Growing up with two brothers in Missouri, fashion was never anything I thought about. My outfits were hand-me-downs and soccer clothes. Shoes were usually tennis shoes and tevas. Now I am a medical professional in Dallas, Texas, and I have come to appreciate fashion. Don’t get me wrong, I am still embracing the sweat pants and v-neck tee (my dresser drawers will vouch for that fact!). But now, being on a rotation of drawstring scrubs for 40 hours of the week, I love the occasional event where I get to dress up!

A few years ago a friend told me about Rent the Runway (RTR) and it has become my guilty pleasure. I love renting their dresses for occasions that you need a nicer outfit, but don’t want to spend a few hundred dollars on a dress you may only wear a couple times. Renting a dress starts at $30 for four days and includes a backup size dress, dry-cleaning, free returns. RTR has thousands of styles and an easy way to search for your perfect dress. It has definitely saved my inner procrastinator when it comes to getting ready for events.

Tory Burch Tunic | Jeans | J.Crew Earrings (old, similar here)

Recently they launched a new monthly subscription service, Unlimited. With Unlimited, you select three items, keep the items as long as you like, and then return in the provided shipping garment bag. Billing is monthly. Shipping is included and dry cleaning is handled by RTR. Items are all high quality, including some designer labels. You have the option to receive dresses, skirts, shirts, pants, jackets, purses, jewelry and accessories.

This year has included lots of travel and celebrations, so what a better time to give Unlimited a try! Here is my review after a few months of using Unlimited, with pictures of a few items I’ve rented, as well as some tips and tricks to RTR and Unlimited.

• Not every item on Rent the Runway is available through Unlimited. While Unlimited does have a very large selection of items, there are dresses I liked on RTR website that I have not seen available on Unlimited. The inventory on Unlimited does change constantly, depending on what is available in your size and what was recently returned, so if there’s something you’ve had your eye on always check back. Additionally, bridal accessories, dresses that retail over $3000 and certain designers are not offered through Unlimited.

C/Meo Ivory Night Rider Dress |  Kendra Scott Earrings | J.Crew Necklace (old; similar here, here)

• Become familiar with the search bar. Unlimited’s search engine is similar to the usual search engine on RTR, however inventory is different and constantly changing. Search by size, designer, occasion, fit, sleeve length, dress length, item type, color, body type, etc… If there’s something you want, there’s a way to find it through their search engine.
• With a little research, you can usually find your perfect fitting dress. Look at the dress and how it fits on women with a similar size to you. On any dress with multiple reviews, you can search reviewers based on their size, height, bust and age, to determine how the dress fits. If you don’t like reading reviews, simply read RTR’s description which will indicate whether the item is true to size, runs big or small. Do this and I hardly ever run into problems.
• There are a lot of gowns available on Unlimited. For the cost of renting a gown for four days on RTR, it may cost the same (or less) to get a months subscription to Unlimited. Rent a gown via Unlimited and receive the benefits of Unlimited for the rest of the month! The only downside to this:  you cannot see which gowns are available until you subscribe to Unlimited. Recently they added several long Herve Leger gowns.

ERIN Erin Fetherston Skirt (similar here) |  J.Crew Shirt (old; similar here) | J.Crew Necklace (old; similar here, here) | J.Crew Earrings | Steve Madden Sandals

• If you find an item you like, “heart” it. When you “heart” a dress it saves it as a favorite for you. This will save you time down the road. There’s thousands of dresses, so whenever I need something quickly, I turn to my list of favorites to choose from. Select about 30 favorite items to add to your “heart” list.
• You can receive approximately 12 items per month – if you maximize your shipments by scheduling accordingly. This is key! Most of the time, I wear my Unlimited items on the weekends. Once you place the order, it takes about a day of processing time and they ship it to you via UPS two day shipping. In order to get the most amount of items in the smallest amount of time, I have come up with a plan that works for me…. I place my returned items in the UPS drop-box on Sunday night or early Monday morning. From Dallas, they allow me to choose three new items on Wednesday morning once my returned shipment is received. I choose new items on Wednesday and have them ready for the weekend on Friday! This method allows up to three outfits each weekend. Depending on your geography and occasional delays with shipping/processing, this method won’t work all the time or for everyone. But I have been happy and successful with this schedule. Be sure to select items before 2pm CST to get them processed on the same day. After 2pm CST, all items are processed the next business day.

Slate and Willow Dress | Tory Burch Sandals | Lilly Pulitzer Belt

• Take advantage of RTR when traveling. I had a couple trips to the northeast this summer, one for a black tie wedding and another for a girls vacation. For both, I needed outfits for the events so I had RTR ship them to the hotels. (Hello, more luggage space! I try to avoid checking luggage!) Also, RTR has stores set up in a few big cities and is based in NYC if you need something last minute.
• There may be occasional mistakes, but RTR has great customer service. One time a dress was unavailable last minute. Another time the dress came with a broken strap. Both times, RTR corrected the problem and added an extra incentive. While this doesn’t happen often, it is possible given their volume of business. Always check your items as soon as your get them to prevent a last minute dilemma.

Lilly Pulitzer Dress | Lilly Pulitzer Belt | J.Crew Bracelet | J.Crew Necklace

• Look at the New Arrivals – you may be the first to wear them! If you sort items out by newest, a lot of the items in the top few columns will come brand new, tags attached. This happens often with Unlimited, because you are getting the item shipped immediately, rather than scheduling a shipment out in the future. My favorite new arrival:  a beautiful Herve Leger dress! This designer is known for having excellent, flattering fabric that squeezes in all the right places, so I loved having that advantage of brand new, strong elastic!
• New styles are added every Friday. If you love the new arrivals, be sure to browse over the weekend. Add any favorites to your list of hearts!

Herve Leger Dress (similar here) |  Kendra Scott Earrings

• It is expensive. Use a discount code. Since items are all higher quality and name brand, the Unlimited subscription is $139 per month. Yikes! Yes, it is pricey. That cost includes the three items at a time, plus shipping and dry-cleaning. I do my best to save money, however this is definitely one area I splurge. Being in hospital scrubs most of the week, I have come to appreciate other clothes and enjoy having quality clothes available without having to run to the dry cleaners constantly. I am a business professional, therefore I want to dress as a business professional. If you choose to get Unlimited, don’t do it without a coupon code.  Get $20 off your first month with this code:  FFUNLUD79F0B
• Try something different. Have fun! I rented an orange jumpsuit (orange IS the new black) which I never would have done. I loved it! It’s fun to branch out of the norm, because after all, you are soon going to return it!

BCBGMaxazria Dress | Kendra Scott Earrings | Tory Burch Sandals

If you do RTR or Unlimited, be sure to share your experience with me. I wouldn’t spend time writing this if it wasn’t something I enjoy and recommend!!

Live your life joyfully so,

Ashley

ps If you liked this post, see this post featuring more dresses from Rent the Runway.

This post was not sponsored by RTR, all opinions are my own.