Cheryl Shops

Back in my late 20s and early 30s, when I had 7 or 8 weddings per year to attend, I used an Excel spreadsheet to track which dresses I wore to which events. This began in the days before social media, but I basically wanted to make sure I wasn't turning up in the same dress at every event with the each group of people. The alternative, of course, was to buy a new dress for each event, which is cost-prohibitive (and wasteful) and is what drove Jenn Hyman to found Rent the Runway. I thought RTR was an amazing idea and I know a lot of people who love it, but to this day, I've never actually used it, because the items I'd actually want to rent are way too expensive. In other words, I'd rent a designer dress for $50 or $60 (or maybe even a bit more), but not $200. There are other clothing rental companies out there (I reviewed one last year), but so far none that really piqued my interest—until now. Wardrobe is like Airbnb for clothes, shoes, and accessories: you rent items from a user's closet for 4, 10, or 20 days at a time; everything is dry-cleaned and stored in a central warehouse (and if you open a closet with Wardrobe, you can make a little extra money renting out your own clothes); and it all comes clearly labeled and nicely packaged. Most importantly, Wardrobe has everything from Alice and Olivia to Hermès, and the prices are incredibly reasonable. They were kind enough to offer me a credit to try the service for free; here's what I borrowed and my unbiased, honest review of the entire experience.

Outfit one

I have a rule that when someone gives me a gift card or a credit somewhere, I have to order something I wouldn't necessarily have picked out for myself. So that's pretty much the essence of this outfit. The Ganni sequin top is cropped, which is a silhouette I almost never wear, but I will say, I thought the swingy silhouette was pretty flattering, and the top itself was super fun—I felt like I was inside a disco ball. I am not generally a big pencil skirt person, but I decided to try this one by Altuzarra, and while it's still not "me", I had fun wearing it. 

I will admit, the first thing I added to my order was this Chanel bag, and it was the hardest thing to return after my 4-day rental period was over. I. Loved. This. Bag. And it had definitely been loved before—there was a bit of a patina to the leather—but just looking at it made me feel happy and special. Note to self: Mama wants a Chanel bag, although one that's slightly bigger than this one, because fitting all of my stuff inside was like playing Tetris. The shoes are also Chanel; a heel probably would have been more appropriate with this look, but the one department I found Wardrobe to be a bit lacking was in footwear—there was not a ton of selection in my size, 8.5, at the time I placed my order. Also, these loafers were super cute but incredibly uncomfortable on my right foot, which admittedly has a bunion. It would be awesome if Wardrobe incorporated customer reviews in the future—as a shopper, I tend to find them incredibly helpful. 

Outfit two

I had meant to wear this dress for a fall-wedding-themed post (sorry, Ada!), but the dates of my rental period had to shift a bit, so I wore it to a friend's outdoor birthday party instead. This dress is also Altuzarra and from the same closet as the black skirt from the first outfit, which brings me to a nice feature on Wardrobe: you can follow the closets of users that you like and get updates when they add new items. I found this helpful, in that once I found an item in my size that I liked, I could see what else they had listed (and save some items for later). This dress was freaking gorgeous and, like everything else I rented, in impeccable condition. And, of course, I took the Chanel bag out for another spin, however I opted for a pair of my own sandals this time. 

In conclusion

I had an excellent experience with Wardrobe: the quality and cleanliness of everything I borrowed was top-notch, and the prices were incredibly reasonable. Shipping was fast, everything was clearly labeled and packaged, and the return process was a breeze. I wish they had sent a few more emails about my order—a reminder to return everything would have been helpful—but otherwise their communication was great, and as they're a new company, they're still figuring things out. I am super intrigued by the prospect of opening a closet and renting out items I don't wear very often (hello, all of my work clothes), which seems like an easy way to earn a passive income. I highly recommend trying Wardrobe, and I hope you'll like it, so use code 8DM4 for $25 off your first rental. Enjoy!