Renting vs buying clothes: How much is it and is it worth it?

Wednesday, May 15, 2019
Rent your clothes? Have the latest styles and save money
Rent your clothes? Have the latest styles and save money.

When it comes to expanding your wardrobe, there's a cheaper way to keep your clothes choices fresh, without clearing out your closet.

I hit the streets to ask shoppers their thoughts on renting verses buying their clothing.

"I think that works way better because I buy things once and never wear again," said shopper Arismel Vasquez.

Vasquez, who was shopping at Rice Village, had never heard of Rent The Runway.

It's one of the more popular services that offers you a rotating closet starting at $69 a month without ever paying retail for any of the items you borrow. Le Tote and Style Lend also offer similar subscriptions.

"I prefer to buy because I like to keep my clothes and item," said shopper Tanisha Takhar.

As for Takhar, her thoughts quickly changed when I told her Express is jumping on the subscription bandwagon.

"I love Express. Did you know that? I didn't know that and now I'm kind of sad because I'm definitely going to enroll in that," said Takhar.

Express, much like Ann Taylor's service, offers you three items per box with free shipping both ways. It also offers the opportunity to switch out items or keep them forever, paying less than retail since it's likely been worn.

We're now seeing styling services like Stitch Fix offer a "style pass." This essentially waves your style fee for a year for one annual cost of $49. You still have the option to buy what you love or send it back.

RELATED: Rent designer jewelry for only $29 a month

Have a special occasion coming up, but don't want to pay retail price for new jewelry? You can rent or buy at a deep discount with Switch.