Last month I shared my initial experience using the new clothing rental company for women in Seattle — Armoire. I wanted to show you the remaining outfits I took home for the month as well as my overall thoughts on the idea of borrowing vs buying clothes. 

Keep scrolling for the full story… and know my discount code thegreyedit is still available for use for $30 off your service!

A Little Background

To paint a little color if you don’t know much about me — I’m a 32 year old gal who lives in the city and runs her own business. Most of my recent days are spent in comfortable clothing at home — whether be activewear or loungewear — with days and weekends sprinkled throughout the week where I have an excuse to put on a cute outfit. Plus — I run this style blog, so you know, I’m always looking for opportunities to be stylish :).

Anyways — I’ve always loved to shop. Probably a little more than I should, but it’s a passion that keeps me going. I love coming across a good steal as well as finding a piece that elevates my classic and modern wardrobe. 

Now that my schedule has changed a bit, and I’m working to build a business, this hobby has had to be reevaluated. Gotta bring it that dough before I cash the check at Nordies, you feel me?

So when I learned about the local Armoire service, I was super intrigued and wanted to finally test out the idea of borrowing clothing — especially as a “modern-day woman”. If I could rock some new items throughout the month to fill and serve my need of staying stylish without actually having to buy, then hey — it could be a win! 

Thoughts on Borrowing

I won’t lie. The idea of borrowing clothes that people I don’t know have worn, sounded weird to me at first.

Where did they wear the item? Did they get it dirty? Did they treat it right?

When I paid my visit to the Armoire studio in Capitol Hill for my styling session all of these worries immediately went away. They maintain a certain standard of the items they have on hand for women like you and me. All of the options were well-pressed, in pristine condition and resembled the condition of items you’d buy at a store. 

But then what if I loved an item so much that I was borrowing? 

That thought was stomped too. If you love an item, Armoire allows for you to purchase it as a special discounted rate from 25-40% off! 

What if I get sick of an item I chose for my month? 

Yeah, Armoire has this figured out. And is probably their best benefit. You can swap out one to all of your items at any time throughout your month to get refresh items of your choice. 

So cool right?! 

Thoughts on Buying

So now, how does this compare to actually buying clothes? Well, as I mentioned before, I love to buy clothes. Thus, I was hesitant to see if my patterns changed or if I saved a little bit of dough. 

If I’m borrowing clothing, will I stop shopping?

Well, to be honest, during this month I didn’t avoid shopping entirely. But, also in honestly, I definitely cut back. And with the high quality contemporary items I took home from Armoire that were each priced around $100-$300, I definitely saved some money. 

Will I get a good amount of use out of the items if I have them for only one month?

I learned a bit about my style personality during this month. I mean, I definitely had a good idea of it — as I talk about it often, but this solidified a few things. 

I like basics — I revert to wearing some favorite pieces of mine throughout the month, and when I come across something with a little more edge, I pulse it in safely. 

Take this black and white outfit for instance — the white denim I’ve worn about 3-4 times this month and the blouse I’ve worn twice as it is the item with a bit more edge — the insect print was really fun :).

And this bright reddish-orange jumpsuit — I saved for a special occasion of date night with the hubs. So one use and again it’s because of the elevated basic, to me at least. It’s bright and bold and something I don’t normally wear on the regular, so I used it to elevate my looks for the month.

 

My Preference of the Two

So after exploring the two options of borrowing and buying in a given month, I have to say, my preference would be a mixture of the two. 

If I was a 9-5 woman-on-the-go with limited time for shopping, I would say the mix would likely be a bit more 80 borrowing / 20 buying — as it does save a significant amount of time and planning. 

But as my situation has recently changed — with limited funds and shopping still being part of my brand, I’d say this split is quite perfect. I’ve had these items hanging in my capsule wardrobe to use and pulse throughout the month and it’s been super fun.  

More on the Items

As I mentioned before, these two items were the more “edgey” of the four I chose. 

The culottes and denim I previously shared, were used at a higher rate.

The high-neck blouse my Cooper & Ella I adored. My favorite details: a high neck, long sleeve and button detail — it was the perfect transitional blouse from Spring to Summer, especially with the playful buggie print. It’s also one of the top favored items in the Armoire collection, so I knew it had to be mine for a try.  

This bright jumpsuit is such a beautiful silhouette, and I’m obsessed with the fit and crop. Amanda Uprichard hold a level of quality I haven’t experienced in some time with a jumpsuit. The fabric and tailoring were both fantastic.

All in all, I was able to use and enjoy my entire case and can’t wait to see what next month’s case holds!

You Can Still Try Armoire at a Discounted Rate!

Get excited because there’s still time to try Armoire as a friend and follower of The Grey Edit with a special discount code! 

Simply follow the steps below to get $30 off your first month of service:

– head to the Armoire website
– go through the series of questions to create your Style Profile
– use thegreyedit when adding your credit card to your style profile account

Thanks for taking the time to read — I hope you find this feedback helpful!

// cb ✌????