Rental is the New Retail

If you’re a twenty-something like me, or even an extra-late twenty-something (also known as early 30s), it probably seems like your weekends are all too often occupied by the same thing: weddings. Whether it’s your roommate from college or best friend from high school, you’re finding yourself looking at outfit inspo for everything from evening formal to summertime casual. At least this was me in 2022 with 4 weddings, 3 wedding showers, and 1 bachelorette party. I really struggled to wrap my head around how I was going to find multiple looks that were 1) affordable 2) I felt comfortable in and 3) I looked hot in because, let’s be honest, weddings are a great place to both impress the people you haven’t seen in a while or maybe even make a new connection. After googling “affordable wedding guest dress” ad nauseam, I finally clicked on a sponsored web link at the top of the page. And the rest was history…

If you haven’t met already, let me introduce your new best friend: Nuuly. I initially didn’t think much of this online clothing rental company that I wrote off as a knock-off Rent the Runway. However, I quickly discovered this was a far departure from the place I rented a fully sequined, floor length gown from for my senior prom back in 2014. As I started to leaf through their extensive inventory for wedding guest dresses, I was easily strayed off track and went down the rabbit hole into sweaters, jeans, jackets, beachwear, you name it. I quickly realized that the untapped potential of my new discovery went far beyond hot wedding guest dresses. 

Briefly, Nuuly is a subscription service where for $98 per month, you can rent 6 items of clothing that you hand select. Previous wearers leave reviews on fit, quality and other features so you can get an idea of how they look on different body types and gauge if it would work for you! Once you select your pieces, they ship your box to you within 2-3 days in a reusable bag with a pre-printed return label. It feels like you’re opening gifts on your birthday every time the new bag arrives (even though you already know what’s coming) and I can’t wait to try everything on and have myself a mini fashion show. Once you are ready for your next box, just package everything back in the bag it came in (no washing required!), stick the shipping label on, and drop it off UPS. And if you completely fall in love with a piece, which is very easy to do, you can purchase it for a discounted price. Not only is Nuuly more economical for us shopaholics, but it is also more eco friendly since you’re not buying into fast fashion and each piece can be loved by multiple people.  

If all that isn’t enough, as a loyal Nuuly subscriber of over 2 years, I’ve come to discover some less obvious yet absolutely awesome advantages of renting clothes. As a native New Englander and current Camberville resident, I, like most of you, have a wardrobe for each season and a tiny apartment to cram it all in. We need to own jackets for everything from brisk fall 50s down to sub-zero blizzard weather. Simultaneously, we’re expected to have cute sundresses and denim shorts to survive the muggy summer months in our AC-less apartments. The tiny closets and weather whiplash is just our reality here, but fear not because this is again where Nuuly saves the day! Some of my favorite pieces I’ve rented so far have been funky fall jackets and super long, warm winter coats that I get to wear for a month, but I don’t have to worry about storing them once winters over. Similarly, renting offers the flexibility to try those fun (yet often expensive) statement pieces you need for a special event like a concert (Eras Tour anyone?) or themed party. One of Nuuly’s most helpful features is their curated wardrobe collections. If you’re looking for outfit inspiration for a vacation, the holidays, or even just closet staples, they have you covered. I’ve used Nuuly as an opportunity to try things I would never have otherwise ventured to wear and sometimes it’s a miss, but more often or not someone points out how nice the piece is. So do yourself a favor and give Nuuly a try so that next time someone compliments what you’re wearing you can be like me and have your instant response now be, “Thanks! It’s rented.”