Trying Nuuly: An Honest Clothing Rental Review
If you're here, you want to know what I really thought about Nuuly, the subscription clothing rental service and if it's worth it! Spoiler, it's worth it ESPECIALLY if you're going on vacation soon.
Nuuly Promo
If by the end of this blog post I've convinced you to give Nuuly a shot, I have a Nuuly promo code for you! Use this special link for you here to get $30 off your first month of renting. Full transparency, I do get $10 off my own order for every time the link is used, but genuinely no pressure.
Why Should I Use Nuuly?
Planning a trip can cost a TON of money. From the flights, to the accommodations, to the nice dinners, I feel like when I go on a vacation money just flows out the door! One of the things I used to do before a trip was shop for the occasion, because who doesn't love new outfits to show off? That's exactly what I was thinking when I was planning my trip to Peru. But as I started to shop, I realized two things. One, the clothes I was looking at were starting to rack up in price. Two, I realized that even if I bought everything I wanted, I probably wouldn't wear the items that much since I live in the Bay and the clothes were meant for super hot summers. It just felt so wasteful and I didn't want to engage in fast fashion.
Because of that, I started to look for some alternatives! I had never used a clothing rental service before, but my sister had tried Rent the Runway and liked it, but mostly for special occasions. I wasn't super learning towards that one because I truly hated their website lol, so when I saw some TikTok ads for Nuuly I knew I had to do more digging. I did a TON of research and ordered my first Nuuly box for the trip! I ended up loving it so much and wore every piece I got in Lima, Peru.
How Does Nuuly Work?
Nuuly is a rental subscription service from the same company that owns Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, and Free People, that costs a monthly fee of $98. You get 6 items of your choice to rent! What I thought was really appealing was the fact that there are no late fees, no damage fees, and you can pause or cancel your subscription at any time. This was a huge added benefit, especially for someone who frequently stains or shrinks their clothes lol (and this was a good thing because literally with my first order, I stained one of my shirts). If you need more than 6 items, you can add up to 4 bonus items to your order for an additional charge of $20 per item.
When I first logged into Nuuly for the first time, it was overwhelming to see how many brands they offered! You can get everything from the typical Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, and Free People, to stuff like Love Shack Fancy, Agolde, and Lisa Says Gah. At a price point of only $98, I was shook I could get so many higher-end pieces from brands I would never dare actually purchase from! They always have new arrivals which I'm obsessed with, so they are always refreshing with new brands and clothing styles.
And if you're really obsessed with what you rented that month, you get the chance to actually buy those items at a discounted rate! I love that option because you can actually snag a high price tag item for a lot lower. Also sometimes Nuuly has sales for items to buy which is a slay.
You get your items for roughly a month, but according to Nuuly's site, you can technically keep your 6 items as long as you like. The twist is that in order to unlock and fill your next month's Nuuly your items need to be received and processed. So basically, return your items in under your 30 day rental period to get new items. Easy peasy!
Don't worry, shipping cost is included in your membership so it's basically free shipping! I mean, at $98 I would be shocked if it wasn't. See a screenshot of some of the new arrivals!
What I Ordered from Nuuly
After a lot of digging through the site (there are truly so many clothes to pick from), I chose these 6 items for my first ever Nuuly order. I’m pretty sure that if I had actually bought these items myself, it would’ve cost $938. That is CRAZY.
I was a little worried about getting the right fit and quality of the clothes since I had never ordered before, but I read a ton of the reviews on each item to help me out! I learned this later, but Nuuly incentivizes their users to leave reviews by offering $5 off code for any item they want to purchase so there's always an ample amount of feedback customer reviews for each item.
Also I love that some people upload pictures so you can actually see how these clothing items fit. I actually ended up uploading reviews for some of the items I had, so catch pictures of me on the Nuuly site lol. From this order my favorite items were definitely the dresses. I think this is really where Nuuly shines because they have a dress for truly every occasion.
Want to shop what I got? See the five of the six pieces below (one is completely sold out) that you can add to your own closet at home!
What Got Delivered from Nuuly
I was honestly shocked by how fast my first box got delivered! I think I ordered on a Saturday night, and I received it by Tuesday the next week (so almost like two-day shipping minus the weekend). As you can see in the picture below, it comes in this softbox with a zip. Honestly, the soft box felt a little dingy, and anyone could easily unzip your box during the shipping process.
But luckily, I was OBSESSED with what got delivered! I think with clothing rental services one of the things I was most scared about was getting bad quality or just super used clothes. I was shocked to find that 3 of my 6 Nuuly items still had tags on them. The other items I got were also great quality, and I was very happy with them. Everything fit truly perfectly, and I wore each piece all over Peru!
See some side-by-side comparisons of the Nuuly models and me romping around the city in them.
How Does Returns Work at Nuuly?
One thing about me is that I HATE a hard return. If a company makes it difficult for me to return something (cough JCrew cough), I probably will stop shopping from them. Thank god with every Nuuly box you get, they slip in a sticker return label to slap back on the side of your box to return. You can drop your box off at your nearest UPS, making it a super easy return process. Once Nuuly received my return, it got updated in my profile confirming that I was ready for my next order once my billing date had passed!
What I Loved from Nuuly
I'm now on my 3rd month using Nuuly, and honestly I've kept my subscription because of a couple of reasons: the ease of use, user-friendly interface, and the endless amount of new styles and new pieces they keep adding to their site. I'm now dying to go to a wedding because I really really really want to try all the fancy dresses they offer! So many stunning rental options, I really never get bored. Also their coats and jackets are to die for, so many amazing statement pieces on the site.
I also love that during the month you can still virtually shop and add things to your virtual closet that you can pick up in your next order. You can keep things organized with different lists and such, so I have running lists (that you can see below). It's a great way to keep track of good finds you've discovered!
What I Didn't Like about Nuuly
Well, I did say this was an honest review, so here's what I truly did not like about Nuuly (but in my opinion, it's not enough for me to cancel my active membership just yet). This rental service truly is amazing for vacations or special events, but what they really struggle with are things like work clothes or everyday clothes. For example, this past month I didn't have any trips or anything special planned and I was like uhhh when it was time to order.
I also feel like they sell out of a lot of their rentals FAST. For my trip to Peru, I had a set of dresses I was dying to bring on the trip, but when it was time to order they were all gone. I had to quickly pivot and it ended up fine, but it can be kind of annoying. So don't bank on any items being available when it's your turn to order!
I think there are some items on Nuuly that are not very good quality. I have truly hated every sweater I've received, but this could be user error and I'm just choosing the worst ones? Not really sure. I think their strength is definitely summer clothes over winter clothes.
I'm truly unsure about size inclusivity. When you set up your profile, you put in your body type and size. I think they filter clothes based on that? Truly don't know.
Is Nuuly Worth It?
I think for $98, it truly is a rental service monthly subscription that's worth it. There's something for everyone's personal style, and I know you'll find some gems! Looking to try it for the first time? Don’t forget about my Nuuly discount code. Use my special link here and get $30 off your first month of renting!