This honest review of the Armoire clothing rental subscription service that allows you to get beautiful new clothes without filling up your closet will help you decide if this service is right for you. This post is sponsored by Armoire but all thoughts and opinions are my own.
I’ve been renting clothing for years. While clothing rental used to be reserved for fancy events it’s now an option for everyday clothes.
It allows you to have new clothes all of the time for one price. It’s kind of like sharing a closet with a ton of other fashionable women.
The way it works is kind of like other clothing subscriptions. However, instead of just trying on the clothes and having to buy them to actually wear them you can wear the items as long as you want and just send them back when you want new ones.
This is a great option if you have limited closet space, want to have a capsule wardrobe but with a bit more variety, or you just want an alternative to shopping in person.
With stores closing dressing rooms and shopping having additional stresses there is no better time to try out clothing rental.
A service I’ve recently started using is Armoire. They have contemporary designer women’s clothing and it’s a really easy way to get started with clothing rental.
My Armoire Review
Originally review July 2020.
HOW IT WORKS
- Take a Short Style Quiz. A quick 3-minute quiz will help find your personal style so you get the best clothes possible.
- Get Your Personal Closet. Armoire will curate styles with help from a special algorithm and professional stylists.
- Select Your Favorites. Look through your new closet and pick 4 items you’d like to wear.
- Get your box. It usually takes a couple of days after the box is styled for me to get it.
- Wear the clothes. You can wear the items as long as you want.
- Keep or send back the clothes. Once you are ready for your next box you can decide to keep any of the items at a big discount or send it all back.
- Get your next box. Once you are ready to send back your box you can go onto the site and mark the items as returned or purchased. You will then be able to fill your next box.
Try Armoire today! $69 for your first month – rent 4 items at a time, with unlimited swaps!
This is a look at the clothes that I picked for my first box. These are the model photos from the Armoire website.
PROS OF ARMOIRE
- New items are added often. Every time I log on I see new styles. You are also able to see upcoming styles and rate them. The ones you like will be added to your closet once they are available.
- You get to pick the clothes. Some rental services just pick your items from your favorites but you don’t actually piece each item that will be in your box. This can mean you end up with clothes that aren’t appropriate for what you have going on. With another service, I once ended up with two white dresses and a black and white dress. It was annoying to have no variety in my outfits. With Armoire you pick each item you are getting so you know you will have the right pieces.
- You have to do less laundry. One of the great things about services like this is you don’t have to wash the clothes, they wash them for you! And don’t worry, they have a very safe and effective cleaning process that cleans and sanitizes clothes before they are sent to you.
- You can try contemporary designer brands. If you love designer brands but not the price this is a great way to try lots of pieces with one monthly fee. Often one piece is equal or more than the cost of your subscription.
- You get to try new styles. When buying clothes you can end up playing it safe because you don’t want to waste money. When you are renting there is no commitment so you can try things that are outside of your comfort zone. This has really helped me find some styles I never thought I’d like but I actually do! I’ve also found new brands that I love by using a service like Armoire.
- When you like the clothes you get a discount. If you love something and don’t want to send it back that is fine. You even get the items at a discounted rate.
- It’s a helpful service when losing weight. If like me, you are trying to lose weight it can be frustrating to have to keep buying new clothes in new sizes. With this service, you just have to go in and update your sizing. You can then wait until you reach your goal size to start buying clothes.
- It’s an encouragement to get dressed every day. It’s easy to get in the habit of wearing loungewear all day if you don’t have somewhere to go. This is very true for homemakers and for people working from home. Getting dressed is motivating though and can be great for your self-esteem. Having new clothes to try will help motivate you to get dressed for your day.
- It’s great for date nights. I love getting new outfits to wear on date nights with my husband. He now looks forward to seeing what new things I got each week as well. Even if we are having a date night at home it’s fun to get dressed up in something new and cute.
- It’s better for the environment. New clothes require a lot of resources and can be pretty bad for the environment. Buying used is one option but that can take a lot of time searching. Using Armoire means you aren’t buying as many new clothes and when you do want to keep a piece it’s likely used so you are still reducing your impact.
- They have a pause option. You can pause your membership if you don’t need clothes for a while. During this time of staying at home having the option to pause has been really nice.
- The Closet and PWR Feed. Armoire has updated the closet and it’s really easy to navigate you can see photos of actual users in the clothes to help you decide what to try. Below is a screencap of my closet area.
CONS OF ARMOIRE
- The clothes are used. This is true for all clothing rental services. I only list this as a con because I know it can be an issue for some people. For me, it’s actually a pro. It’s more environmentally friendly. Plus I’ve never had an issue with the items not being in good condition.
- It’s a little pricey. This subscription service starts at $79 a month which is less than some services but you only have four items per month, this can still be great for supplementing your wardrobe. I have the unlimited plan which costs $149 a month but you get unlimited items, four at a time. You are getting very high-value items, and with cheaper rental services you get cheaper clothing as well.
Those are honestly the only cons I have found. If you like trying new clothes, don’t mind if they are pre-worn, and can afford the cost it’s a really great service to try out.
Try Armoire today! $69 for your first month – rent 4 items at a time, with unlimited swaps!
You can also see some thoughts from others that have used the service in the comments. Take them with a grain of salt as none have been verified. I have had nothing but good experiences with Armoire and that’s true of the people in my clothing rental Facebook group as well.
giulia Lombardo says
interesting I never tried site like this maybe i’ll give it a opportunity
Katie says
DO NOT USE THIS ARMOIRE SERVICE: Emailed and canceled 5 min after enrolling. They still sent a bag of junk after I canceled and billed me. Currently disputing charges with a Credit card. They do not get that No means No. Not go ahead select Garbage for me and ship it anyway!
Lisa Sharp says
I’m sorry to hear you had this happen. I had no issues canceling.
Rubin says
So typical of armoire
Kirsten says
The worst. I HATED this service. The clothes were less than subpar, and the stylists are not good.
I paid for the service for six month, tried to cancel after the second shipment of clothes in week 2 but they would not stop charging payments. The customer service was rude, horrible to work with and refuse to give me a refund after months of inactivity. I’m furious, so please take my advice and move on. They will steal your money and you’re better off with another service.
Rubin says
So true…
Rubin says
The worst ever. Never had such a bad experience with any business. The site is a big scam. Cancelling the subscription is next to impossible. Even after you manage to cancel, they keep charging your credit card on a off even after 11 months. I was scammed about $1000. Writing this review so that others are protected by this scam.
Lisa Sharp says
Sorry to hear you had a bad experience. When I tried it I had no issues canceling and no extra charges.
Lisa Sharp says
What experience? I had no issues, sorry you did.
DJ says
I recommend against this service. I tried it. I got two shipments. The items were very good quality, clean, in good condition, and I was mostly happy with the product. However, it’s pretty expensive, and you pay monthly into eternity, even after you’ve paid more in rental fees what you would have paid if you had bought the items new from a department store. Considering you’re essentially buying used items, it’s really not a value at all. Despite canceling in October, I continue to be billed into April. I’ve now paid more than $850 for four items. Swapping is impossible because they only have 5 items available for me to choose from, none of which is really that exciting. I wanted to support them, I wanted to like the service, I really tried, but it’s not a value and their platform doesn’t make it easy.
Lisa Sharp says
I’m sorry to hear you’ve had these issues. I’ve not had any issues with the service but hate to see that you have.
SJ says
I like Armoire and using it for 3 years. I’ve put it on hold but not tried to cancel. I have a small closet and renting allows me to circulate clothing without wasting space. I spend about $1200 per year on clothing, and the annual fee is a bit higher but not enough to throw me off my budget. I’ve had real winners, a few losers, and basically steady solid rentals. I agree that the stylists are marginal (for me). I get 4 items.
Veronica says
I am so sad reading these reviews. The reviews for RTR that I have researched are even worse. Is there no clothing rental membership service that treats their customers well and guarantees clean clothing?
Lisa Sharp says
I’ve not had issues with any of them. Often the worst experiences are the ones that end up shared.
BB says
Glad I read these reviews, I recently had such terrible service and worn clothes from RTR that I was looking for an alternative. It doesn’t sound like this is any better and I hate that I have to sign up with my card before even seeing the inventory.
Lisa Sharp says
I didn’t have any issues but it does seem like some have. I have a Facebook group for clothing rental, you can ask people there for a good recommendation. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1945407662179662