Renting clothes is getting more and more popular, but how do you find the company that’s right for you? These are two popular rental services that might just work for you. Haverdash carries popular brands with a healthy amount of fun statement pieces. With this service, you’ll get unlimited rentals all month. Rent the Runway is one of the best-known rental companies, and it’s a great way to get access to thousands of dollars worth of clothes each month. You can choose between all kinds of styles, and integrate luxury clothes into your usual wardrobe.
Haverdash is an affordable clothing rental company with a lot of trendy brands and clothes for the office, weekend outings, and even staying in. You get unlimited rentals 3 items at a time. Rent the Runway specializes in designer clothes, with some pieces worth more than $1000. Plan options vary between 4 items, 8 items, and 16 items a month. I like both of these services, but Rent The Runway has a more versatile selection and also gives you access to great member discounts.
How Do They Work
Haverdash
You can look through the clothing available through Haverdash before you sign up, and even search by size, color, and so on. That should give you a good idea of what’s available.
Once you sign up, you’ll need to start adding clothes to your Favorites. Haverdash doesn’t let you choose the specific pieces that end up in your rentals. Instead, they’ll choose 3 items from your favorites. You need a minimum of 8 styles in your Favorites for Haverdash to send a box to you, so try to add as many styles as possible.
If there’s a piece you’re dying to borrow, you can mark it as a priority, but there’s no guarantee you’ll get it. Haverdash does have a Dart service, where you can pay an extra $5 to guarantee an item in your order.
Haverdash will start preparing your next box once you let them know you’re planning to return (or buy!) your current rental. You can mark items as returns before you actually send them in the mail.
You can buy items you’re currently renting, if they turn out to be a great asset to your wardrobe. Haverdash tends to have some pretty great discounts, ranging from 30% to an incredible 90%.
Rent The Runway
To get started with Rent the Runway, you need to decide on a rental plan. Plans are determined by how many items you want to borrow each month. You can get 4 items, 8 items, or 16 items a month. The 4 item plan only grants you access to the Basic Rent The Runway closet, though, which means the more glamorous items over $350 are off-limits.
Rent The Runway sends your items in a reusable garment bag. Each one comes with a prepaid return label, so you can send them back in the same bag. Rentals come 4 items at a time, but you can keep your favorite items for longer and send the rest back.
There’s a late fee of $15 per item, so make sure to be timely when you’re returning rentals. The highest possible fee is the full member price of a garment, and it applies if you’re a week late returning your clothes. That can be hundreds of dollars, so take their return deadlines seriously!
Rent The Runway has a robust reviewing community, and on almost every item you can look through plenty of reviews and photos of the clothes in action. I looked at reviews for every item I was considering, and I highly recommend using them. They let me know when to size up or down, and it gave me an idea of whether or not things would be flattering on my body type.
Members get special discounts on clothes from the site, and you don’t even have to rent them before buying. New items have smaller discounts, but as you browse, you’ll see discounts up to 80% off! It’s rare to find relatively new, good condition designer clothes at such cheap prices.
Pros/Cons
Haverdash Pros
Haverdash gives you unlimited rentals each month. Your rentals are sent out in sets of 3, but you can get as many orders as you want. Realistically, you can probably aim for 3 or 4 boxes each month, because you need to account for shipping time.
Haverdash focuses on casual and work-ready clothes, but most items have a quirky twist. You can find showy statement pieces right alongside pants subtle enough to wear to an office.
If you want to buy any of your rentals, Haverdash will offer you a discounted price. Items that have been in circulation for longer will have very high discounts, up to 90% off. Newer items will have smaller discounts around 30% or 40% off.
Haverdash is one of the most affordable clothing rental subscriptions out there, and the unlimited rentals make it a pretty worthwhile investment. This is a good way to try out new styles or even borrow clothes if you’re between sizes.
- Unlimited rentals
- Fun, trendy selection
- Discounted items
- Affordable
Haverdash Cons
Haverdash only carries up to size XL or 14, and not all their clothes are stocked in those sizes. They might run out of stock in certain sizes if they’re very popular or if customers buy them.
Haverdash doesn’t let you choose specific items to rent. Instead, they ask you to keep 8 or more items in your closet at all times so they can choose 3 that are available to add to your box. They’ll still only send items you’re interested in, but I wish you could choose what ends up in your order.
- Limited sizing
- Only 3 items out at a time
- Can’t choose specific items
Rent The Runway Pros
Rent The Runway orders generally ship within a few days. The fast shipping is very gratifying. It also means you can get the most out of your subscription each month, because you don’t have to wait forever between shipments.
The biggest draw to Rent The Runway is the designer clothing available. Most of us don’t spend hundreds of dollars on each item of clothing, but with this service we can wear those clothes for a fraction of the price.
Almost every item on Rent The Runway has multiple photos and reviews. It’s really helpful to see what other people think about these items and how they fit. You can get a much better idea of whether or not to rent something once you see how it looks in normal lighting and in an everyday setting.
As a member, you can buy anything on the Rent The Runway website at a significant discount. Most items are more than half off, unless they’re still very new.
- Fast shipping
- High-end designer clothes
- Lots of reviews and pictures of items
- Member discounts on purchases
Rent The Runway Cons
With Rent The Runway, you pay for a set number of rentals each month. You can sign up for 4, 8, or 16 rentals per month. If you want more rentals one month, you’ll have to pay $29 per item.
If you have a basic, 4-item subscription, you can only rent more casual items, with a maximum retail value of $350. That means you won’t be able to rent pricier items like gowns, leather jackets, overcoats, and so on.
- Limited number of rentals each month, with a maximum of 16
- Basic subscriptions limit you to items under $300
How Much Do They Cost
Haverdash is the more affordable option here, and it’s a great choice if you’re on a budget. Rent the Runway is more expensive, but they have higher-end clothes to offer.
Haverdash
Haverdash is $59 a month for unlimited rentals. This is one of the lowest rental service prices I’ve seen, and they have lots of well-known, current brands.
If you like any of your rental clothes, you can keep them for a discounted price. If the item has been in their system for longer, you’re more likely to get a great deal on it. When I tried Haverdash, some of their items were available to buy for 90% off. New items will have more modest discounts around 30% off, though.
Rent The Runway
Rent the Runway starts at $89 per month for the basic subscription. The company offers discounts to new members for just $69. This subscription tier gives you one shipment of 4 items each month, but you’re limited to the basic closet. Rent The Runway’s basic closet excludes anything over $350 retail, which means you won’t be able to borrow pricier items like leather jackets or jewelry.
You can get 8 items a month in the form of 2 shipments for $135.
If you’re planning to supplement your closet with lots of rentals each month, you can get 16 items a month. They’ll come in the form of 4 shipments, for $199 a month.
With the 4 item plan, extra rentals cost $25 each. If you want to supplement the 8 or 16 item plan, you can add extra rentals for $29 each.
What Style Of Clothes Do You Get?
Haverdash has lots of recognizable brand names, and overall they cater to a quirky sense of style while still being very wearable. Rent the Runway specializes in designer brands and pieces worth hundreds of dollars, with everything from streetwear to formal gowns and handbags.
Haverdash
Haverdash specializes in trendy clothing from popular brands like ModCloth, Flying Tomato, Wildfang, Cupcakes and Cashmere, and others. They have everything from quirky printed button ups to silky dresses. The company has a focus on casual items, though, so you won’t find many formal outfits or outfits for going out.
Haverdash only carries clothes, and doesn’t offer shoes or accessories.
Rent The Runway
Rent the Runway carries high-end designer brands, and they have recent clothing, not just very old pieces. Trends are well-represented in their selection, and while browsing I saw lots of flared pants, furry coats, and balloon sleeves.
They have some older brands, like Coach, Vera Wang, and Tory Burch, but they also carry edgier, modern brands like Pyer Moss and MSGM. You can see the full list of designers here, though some are on the list even though there aren’t any items currently available from them.
Rent The Runway also has accessories, including handbags, sunglasses, jewelry, and even home goods. Their home goods collection is a collaboration with West Elm.
Final Thoughts
I like Haverdash for everyday events, and it’s one of the most affordable clothing rental services out there. They have lots of casual and work-ready clothes, with a touch of quirky style. The unlimited rentals each month mean you can have as much variety as you want.
Rent the Runway injects glamour into your wardrobe. For events, or if you go out a lot and want to always show off something new. It’s not cheap, but you can rent thousands of dollars worth of clothes each month. Other clothes depreciate in value, but designer clothes tend to hold their worth, and you really can’t find better deals on them than you can on Rent The Runway. I checked!