What do you do when you’re tired of everything in your closet? Rental clothing companies want you to borrow clothing instead of heading straight for the mall or filling up your online cart. Rentals make it easy to switch up your style and keep from being bored. If you’re trying to keep clutter out of your closet, you can use these to experiment with style and then send them back when you’re done. Le Tote has a focus on more casual clothes suitable for a work environment, and Rent the Runway specializes in luxurious designer clothing.
Rent the Runway gives you affordable access to hundreds of designer brands in all different styles. You can rent thousands of dollars worth of clothing for a relatively low cost, and you can feel free to try new styles for a short period of time. No matter what kind of clothes you’re looking for, this service will have quality clothes for you to wear.
How Does Rent The Runway Work?
Rent the Runway is a clothing rental service that gives you access to hundreds of designer brands. There are three subscription plans available: 4 items a month, 8 items a month, or 16 items a month.
With this subscription service, you can choose the exact items you want, and the sizes you want. Availability will vary depending on how many other people have rented that item in your size.
There’s a huge collection of hundreds of different brands and thousands of items. They have suits, coats, dresses, gowns, handbags, and other accessories. You can even rent home goods like pillows and blankets from RTR’s collaboration with West Elm.
Insurance is included in your subscription costs, so you don’t need to worry about damaging an item. That’s a relief, because some of these pieces are worth over a thousand dollars.
Make sure to return items on time and through the right shipping company to avoid fees for late or lost items.
Rent The Runway Pros
- High-end and designer items
- Lots of style and size options
- Helpful member review section
- Member discounts
The most appealing part of Rent the Runway as a service is the access to designer items that are normally hundreds of dollars. You can find the latest trends, and with quality construction and fabrics.
RTR has over 700 designers in their collection, and you’ll probably learn about some new ones through the website. There are clean-cut, professional styles here, vintage-inspired items, and edgy items. They have sizes from 0 to 22, and even a maternity section.
On almost every product listing, you’ll find lots of reviews and photos. It’s helpful to see so many reviews from people of different sizes and body types. You can get a much better idea of what an item looks like in real life after seeing how different people have styled it and worn it, outside of product photography.
RTR members get discounts on all rental items. New items have a lower discount, around 10%, but most items are between 50% and 80% off, which is huge when it comes to designer clothing.
Rent The Runway Cons
- Lowest tier plan only includes basic closet
- Potentially steep late fees for returns
Before you decide to sign up for the basic plan, remember that this tier only allows for select casual and work clothes, and excludes anything over $350 retail value. If you’re hoping to rent gowns, more formal items, or even leather goods, the 4-item plan might not be best for you.
If you return an item late, RTR may charge late fees depending on the lateness of the item, up to the full member price. If you’re renting something pricey, make sure to get it in the mail as soon as possible to avoid these fees.
How Does Le Tote Work?
Le Tote is a rental service with a variety of membership options. They have both clothing and accessories, though their accessory selection is very limited.
You can choose to get just one Tote a month, or unlimited Totes. Plans start with 5 items a month, but you can get up to 10. If you choose unlimited Totes, you can select a plan that includes accessories and fewer clothing items, or one with just clothing.
Le Tote will style boxes for you according to an algorithm, but they’re only suggestions. It’s easy to switch out their selections for other items you’re interested in. There are plenty of filters available to help you search for items that fit your needs: occasion, color, weather, and brands.
You can choose to insure your Tote for $5 a month, and that prevents you from being responsible for stains, tears, and other damage to the garments.
Le Tote Pros
- Lots of professional clothes
- Easy to change your subscription plan
- Get discounts on clothes
Le Tote has a great selection of clothing that is professional enough for an office (or Zoom!) but not boring. There are plenty of blazers, blouses, slacks, and skirts. I think this service is perfect for keeping a professional appearance.
It’s easy to change your Le Tote subscription plan. You can just choose a different option on your account profile, and they’ll switch it as soon as possible. I wanted to switch from the unlimited 3 clothing, 2 accessory plan to the 4 clothing plan. I was able to do so during the same month, because the two plans are the same price.
Through Le Tote, you can get discounts up to around 80% off, so this is an awesome way to find the pieces your closet is missing. After wearing something out in the world, you get a better sense of how it fits than you would from just trying it on.
Le Tote Cons
- Slow processing time
- Very few accessories
- Limited sizes
Le Tote doesn’t send out new Totes until they’ve received your return to their warehouse, which slows down the turnaround time quite a bit. Lots of other rental services send your next bag once you mark it as returned.
Le Tote offers plans that specifically include accessories, but their accessories selection isn’t very extensive. All of the belts and handbags listed are out of stock, and there are only a few dozen jewelry options.
Le Tote carries items from XS or 0 to XL, or 14. They don’t have any plus sizes available, so this service won’t work for everyone.
How Much Do They Cost?
Le Tote is the cheaper option here, with plans starting at just $59. Rent the Runway starts at $89 a month, but the available clothes are high-end designer items.
Rent The Runway
The basic Rent the Runway plan costs just $89 a month. With this option, you get 4 rental items a month from the basic closet.
For $135 a month, you can rent 8 items a month. This is my favorite option, because you get access to the full closet and can supplement your wardrobe with several items over the month.
For $199, you can rent 16 items a month. This is the best option if you plan to rely heavily on rental items every month.
You can also buy items from the RTR website, whether or not you’ve rented them already. They’re available with a member discount, which can be up to 80% off.
Le Tote
Le Tote starts at $59 for one Tote filled with 5 clothing items. There are plenty of other plan options, though. For $79, you can get 5 clothing items and 2 accessories, or else an unlimited rental plan. The most expensive plan is one Tote a month with 10 items of clothing, and it’s $109.
Their maternity clothing program is a bit more expensive, starting at $79 a month for one Tote with 5 clothing items included. There’s no unlimited maternity plan, but you can get 2 totes a month. The most expensive maternity plan is $129 for 10 clothing items and 5 accessories.
What Style Of Clothes Do You Get?
Rent The Runway
Rent the Runway lets you rent designer clothing and accessories. With over 700 brands in their collection, you can expect a variety of styles. No matter what look you’re trying to create, RTR will have items that will fit right in with your wardrobe. They have leather jackets, suit sets, vintage-inspired clothes, and streetwear.
Le Tote
Le Tote carries mid-range clothes, and has a special focus on professional outfits. This is a great service for women looking for ways to stay stylish in the office, or over Zoom. You can expect a good selection of blouses, blazers, and other pieces that will help you look polished. Aside from that, there’s also a decent athleisure selection, with leggings and workout tops.
There’s a special maternity program, and they also carry sizes from XS to XL.
They do have some more daring pieces that can be combined with other pieces for a bit of an edge, like dark plaid jeans or printed shirts. I even found a cape as I was browning their website! They have a few recognizable brands like Kut from the Kloth, Fila, and Betsey Johnson.
Le Tote includes accessories in many of their subscription plans, but I wasn’t impressed with their accessory selection. They have a few dozen jewelry options, including some from Kate Spade, but they don’t have any belts or handbags in stock. As of right now, there are only 4 scarves available for rent.
Final Thoughts
Le Tote has quality clothing rentals, and it’s a great way to expand your work wardrobe or get more athleisure items to wear. You can even get member discounts on any rental items you want to keep. The selection isn’t as varied or impressive as RTR’s collection, though.
Rent the Runway is a unique rental service because it only carries designer items. When you use their service, you have access to their incredible collection of high-quality, high-cost items. RTR can help you stand out at a special event, or just wear nicer clothes on an everyday basis. I recommend RTR as the best way to supplement your existing wardrobe and try fun new looks.
