As you all know, last weekend I headed home to Kansas City for my cousin’s wedding. Many of you commented on my dress, and today I’m going to tell you all about my experience getting that dress from Rent the Runway!
Disclaimer: I was not contacted by Rent the Runway nor compensated for this review – I just wanted to try it out and did this entirely on my own.
So what is Rent the Runway? This is from their “How It Works” page:
Basically, you pick out a dress, designate what days you need it for (you get 4 days or 8 if you want to pay more), they mail you your dress via UPS, you wear it and sent it back in their pre-paid envelope. They take care of shipping, dry cleaning and they’ll send you a second size of the same dress for free!
A while back I’d mentioned on the blog how I’d always wanted to try Rent the Runway and that I thought my cousin’s wedding would be the perfect opportunity since it was a black tie event. My grandmother read the post and kindly offered to get me a dress! After much contemplation, I ended up choosing the So Fresh Floral Maxi from Shoshanna. I based by decision on what style I know works for me, and many of the customer reviews.
My favorite part about the site is the customer reviews. Women who have rented the dress before can go on and review the dress, discussing how it fit them on their own body type (many give their height and weight), and include photos of themselves in the dress.
My dress arrived right on time, Friday evening before the wedding, and in a very cute box!
I tried on both sizes and actually wasn’t sure which one to wear, I felt like I was in between. Right before heading out I chose the larger size and was glad I did, especially after doing the “sit-test” (where you sit in the dress to see how it fits compared to standing up). My only issue with the dresses was that one of the sizes seemed clearly worn before, the boning in the bodice seemed a bit warped, which annoyed me a little bit. Granted, that’s what you get for renting such a highly reviewed dress!
Here’s me wearing the dress before heading to the reception (photography by my wonderful little brother):
I was glad I went with my gut and picked this dress. We then had a little too much fun making fun of my insistence at getting a picture of myself in the dress:
Splendid.
The next morning I packed up the dresses that they sent (which were in a garmet bag) and put them in the pre-paid shipping envelope. Since I was heading to the airport at 5:15am (don’t ask…) my mother kindly dropped it off at the UPS store for me!
And Ta DA!
I really enjoyed using Rent the Runway, and know other people, including a couple other cousins of mine, who’ve had great experiences with the company. It totally took away the stress of dress shopping, as well as the pain of spending a ton of money on a dress I probably wouldn’t be able to wear again. I highly recommend the service!
Have you ever tried Rent the Runway? Would you?
Are you a fan of black-tie events? I love them…
that’s awesome! i’ve heard of several people renting the runway but i haven’t done it yet. my mom and sister both have an awesome closet and thankfully let me borrow what i want from them 🙂 🙂 eventually i’ll try rent the runway!
Haha that sounds pretty good to me! I don’t have any closets to borrow from!
Awesome! I’ve been wanting to use Rent the Runway for a while but always chickened out as I don’t know anyone who has used it before to hear how it went. The dress is beautiful and looks great on you!
It’s definitely worth trying! Check out the site and read reviews on the dresses you’re interested in, they’re so helpful!
oooh Ive been super curious about them too.
NOW TO WRANGLE ME A FANCY INVITATION somewhere…
Haha exactly, I had to wait for an event to try it out on!
okay, i so to try need this. YOU LOOK GREAT!
Aww thanks! You really should give it a try if you need a nice dress! Or just for fun…
That’s so cool! I might have to give it a shot!
It’s worth a try!
I’ll have to see if they have service in Canada, it seems like such a great idea for a service! The dress looks super cute 😀
I’m not sure, I would think so but check it out!
Thank you for this review girl! I have been wanting to try rent the runway forever, but haven’t really had the perfect opportunity to try it out yet! I am happy to see it went so well for you!
I really liked it, and I had to wait for the right opportunity too, I’ve been wanting to use it for ages!
I love that dress! I considered using it for my rehearsal dinner, but I ended up finding a dress at Forever 21 that I could wear again, so it made more sense to buy.
Oh I love finding great inexpensive dresses that I can wear over and over!
I first heard of rent the runway from my sister in law. I love it, especially with all the weddings we are attending this year!
Yes, it’s perfect for weddings, especially if you’re seeing the same people at many of them
What a seriously awesome concept! I will have to keep this in mind!
It’s great if you have a big event come up!
I love that dress!
I’m debating using the company for a wedding in July, I just need to decide whether I want to buy another dress or not. Especially since the wedding I’m going to is cocktail attire so it may be cheaper or the same to buy a dress.
That’s true, cocktail dresses are much easier to re-wear!
LOVE RTR! I rent from there all the time!
I’m glad to hear you like it!
I love the dress you chose! I actually tried Rent the Runway back in December for a Christmas party. One of the sizes was clearly more well worn than the other which annoyed me as well. I kind of expected that it would be in perfect condition and was disappointed that it wasn’t. Other than that I loved it; super convenient, fun and easy!
Another funny thing about RTR…if you watch Gossip Girl. Yes, it’s a guilty obsession that I typically keeped locked up tight in my shameber. There was an episode where you could see an RTR garment bag in the background of one of the scenes. Made my day!
Oh really?! Haha I definitely watch Gossip Girl! That’s so cool!
I always want to try it out but get nervous that it wont fit!!! That’s awesome and yours looked BEAUTIFUL!
that’s what’s great about getting two sizes, and the reviews really helped me decide what size to get.
I haven’t tried Rent the Runway, and I probably won’t.
I don’t really like black tie events unless they are weddings or dances 🙂
Well this was a black tie wedding!
Glad to hear you had a great experience. I keep meaning to try out rent the runway but always forget or end up buying a new dress. The rental fees seem a bit steep to me but I might still try them out.
It is a lot if you can find a dress for $100 instead, but if you want to treat yourself or if you know you’ll be buying a more expensive dress that you’ll never wear again, it’s really helpful!
I’ve heard about this before! Very cool. Looks great on ya!
Thanks, Kierston!
[…] “My favorite part about the site is the customer reviews. Women who have rented the dress before can go on and review the dress, discussing how it fit them on their own body type (many give their height and weight), and include photos of themselves in the dress.” — Peace, Love And Oats […]