015. Why (and how) I rented my vacation wardrobe
All about my experience trying FashionPass, and why renting is my new go-to for vacation clothing.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always loved going on vacation.
Getaways are my happy place, whether it’s to the beach, mountains, desert, or a new city. You can take me anywhere! 🧳
There’s nothing like the feeling of excitement and anticipation in the weeks leading up to it.
And of course, who doesn’t love the fun of shopping for a vacation wardrobe?
Well, I recently returned from a vacation (hello sunshine withdrawal) where I did that last part a little differently. A little more intentionally than I have in the past.
In fact, I still shopped for vacation clothes — but I didn’t buy them.
I rented them!
Let me take you along for the ride. ✨
Why I decided to rent
I’d been planning this latest vacation for a while — it was for a milestone birthday celebration and a warm-weather getaway to escape the dreary Chicago winter.
When I was thinking about what I was going to pack, I knew I wanted some dresses that made me feel a little special for the occasion.
And most of the dresses already in my closet were…well, not.
To be fair, most of the new ones I’ve bought since 2020 have been maternity dresses. And the rest have been around the block too many times to give me that glimmer of excitement I was craving.
But, if you know me by now, then you know that for the past year, I’ve been laser focused on reducing my consumption and more mindfully curating what comes into my home and life — and a fun vacation wardrobe was not going to be an exception.
So naturally, it was the *perfect* time to consult my trusty Buy vs. Borrow Decision Tree. (If you haven’t read my previous post about it, you can check it out here)!
Remember this?
Here’s what my thought process looked like:
Do I actually need to get some dresses for this trip? Yes. Definitely.
Will I use them often? No. Looking for tropical vacation vibes, and unfortunately that’s limited to once-ish per year.
Do I need to own them? No, not necessarily. —> BORROW/RENT
Borrowing or renting makes a ton of sense in this case. It limits the cost associated with getting something I’ll only use a few times max, and it also prevents me from adding clutter to my closet. Renting also helps keep existing garments in circulation longer, which reduces both waste and the overall need to buy new things at all. Oh, and did I mention no dry cleaning costs!?
Evaluating the Options
About 5-10 years ago, the idea of renting vacation clothes might have seemed far fetched, or even borderline impossible.
But we’re living in a golden age of secondhand shopping and clothing rental, so thankfully there are several major players in the space, as well as some smaller up-and-comers. Since this was my first time renting vacation clothing, I spent some time evaluating all the biggest ones and went with the one that felt the most “me”.
Here’s a quick rundown of the main players I considered (all of which have a very similar business model):
Nuuly
Monthly price: $98
What you get: You can rent any 6 items.
Other things to note: Nuuly is owned by URBN, which also owns Anthropologie, Free People and Urban Outfitters, so this should give you a sense of the types of styles and brands they carry. They have a wide variety of vacation styles (and many other types of clothing), in sizes ranging from XS to 5X and maternity. They even have an adorable Mommy and Me section on their website so you can coordinate fun vacation looks with your kids!
FashionPass
Monthly price: $125
What you get: You can rent 5 clothing items + 1 complimentary accessory in each order, and you can do 2 orders per month.
Other things to note: Their sizes range from XS to XL and maternity. Like Nuuly, the FashionPass styles and brands also generally cater to a younger audience (primarily ages 18-45), but they are fun, youthful and vibrant. Despite its cost, I think FashionPass is probably the greatest value, given that you get the most number of items per month.
Armoire
Monthly price: Capsule memberships range from $89-$129/month, and Unlimited memberships are $249/month.
What you get: For $89, you can rent 4 items at a time and swap out new items every 30 days.
Other things to note: They offer a wide range of sizes (0R - 24W and maternity). They are best known for their personal stylist and AI-powered recommendations to curate the best selections for your preferred size, fit and style.
Rent the Runway
Monthly price: Ranges from $78 for first month ($129/month thereafter) for the basic tier to $165 for first month ($275/month thereafter) for the highest tier.
What you get: Basic tier gets you 1 shipment per month (5 items per shipment), and the highest tier gets you 4 shipments (5 items per shipment) per month.
Other things to note: Rent the Runway is the OG in the fashion rental space, though they are still best known for their designer gowns and cocktail attire. I have been a customer for one-off event (weddings, galas) rentals for many years! They have branched out into a much wider range of options, including vacation wear, and they have the biggest variety of brands available in the rental space. They carry sizes 00-22, in addition to maternity.
My experience trying FashionPass
I decided to try FashionPass for this trip, and I’m honestly a huge fan. I can’t wait to use it again for a future vacation or special occasion.
I’ll admit that I initially chose it because it had the lowest monthly fee with a sign up promo discount ($59/month for two months), but I also loved the great selection of clothes and brands for the type of trip I was taking, and I loved how seamless and straightforward the whole process was, from the moment I first peeked at the website.
Here’s how it works:
1️⃣ Sign up to join (you can pause or cancel your membership anytime).
2️⃣ Start shopping! Some of the top vacation brands include Farm Rio, Show Me Your Mumu, For Love and Lemons, Tiare Hawaii, and many others. I was primarily looking for dresses, and there were so many to choose from! But they have other vacation offerings besides tropical, such as city exploring and skiing.
3️⃣ Receive the pieces in the mail in 2-3 business days. Super quick + free shipping!
4️⃣ Keep them as long as you’d like, and send everything back in a prepaid bag when you’re done! You also have the option to purchase anything you love for discounted prices ranging from 10-90% off retail.
Here is everything I rented for this trip from FashionPass so you can see what I got! And I must give a shout-out to my “Insta” husband, who did his best not to groan (too much) when I asked for another photo of my outfits…
I absolutely loved all of these items and was so impressed by the quality and fit of everything I picked. It also felt really amazing to get $1,108 in value for the price of the $59 rental fee.
In full transparency, my daughter put in a request for me to keep the “rainbow cape” so she can “wear it when she’s older”.
I wore that cape almost every day of the trip and was so impressed by how it didn’t even wrinkle in my suitcase! It’s also the only item I received that is 70% off retail to buy it used. I think it’s meant to be. 🌈
The Bottom Line
Ultimately, mindfully curating your life (and wardrobe) does not mean refusing to buy things. It means renting or borrowing when there’s a clear case for doing so, and buying for longevity when you do choose to buy. It means choosing things that are higher quality, that fit you well, and that you’ll love to use again and again.
I really enjoyed renting clothes for vacation and plan for it to be my go-to from here on. It’s also great that it’s easy to pause or cancel any of these services, since I can’t justify the ongoing monthly cost. But when I need to turn it back on for a future vacation, I can easily peruse new style options without the “new” price tag, clutter or waste.
If you have an upcoming trip and want to try out FashionPass, you can use my code JENNY109L to redeem 2 months of FashionPass for $59/month. (I’m not affiliated with them; I’m just a fan who’s sharing deals with my fellow Intentionalistas).
Whichever rental option you may choose for your own trip — your wallet, your closet, the planet and future you getting lots of compliments on your outfits will thank you.
Until next time,
Jenny