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8 popular women's clothing subscriptions that take the stress out of shopping
8 popular women's clothing subscriptions that take the stress out of shopping
Mara LeightonFeb 27, 2019, 19:55 IST
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One of the biggest perks of the Digital Age is that you can get just about anything delivered to your door, and, in my opinion, clothing subscription services - if you really use them well - are among the most blessedly convenient.
Though sometimes requiring a commitment of checking in to confirm options or electing to skip a month, they wind up paying you back by removing far greater annoyances.
If you need business-casual clothes for work but would prefer not to spend 40% of your paycheck on them, you can rent suitable clothes for a fraction of the cost. If you don't necessarily accept the blanket enthusiasm of the store clerk every time you try something on, you can rely instead on the expertise of dedicated personal stylists. If you don't want to drive to the mall to wait for a parking spot, wait for a changing room, and wait in line, then you can pick things out online, try them on at home, and schedule a UPS pickup to grab the prepaid envelope from your porch. And if you're already circumventing that annoyance with copious online shopping, you can almost always pay a low fee (which usually gets applied as a credit if you buy anything) and retain your money until you're absolutely sure you love something, rather than tying it up in a long returns process.
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All in all, clothing subscriptions can be incredibly useful for anyone who wants the freedom to explore trends or even go-to styles without much commitment, financial burden, or closet space. If you like using them, chances are you're going to really like using them. If you don't, you can cancel and continue the search.
If you're interested in trying one out for yourself, below are 8 popular women's clothing subscription services to know about:
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Most people use Rent the Runway (or RTR) for singular rentals of the odd cocktail dress for functions — but there are a lot of people who don't know that the site also offers a monthly subscription membership. The membership comes in two tiers and with a personal stylist: Update ($89 per month, $69 for your first) and Unlimited ($159 per month, $99 for your first).
RTR Update lets you refresh your wardrobe every month with 4 new pieces. RTR Unlimited, on the other hand, gives members access to a constantly rotating wardrobe. You can rent unlimited pieces on rotation and swap anytime (no return dates). The prices cover clothes, shipping, dry cleaning, and insurance. They're a perfect option for women who want a rotation of high-end clothes without the bills or closet storage.
Frank and Oak is a Canadian company with a marketplace for one-time purchases as well as a monthly subscription service. The style aesthetic is clean, understated, and modern with a vintage twist.
You'll fill out a short survey and a Frank and Oak stylist will create a portfolio of items that reflect your preferences, all of which come from the company's latest seasonal pieces. Before your Style Box ships, you'll get an email prompting you to preview it two days before it ships in order to confirm, customize, or skip the month. Shipping is always free.
You'll get to try on the three items at home for seven days, keep what you love, and send back what you don't. Skip a month or cancel anytime.
It's important to note that you'll be charged the full amount for your selected items once they're shipped. If you return everything, you'll get a full refund minus the $25 styling fee. If you keep one thing but send the rest back, you'll be refunded for everything but the item you wanted to purchase.
Le Tote: casual, everyday clothes you have the option to buy at 50% off retail prices
*update: Le Tote is no longer offering unlimited boxes per month. Subscribers will receive one box per month.
Le Tote is a monthly rental service that uses your preferences and the insight of a personal stylist to build your style profile and, from there, a box of clothes they think you'll like. Before the box is shipped, you can either keep the suggestions or swap them all out for alternatives on the site, which covers clothes and accessories from a mix of new or recognizable names like Nike, Free People Movement, Calvin Klein, Kenneth Cole, French Connection, MPG, Vine Camuto, and Kate Spade among others.
You'll be charged the same flat fee ($69 - $119) per month depending on which option you choose (8-15 items in a box). To receive a new Tote the next month, though, you need to send back the rented items in their pre-paid return bag. If you love and want to keep an item, just send back the ones you don't want. Le Tote will charge your card for what you kept, and you can see what price it is on their site — which is up to 50% off retail prices.
Le Tote also stands out for its maternity option — a convenient service for pregnant women who want comfortable, flattering clothes but don’t necessarily want to buy a whole new wardrobe for the duration of their pregnancy. Find more details here.
Stitch Fix: outfits picked by a personal stylist, with your 'fee' applied as credit if you buy anything they send you
Stitch Fix, $20 styling fee per box [this $20 is applied as credit to any purchase you make, and you'll receive 25% off if you buy everything]
Stitch Fix matches your Style Profile with a personal stylist who handpicks pieces to fit your tastes, needs, and budget. You'll get a box of five items (clothing, shoes, and accessories) delivered to your door for you to try on at home over the course of three days. Return what you don't want to keep for free thanks to a prepaid USPS envelope, and your $20 styling fee will be applied as credit to your purchase from the box. If you keep all five items, you'll receive 25% off, too.
You can choose to receive "Fixes" automatically at intervals ranging from every 2-3 weeks to every 3 months, or you can choose any frequency you want and select a specific date when you want to receive your next box. The $20 styling fee applies to each box you receive.
Trunk Club uses a style quiz and a personal stylist — with whom you can interact and collaborate — to build your "Trunk." If you have a Pinterest board of clothes you like, you can even pass that along for additional inspiration and insight. As Trunk Club is owned by Nordstrom, it's not a huge surprise that the company has a similar emphasis on customer service.
You'll get to preview your trunk and confirm its contents before its sent, and, once received, you'll have five days to try everything on. Keep what you want to buy, and send back whatever you don't love with the prepaid shipping return label. You can drop your box at a UPS store, schedule a free UPS pickup, or drop it off at a Trunk Club or Nordstrom location near you.
You pay a $25 styling fee for the service, but it's waived if you purchase anything from your Trunk.
Trunk Club isn't a subscription service necessarily, but you can choose to receive Trunks monthly, quarterly, or at any other specific interval — just let your stylist know.
Alongside great customer service, there are also some more Nordstrom perks. If you have a Nordstrom card, your Trunk Club purchases can count towards your Nordstrom Note. Your styling fee is also waived if you pay with a Nordstrom card. You can even get alterations (some are free, some aren't) by taking your clothes and receipt to a Nordstrom store.
Similar to Le Tote, Gwynnie Bee works on an unlimited rental model. There's no limit on how many boxes you can get per month, but there are price tiers for how many items will be in each box.
Gwynnie Bee lets you select items you like and add them to your digital closet. When you get a box sent to you, the items will be chosen from your closet at random, but you can select priority pieces to be sent first.
Shipping is free both ways, and all you have to do is go into your account and mark the items as returned once you ship them back for Gwynnie Bee to send you a new box.
One standout feature of Gwynnie Bee is that the company carries sizes from 0 - 32 (previously only carrying 10 - 32), which is a greater range than most subscription services and makes shopping easier for women of all shapes and sizes. Another standout is the site's variety, working with more than 190 brands and adding new items as often as every day.
Dia & Co: plus-sized items chosen by a personal stylist, which you can exchange for different sizes at no fee
Dia & Co, $20 styling fee [this $20 is applied as credit to any purchase you make, and you'll receive 25% off if you buy everything]
Dia & Co matches up a detailed personal survey you're required to fill out with a Dia stylist. Every month going forward, your stylist will pick five items — clothes or accessories — for you to try on at home for five days. When you open your box, you'll find a note from your stylist detailing why they picked each item for you, plus some helpful styling tips.
Shipping is free, and you can exchange items for different sizes for free and an unlimited amount of times, so you feel confident you've gotten the right one. If you love the pieces, you can buy them — with your $20 styling fee applied as credit and 25% off if you choose to keep everything in your box. If you don't, simply send them back in the prepaid envelope.
Like most subscription services, Dia allows you to log feedback, so your next box will be even better than the previous one. Unlike many subscription services, Dia & Co carries sizes 14 - 32. Brands include Rachel Roy, Nanette Lepore, and Ralph Lauren among newer names like Warp + Weft. The company also works with brands, both in-house and external, to provide fit data that's ultimately used to create sizes that account for real women's feedback.
ModaBox: for as many as 6+ full outfits curated for you by a stylist
ModaBox uses your Style Profile quiz and input from a team of stylists to create outfits that feel easy and seamless to wear.
You'll be matched with one Expert Stylist in particular who will contact you about your wardrobe needs and wants before curating fully customized outfits that reflect your preferences, personality, and lifestyle. Once you get your personalized box, you'll have five to seven days to try them on at home and see what you like. Simply send back whatever you don't want to keep in the prepaid bag.
There is a deposit fee depending on your box choice (they're staggered by how many outfits, the length of try-on period, and how much percent off you get by purchasing the whole box) from $175 to $350, but if you choose to keep something from your box that deposit is 100% applied to your purchase. If you don't choose to keep anything, the fee is 100% refunded the day they process your returns.
