Rent the Runway

[Anonymous]

Does anyone have any experience with "Rent the Runway"? Good, bad, or ugly...pleas share your experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone have any experience with "Rent the Runway"? Good, bad, or ugly...pleas share your experience.

I love RTR. I have never had a bad experience, and will never buy another formal dress as long as they are in business.

My tips:

1) Be honest about your size. Many of the complaints you see on the site are people swearing they are a true size "X", but when they ordered it from RTR it was WAY too small...
1b) If you are in the DMV, you can try dresses on at the store, but the last time I looked they charged a fee for this.
2) Try not to rent dresses that have 1000 reviews. You will be disappointed in the condition of the dress. Read the reviews - really popular dresses obviously have more wear, so people start complaining about missing sequins, falling hems, etc.
3) When returning the dress, put it in someone's hand. DO NOT drop the dress in a drop box. You are responsible for the dress until UPS (or an affiliate) scans that package to say it is in their hands. There have been horror stories about people putting dresses in these drop boxes never to be seen again (or turning up weeks later). Take it to Staples, the UPS Store, etc - anywhere they can scan the package.

[Anonymous]

Just did it and it worked out fine, but I got lucky since they didn't have my back up size available. I would suggest sticking with a style that you know looks good on your body type instead of taking a risk on something different. Or at least have a back up plan for finding a dress within 24-48 hours of your event.

[Anonymous]

I did not like the way the clothes smelled. They all had a very strong chemical smell , I assume from the cleaning fluids. Also different brands run differently size wise so it's always wise to get backups. The quality of some of the items was high and some were disappointing. Worst thing was the smell.

[Anonymous]

I use them every two weeks as I live bi-coastally and it makes no sense for me to constantly lug clothes from DC to LA and back. I have RTR ship the outfits I need for work events in LA and I have my hotel ship them back. Usually once a month, I go to the Georgetown or SoHo stores, try on a bunch of dresses, and they ship the ones that pass my fit test. I'm 4'11" (on a good hair day), very busty (32G), but petite as hell, so I can't just buy or order any dress without trying it on. I've never had a bad experience with RTR and think they are excellent.

[Anonymous]

OP here... Thanks ladies for the great feedback and tips.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I use them every two weeks as I live bi-coastally and it makes no sense for me to constantly lug clothes from DC to LA and back. I have RTR ship the outfits I need for work events in LA and I have my hotel ship them back. Usually once a month, I go to the Georgetown or SoHo stores, try on a bunch of dresses, and they ship the ones that pass my fit test. I'm 4'11" (on a good hair day), very busty (32G), but petite as hell, so I can't just buy or order any dress without trying it on. I've never had a bad experience with RTR and think they are excellent.

Did they charge you to try on?

[Anonymous]

NP here. I believe they may charge for an appointment but they did not charge me to walk in and try something on. People with appointments have priority for fitting rooms, and get more help.

[Anonymous]

Love RTR! I've rented a few dresses and have had a great experience. Read the reviews and look for pics to see what type of body shapes the dresses look best in. I rent dressed that are cut in a way that I know will fit me right. I also have it delivered with enough time that if I had to I could find another. I've never had trouble with shipping or with any sort of smell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I use them every two weeks as I live bi-coastally and it makes no sense for me to constantly lug clothes from DC to LA and back. I have RTR ship the outfits I need for work events in LA and I have my hotel ship them back. Usually once a month, I go to the Georgetown or SoHo stores, try on a bunch of dresses, and they ship the ones that pass my fit test. I'm 4'11" (on a good hair day), very busty (32G), but petite as hell, so I can't just buy or order any dress without trying it on. I've never had a bad experience with RTR and think they are excellent.

Did they charge you to try on?

Yes, they charge, and it's worth it. When I arrive, the stylist pulls looks for me, and she usually gets it exactly right with fit and everything. They know their inventory well and do a great job of matching dresses to customer. It makes the whole process so easy!

[Anonymous]

I've used it several times and would again for a fancy occasion. I had a mediocre experience one time when I got a dress with a broken zipper and customer service wasn't very helpful but otherwise it's been good. I also take advantage of trying things on in Georgetown when I can. That's how I ended up renting a formal jumpsuit ha.

[Anonymous]

I've used it a couple times and love it, for formal or special events. Definitely order a backup size if possible and beware that different brands may have very different sizing. A size 4 in one brand may be a size 8 in another. The user reviews and pictures are very useful. Have fun!!!