During my second and third trimester of pregnancy, I was at a point where I was repeating my favorite maternity outfits and was itching for new outfits.  However, I felt guilty buying maternity clothes that you only wear a couple months but wanted to have more outfit options. That’s when I decided to try Rent the Runway Unlimited AND Le Tote Unlimited.  I was able to ‘shop’ a closet full of thousands of designer clothes at a fraction of the cost and satisfying my itch by shopping the online rental closets.  I tried both services for one month.  This is a review of Rent the Runway Unlimited vs. Le Tote Unlimited and the pros and cons of each service.

Disclosure:  Nothing in this post is sponsored, this is my honest review and all opinions are my own.  Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase or rent the item.

Rent the Runway Unlimited.

Rent the Runway Unlimited is a monthly subscription service that allows you to rent up to 4 items of designer clothes and accessories.  The items can be switched out one at a time or all four pieces at once to trade in for new items as many times as you want within a month.  And if you love the item, you can purchase it for a discounted price.  You are able to discontinue the subscription at any time.

Rent the Runway also offers non-subscription services such as Rent the Runway Reserve, which is a one-time rental service where you can rent individual items for 4 to 8 days.  Pricing varies with each piece.  There’s also Rent the Runway Update which allows you to rent up to four pieces for the entire month.  The difference between Update and Unlimited is that you keep all four pieces for the entire month without swapping.

PROS

Selection.  Rent the Runway offers a huge collection of designer pieces ranging from retail value of $75 to over $2000!  The selection is amazing!  I had so much fun being able to ‘shop’ these items at an affordable price. It has a great selection for every occasion from weekend casual to black tie events.  The selection features some of the most trendy and popular designers that you would most likely see on influencers and celebrities.

Convenience.  You will get 4 items per shipment and if you want to keep some of your items but swap out others, you are allowed to do this with no penalty.  When items are returned, an open slot opens up allowing you to rent out another item in its place.  I liked this option because I had a special occasion outfit that I wore right away and didn’t need it after and was able to return it right away to swap it out for something else.  This allowed me to rent more during my month of renting!

Physical Stores.  If you live in one of these CITIES, Rent the Runway has physical stores that you can go in and swap out your rentals and pick out new ones directly in the store.  If you live near one of these stores, this service is a no brainer.  Your closet is the size of Rent the Runway’s store!  I even walked in with a rental on and walked out with a new outfit.

App.  The app makes it easy to search to shop for what you are looking for as well as your body type and size. For my pregnant mommas out there, there’s an option to search for “bump friendly” outfits according to what trimester you’re in.  You are easily able to scroll through the outfit pieces and save them, so you can go back to them later.

Reviews.  On every piece I looked at and rented, I always read the reviews.  I lived for the reviews!  Especially because I was pregnant and searching for the “bump friendly” options.  Former renters upload their photos and comments that usually include how the piece fits and if you need to size up or down.

Packaging.  Rent the Runway uses re-usable garment bags to ship pieces in.  They are nice, high quality, and most importantly, environmental friendly.  I would hang my items in the garment bag and always knew where my pieces and shipping bag were.

CONS

Price.  There is a discounted price for first time users of the Unlimited (I paid $99), however, month after that, it’s $159!  This is significantly more expensive than Le Tote. However, depending on how much shopping you do, this could actually save you money.  What encouraged me to try it all together is that I had a couple special events and vacations coming up and the monthly unlimited option was the price of one item I was looking at!

Processing Time.  You can’t select a new item until the item has been received and processed at Rent the Runway.  Every shipment comes with a 2-day shipping label that you’d mail via USPS. Once delivered, it can take at least a day for the item to be processed and a new slot to open up to replace item.

Maternity Selection. Some of the items were labeled “bump friendly” and I was able to search via first, second, or third trimester.   However, even when sizing up, I was not able to get some of my outfits to fit me.  I have read that they are adding a lot more maternity selection, so stay tuned!

Le Tote

Le Tote is a personal-styling rental service that sends you up to eight pieces to keep as long as you want, wear as much as you want, and then you ship back your items to exchange for new pieces.

To start Le Tote, you’d do a personal style quiz to let the stylist (aka. algorithm) what you are looking for (ex. what season, special occasion outfits, maternity vs. non-maternity, etc…).  The stylist will curate items for your upcoming shipment.  If you don’t like what the stylists have picked out for you, you are able to ‘swap’ unwanted items for other items in Le Tote’s inventory. You are able to wear and re-wear as long as you’d like and then you ship all the items back to receive new pieces. The shipments arrive with a prepaid envelope to send back the items.

There’s no limit on the number of shipments you can receive in a month.  However, you must ship back all the items at once, otherwise you’ll be charged for the item as a purchase.  If you do this but don’t want the item, you can return the item for Le Tote credit. If you would like to purchase a rental item, Le Tote offers items for purchase at a discounted price.  This is a month-to-month commitment and can be cancelled at any time with no cancellation fee.

PROS

Membership Options and Price.  Le Tote offers monthly membership plans starting at $69/month for Classic and $79/month for Maternity.  You can choose whatever plan suites your needs best.

• Definitely create a profile and they’ll send you discounts. I received a discount this way and only paid $27 for my first month of Le Tote Unlimited.
• For a free tote, click HERE.

Shipping.  Once your package is scanned for a return, Le Tote stylist selects your next shipment which you can confirm or trade out for different pieces.

Maternity Selection.  There is a large maternity selection.  Again, the overall selection for Le Tote is very casual in comparison to Rent the Runway, but when I was pregnant, I needed more casual and work outfits (I needed the comfort).

CONS

Items.  This frustrated me the most about Le Tote.  In order to receive new items and swap out your current rental, you are required to return ALL of your items.  For example, I had a coat that I rented and wanted to rent it longer but there was a dress that did not fit me, and I wore the other items.  In order for me to swap out the items, I had to return every item.  If you did not return all of the items, you would be charged for the item that you didn’t return.  If you return the item that you were charged for, you’ll get Le Tote credit for the exact amount.

APP.  To search for special event or body style, the Le Tote App wasn’t as user friendly as Rent the Runway.  I think the stylist (aka. the algorithm) actually complicated this process.  Le Tote’s Stylists would automatically ‘style’ your shipment.  If you didn’t like the options, you can swap out their picks with new items.  This process wasn’t as user friendly as Rent the Runway’s app and this extra step was frustrating to me and more time consuming.

Packaging.  Le Tote ships items in boxes.  The outfits come neatly folded and include a customized ‘menu’ of what you ordered.  Once you’re finished with your items, you ship it back with the enclosed plastic shipping bag with pre-paid shipping label.  After using Rent the Runway, I didn’t realize how much I loved the reusable garment bag until I tried Le Tote.  I felt wasteful and would also misplace Le Tote’s packaging and shipping label, forcing me to rummage through my house searching for it when it came to return day.

In conclusion…

I loved both rental services as it satisfied my need to ‘shop’ for new outfits, as well I felt super cute and stylish in my rented outfits.  If I had to pick one rental service, I would pick Rent the Runway because of its amazing selection.  They app made it super easy to “shop” your rentals.  PLUS, I loved the fact that I could go into a physical store and swap out the old for new outfits!  If you have dressier events, definitely check out Rent the Runway they have a better selection.  Also, look into the Unlimited options vs. just renting one outfit. If you do the Unlimited option, you’ll get multiple outfits for the month for only a little more money.  If you are looking for more casual, work, or maternity outfits, or maybe something a little cheaper than Rent the Runway, check out Le Tote.  I would definitely recommend both services just depends what you are looking for. Let me know what your thoughts of these services and happy renting!

Thank you for reading and let me know your thoughts!

Xoxo, Rachael