Handbags

Most ladies I know have used Rent the Runway for special occasions. Recently, they started an unlimited rental service that works similarly to Netflix (back when people actually got DVDs from Netflix). How it works: For $50/month (it was $75 so you can imagine how excited I was to get that email) you are allowed three items at a time. If you send one item back, they send you one new item (if you return two, you receive two, blah blah blah). Pros: You receive accessories that are too trendy to spend big bucks on. Higher-end costume jewelry–no green rings around your fingers/wrists/neck. Fabulous outerwear. You can buy the pieces for 30% off retail. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention their customer service–it is always incredible. Cons: You don’t get to pick the order of your queue–they send you three random pieces from a queue of 15 or more pieces you choose. Some of the outerwear only comes in limited sizes. So far, I have had two pieces that I kept for longer than a cycle. The first was this necklace:

The other was this clutch:

I really think the rental aspect is fun. I’m the girl who buys a necklace and then gets so excited about it she wears it every other day for two weeks and then never wears it again. This way I can over-wear something that is a higher quality and get a new one a week later. Now, without further ado, an outfit featuring this week’s necklace from Rent the Runway.

Kenneth Jay Lane Lennox Hill Bracelet from Rent the Runway.

I’ve become a big fan of blinging up an otherwise neutral outfit. Unfortunately, I have a 9-5 that requires slightly less lamé than I enjoy. I feel like if the rest of my outfit is a little more demure–a cream Ann Taylor sweater, black Ann Taylor skinny-leg slacks, and black Ann Taylor flats (yeah…THAT girl)–then I can totally wear a giant chain link necklace to work. Right? Right? Bueller?

Let me start with this: I DO own some things. I own a car. I own furniture. I even own some decent jewelry. However, I don’t have the capital to just own many things outright. It’s one of the plagues of my generation. Our parents owned homes by the time they were our age, and we have a hard time just finding an apartment we can afford. It’s frustrating.

But that’s enough complaining.

We’ve been dealt this hand, so let’s make the best of it. Let’s be the next Greatest Generation. One of my favorite things about Millennials is our desire for innovation. We will figure out a way. It’s beautiful.

Renting satisfies my craving for something new without breaking the bank. I enjoy my rental lifestyle. Instead of trying to “fix” my desire for constant change, I’ve decided to embrace it. I enjoy changing my look often, but that’s a hard thing to budget for. Instead, I’ve decided to join two services that allow me to wear something and send it back for a monthly fee. Gone are the days of leaving tags on clothes–this is a legitimate business model, and you’ll never have to feel sketchy as you return an item after a date.

Each week I will put up pictures of the pieces I receive from Rent the Runway and Le Tote. Then I’ll share the outfits I put together. I’ll also share updates of my “renovations” to my apartment. We rent in DC where buying is just out of the question for us, so we decided instead of saving for a down payment we would beef up our 401ks, have a comfortable savings, and travel while enjoying rent control in a neighborhood we love.

So let’s dive into the fun world of being a Rentanista with this week’s batch of items.

I receive 3 items from Rent the Runway and 5 items from Le Tote about once a week. The sooner you send back items, the sooner you receive a new batch, so it varies from week to week.

Here are this week’s items from Rent the Runway: