, RTR made "shopping" so easy! You hop online or get on the app, heart your favorite items, add them to your bag, and then sit back and wait for their arrival. Once you're finished, simply seal them back up in the bag they arrived in, affix the return label, and send back to RTR! And what's even better, if you're going on vacation, you don't even need to worry about packing and lugging your RTR items with you. They will ship it to your hotel or resort and then you can ship it back when you're about to head home. Easy, right?
In the next section, I'll talk about the very high resale price of their items, but right now I want to discuss how affordable I think it is to rent clothing from RTR. If you splurge on the 8 or 16 items per month plan, you get instant access to top designers and pieces that can retail for over $2,000 each. Many of you may disagree with my rationale here and that's OK, but pre-pandemic I was out and about all the time and I bought new-to-me dresses and accessories off designer resale sites at least twice a month. I was able to justify it because I was gainfully employed, going out often, and um... Alexander McQueen for under $150? What a find! So, I kept shopping and buying with the plan to resell the items for a profit, but that never happened. Eventually, I just sold everything or dropped it off at The Salvation Army for someone to gleefully discover. I wasn't going out anymore so what was the point in having a closet full of dresses? Besides, I'd tire of each piece after maybe three wears and it would rot in the back of my closet.
With RTR, I can rent these items and send them back once I'm ready for something new. It's a revolving closet full of designer clothes that I don't have to clean, repair, or worry about wearing on social media again and again. And while to some, it may seem like a complete waste of money to rent something, send it back, and essentially have nothing to show for the money you spent, are we really going to replenish our wardrobes again after the past two years? I probably won't. Sure, I'll still buy something amazing here and there and I won't rent items like thongs or socks, but if you love fashion and you're a bit of a social butterfly, it really does make dollars and cents.
Additionally, we all get stuck in style ruts where we stick with one style, item, or trend because we think that's what works best for us, and that's not always true. Let's be honest here, skinny jeans don't look great on everyone and neither do bell-bottoms. You've got to avoid trends and find something that works best for you and your body type.
In the past six months, I've had no choice but to look at myself in some of these pictures and think, "wow, that design doesn't work for me at all!" I've had the amazing opportunity to try other styles, and break free from my rut. It's been thrilling to discover new pieces and rediscover myself too.
We all love receiving packages, and, in many ways, it's been one of our greatest (and sometimes only) joy throughout the pandemic. It feels like you're a kid again when you get to scroll through thousands of items, pick your faves, wait for them to arrive, and try them on. What's not to love?
I've mentioned this in the past and I'll say it again, when you feel like you look good, you feel even better. I know some of you are rolling your eyes right now, but after the past two years of doom and gloom, we could all use a little (or a big) pick-me-up!
No two people are built alike, and while I'm much taller than the average woman, I'm not model thin. I'm athletic with swimmer's shoulders, a really wide ribcage, almost no waist (my grandmother used to say I looked like a ruler), very long legs and arms. As you've noticed, a lot of items are quite short on me which I'm not complaining about, but it's a fact. We're all built differently... my sister takes after my mom's Irish side and she's a lot shorter than me, curvy, and has huge boobs. We've never been able to share clothes!
My point is, having measurements for each item (including different sizes) would be a lifesaver. It would help us understand whether the item will fit us properly and help save time and frustration. Now, I know doing this for every single item is so time-consuming and tedious (I had to personally measure each piece we listed on Saks Off Fifth), but in the end, it can help RTR save money too. Returns are expensive, tears are expensive, and time is money. Just listing the size range and the model's height isn't enough.
I understand supply and demand, baby, but there are items on my heart list that have never been available. What's the secret and how do I get in on it? Is there a VIP list I've been excluded from or what? Some of the items I've been stalking out are things I don't think many other women would want to wear on their Zoom calls or might be a bit over-the-top for post-holiday, pandemic style. I guess that's where the option of reserving in advance for specific dates becomes useful, but that's just pricey. Maybe they should create a VIP option and a loyalty program like I had suggested in my interview back in 2012. Or perhaps they should order a few extra pieces per item.
Hey, I know RTR isn't for everyone and there aren't that many people who get this excited about clothes, but even if I weren't getting paid to write these reviews, I would still subscribe to RTR. I'd probably just subscribe to the 4 items per month plan... until the world is fully open and I have more places to go!
Choose from thousands of designer clothes and accessories. Try new styles and trends for any occasion. Mail everything back for free via UPS. We handle the dry cleaning. RTR offers both one-time, on-demand rentals as well as an unlimited rental that charges a monthly fee.
After having another major closet cleanout to end 2022, I made a decision to limit my spending on clothing this year. One of the ways I decided to do that was to consistently invest in a monthly clothing subscription that would help me have trendy pieces without purchasing a lot of items that I may only wear a time or two and then forget that the pieces are in my closet until I do a big purge. I have tried both Rent the Runway and nuuly for monthly clothing subscriptions, which leads me to which one is better. Keep scrolling for my full review of each and which one I have decided to stick with for 2023.
A key piece to why I decided to rent clothing each month is because I know it is wasteful and harmful to the environment to buy a lot of fast fashion pieces on top of adding up financially and not being good investments. That is not to say that I do not occasionally still buy trendy or fast fashion pieces, just a point that I am trying to be more intentional about! I have long been a fan of Rent the Runway for special events, including weddings, cocktail parties, and the like, so it was a no-brainer for me to try their monthly subscription service.
I have a couple of friends who have been *raving* about nuuly for months now. I decided to try it out after several months of not using my Rent the Runway subscription and it is the subscription service I have been using this year. This service offers the same standard amount of pieces, 6 pieces for the same rate, and includes a lot of new pieces from Anthropologie. These pieces can be a bit more trendy than the ones that we are seeing on our Instagram feeds.
I think each subscription service has its pros and cons, though I have decided to stick with nuuly given the newness of certain pieces. That said, I can make a case for either and am happy to share the referral links for each for you to decide which one is best for you and your needs! For 40% off your Rent the Runway subscription, use code RTRFAM58E7FA9 and for $10 off your first nuuly order, use this link.
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