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If you're not familiar, Rent the Runway is a (mostly) designer closet rental service. (They do have some more readily available brands like J. Crew included, for example.) You can rent one item at a time if you only need something specific, once. Or, they have subscription plans where you can pay to rent multiple items a month. (This was previously called Rent the Runway Unlimited.) I am no stranger to that service. You can read my review of this service in this blog post that includes a review of Rent the Runway from 2018 here. 

||To Rent: Mariana Dress by Ulla Johnson ($375 original value) | Journee Collection Mount Over-The-Knee Boots ||

I have always done the subscription plans through Rent the Runway. To me, it is a no-brainer. However, I have had friends who rent one specific item at a time -- whether it be a bridesmaid dress or they want to reserve something very specific for an event ahead of time. (Subscription plans don't allow you to reserve items, you can only choose from what is available at that time.) 

I normally save my rentals for when I have a month of plans that require fun outfits. Since I work from home, I don't need fun/fancy outfits every single month. It had been awhile since I rented last, but I rented at the end of November for Thanksgiving and my trip to New York at Christmas. It was THE best decision ever. 

||To Buy: Derek Lam Collective Fair Isle Cardigan | To Rent: Fair Isle Cardigan by Derek Lam Collective ($275 value) | Mavi Alexa Midrise Skinny Jeans |Caslon Miller Water Resistant Chelsea Boot||

I know I'm not the only one who when I know I'll be taking a lot of pictures, I want some different outfits. Holidays and special events always mean lots of photos! I make a Shutterfly album every year (and my 3.5 year old actually loves to look back through them all) so I am very aware of what I've worn in years past. Of course, what you're wearing isn't the most important thing in the world... but it's fun to get dressed up and have something special to wear! For that reason, I signed up for the subscription service to cover Thanksgiving, my trip to NYC, and going to the Old Dominion concert with my husband. 

||To Rent: Sasha Sweater by Rails ($268 value) |  To Buy: Rails Sasha Stripe Wool and Cashmere SweaterMavi Alexa Midrise Skinny Jeans |Caslon Miller Water Resistant Chelsea Boot||

There are three different subscription plans currently offered by Rent the Runway.  The first, is for $89 a month for your first month and you get 5 items per month. Month two goes up to $94 a month. The second, is 10 items per month at $99 for the first month. It goes up to $144 a month for subsequent months. And lastly, you can get 20 items per month at $169 a month. The next month goes up to $235 a month. I went with the 10 items per month plan at $99 a month.  

||To Rent: Kris All Over Fair Isle Sweater by J.Crew ($70 value) | similar bow flats (more expensive) | simialr bow flats (less expensive) | Mavi Alexa Midrise Skinny Jeans ||

$99 for a month to rent ten different items?! Serioulsy cannot beat that -- especially when you consider the quality of items I'm getting. 

Here's how the subscription works. After paying for the plan, I was able to select 5 items to ship to me from their full subscription closet. Read the reviews and know your measurements to know what sizes to order. (The service will also recommend sizes to you based off the data you input to your account.)

||To Rent: Leather Moto Jacket by Slate and Willow ($695 value) | Mavi Alexa Midrise Skinny Jeans |Caslon Miller Water Resistant Chelsea Boot| FORME Rib Scoop Tank||

Roughly 3 days later, I had all 5 items in hand. This was my first shipment, and all of these items were for Thanksgiving and my trip to NYC. 

Once I was back from New York I packaged everything up and dropped it at a UPS location. Let's pause for a second and talk about how amazing that is. This is a Rent the Runway hack if I've ever heard one. I wore all of these clothes in New York and once I got home from vacation had almost no laundry?! Everything went right into my garment bag to drop at UPS. Talk about the easiest unpacking after vacation ever.

Something they have changed since my last review of their service, is that now as soon as you mark an item as returned, you can order your next shipment. In the past, you had to wait for Rent the Runway to receive your items before you could choose your next shipment. 2-3 days for it to get back to RTR and then another 2-3 days for your new selection to get to you meant you could lose a whole week in shipping times. I am SO happy they changed how this processing works. 

With the subscription plan I chose, I only had 2 shipments available to me in a month. So, in order to get the most variety from my subscription, it worked best to wait to return my items until I was ready to return all 5. If I had returned when I was only done with 2 of them items, I would only be able to get 2 new items that month. If you have items you love or want to re-wear that is probably OK! Just something to note as you are planning out your month with rentals.

|| Camel Sonia Stadium Jacket by J.Crew ($268 value) | similar bow flats (more expensive) | simialr bow flats (less expensive) | Mavi Alexa Midrise Skinny Jeans ||

Something I really loved about the service this time around, was being able to text with a RTR conceirge. When I was first building my wardrobe, I texted the conceirge to let them know I was looking for fun pieces for NYC and they built a closet for me with recommendations. This was such a helpful starting point as there are SO many options available at RTR that it can be overwhelming to browse them all.  I also texted midway through with questions about the return process. Both times, I had a response from concierge within 5 minutes of sending my request for help. This was amazing customer service and a nice cherry on top to a wonderful experience.

||Pink Colorblock Sweater by Saunders Collective ($245 value) |  Mavi Alexa Midrise Skinny Jeans |Caslon Miller Water Resistant Chelsea Boot||

They have also made it easier to cancel or pause your membership. In years past, you had to chat with a representative online to cancel your plan. This was never a big deal, but did require some extra work on your part. Now you can pause or cancel in your account settings. I didn't have any fun events at the end of December/early January that required new outfits. (Christmas for us is super casual!) For that reason, I canceled once my first month was up. However, we have  a beach vacay coming up in February, as well as a show, so I am tempted to renew then since I know I'd love new pieces for those events. Like I mentioned, I usually use the service when I  have fun plans so I know I will be back as a customer as soon as the calendar warrants new outfits!