Le Tote Fashion Rental Service – Let “le” Addiction to Renting Clothing Begin

One of the crazier ideas to hit the internet is the fashion rental service.  Companies charge you either a monthly or per-installment fee for renting clothing.  I’m not talking about a tuxedo to wear to prom.  Instead it is on-trend and designer clothing and accessories.   Le Tote is one such fashion rental service and I may be an addict!

Le Tote has been a fantastic supplement to my wardrobe for work, travel, and a few special occasions. In a nutshell, it’s a service in which you are sent a number of clothing items and accessories to “borrow” and wear as you please. Try it on, wear it around (for as long as you like).  Then send it back – or buy it.  More on that later….

Signing up for Le Tote

You can easily sign up for Le Tote for either the classic or maternity clothing rental service.  To start, visit the Le Tote website and sign up for a free account.

Le Tote will prompt you to take a fashion quiz to find out what styles work best for you in tops, sweaters, pants, dresses, and accessories.  You will be asked your sizes.  And then you’ll pick a subscription type.

There are several subscription types.  I subscribe to the 3 clothing item plus 2 accessory plan.

The latter two subscriptions allow for unlimited shipment each month while the first limits the user to one Le Tote shipment each month.

How Le Tote works

Once you have completed your profile and selected a subscription, the fun begins.  You will be emailed (or texted) to “customize your tote”.  You can do this on the via on the app or website.  Several items will be recommended for you and you can swap any of these out if they don’t fit your taste or needs.  “Clothing” can be anything from tops, tunics, pants, skirts, jumpsuits/rompers, dresses, jackets, sweaters, or more recently, athleisure. “Accessories” include scarves, earrings, rings, bracelets, necklaces, belts, and handbags.

You can opt to pay $5 per tote for insurance which covers all damages to clothing.  The tote will arrive to you via mail.  It may contain items from brands like Badgley Mischka, Vince Camuto, BCBGeneration, and French Connection.  Wear what you like, as much as you like, for as long as you like.

When you’re done, simply mail everything back in the provided prepaid envelope (via US Postal Service).  No laundering needed.

Or keep anything you can’t bear to part with.  Because the items are usually pre-worn, the prices reflect that discount. Le Tote will charge you once they’ve taken stock of what you’ve kept.

Once Le Tote receives word that your envelope is being sent back, they will prompt you to “customize your tote”.  The fun starts all over again as you get your next tote ready to send.

Why use a fashion rental service

Here are a few scenarios in which I was thankful to have a fashion rental service:

• Travel Schedule vs. Laundry.  Taking the last flight home on Sunday from a weekend trip, I had done my tote return/re-order completed a couple days before my departure,  I included at least two items I could wear to work.  Why?  Because I knew I wouldn’t have time for laundry upon return.  My Le Tote was waiting in my mailbox on Sunday night and I didn’t have to worry about unpacking.
• Special Occasion.  I chose a cute cocktail dress for a wedding and a little evening bag to go with it when my closet was lacking. I also love using Le Tote for weekend-wear such as fun going-out purses, statement earrings, etc.
• Emergency Wardrobe Supplements.  Recently, my kitchen/utility area was being remodeled leaving me without access to my washer/dryer.  I planned to get plenty of totes during that time so I wouldn’t add to the laundry pile.
• Avoid Impulse Purchases.  A lot of times having these supplemental pieces have stopped me from spending more money on random items I might not wear again. For example, I picked out a sweater with a giant lobster on it to wear for a crawfish boil.  Yes I’m that person!

What sold me on Le Tote for renting clothing

This are the features that sold me on renting clothing with Le Tote:

• Each tote can be kept as long as you like.  I once kept one for 3 months in my car packed and ready to go.  Go shift your judging eyes elsewhere!
• Each tote can also be kept for as little time as you’d like. One month I returned it 3 times, so I was able to get 4 totes out of that month. There is no maximum amount of times you can turn in your tote each month.  As long as you have one of the higher subscriptions, you can take advantage of this.
• An account can be put on hold or canceled any time.  If you don’t need the extra clothing, don’t receive it.
• You can choose your clothing and accessory items.  Choice is key.  Le Tote doesn’t want to waste their clothing on you if you won’t wear it.  They’d rather ship it to someone who will like it and send you something you love as well.

There are also options for maternity subscriptions, which I think is SO smart. A lot of mommy friends don’t want to invest in such short term clothing items.  Perhaps they aren’t having another little one so they end up donating everything after pregnancy.  Or if they wait for another little one to come along their clothing might be out of style by then.

Conclusion – start le addiction today

Le Tote often has great referral and sign up incentives. You can easily start your le addiction right now!