Plus Size Clothing Rental Review: ELOQUII Unlimited vs. Nuuly

I tried my first plus-size clothing rental service, Rent the Runway, in 2018. At the time, I was a size 14, so I was on the high end of straight sizes. I loved using RTR Unlimited, mainly because I went to blogger events every week and didn’t want to buy new clothes every time. When I got pregnant and stopped dressing up, I canceled my membership and never renewed it. After giving birth, I felt overwhelmed by how many things in my closet no longer fit me, but because we were still mostly in lockdown, it wasn’t a super pressing concern. Once life started to return to normal, I decided to try renting clothes again. Below is my unbiased review of both ELOQUII Unlimited and Nuuly. While I’ve been gifted clothing and memberships by both brands in the past, this review isn’t sponsored. I’m a size 16, 5’2″, and typically only wear dresses when I’m renting clothing — shirts and pants are just too finicky for me!

Plus Size Clothing Rental Review 

ELOQUII Unlimited

Size range: 14-28

Cost: $79/mo (save $20 on your first month)

How It Works: Four items at a time; unlimited exchanges

Advantages of ELOQUII Unlimited

You can rent hundreds of ELOQUII tops, dresses, and bottoms for a flat rate. They dry clean all of the rented pieces, so you don’t have to worry about cleaning them, and you can return them in a prepaid mailer. This service gives you options. When I first checked, there were nearly 400 dresses for me to choose from. I loved that I could return anything that didn’t work, and I debated buying a few of the pieces I tried because I loved them so much.

Disadvantages of ELOQUII Unlimited

Given my praise, you probably expect me to say my subscription is still active. I canceled it, and there were a few determining factors. The biggest one was quality and sizing. You get four items at a time, and I repeatedly got orders where nothing fit me well. Some things were way too big, while others ran ridiculously small. I’d pack up all of the ill-fitting items, take them to the post office, and wait for a new order to arrive and hope that it’d work better. Even with unlimited returns, it became exhausting. Other items just felt cheap and poorly constructed. I love ELOQUII, so it was a disappointment to cancel, but it made the most sense for me. (JUNE 2022 UPDATE: I renewed my subscription recently and have had much better luck.)

Nuuly

Size range: 00-40W

Cost: $88/mo (get $10 off your first month)

How It Works: Six items at a time, no exchanges  

Advantages of Nuuly

You can try clothing from 150+ brands, including Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, and Free People. You’re able to buy items at discounted prices, and you return your clothing at the end of the month in a prepaid bag. I’m a gal who has a hard time rationalizing a full-price purchase at upscale stores, so getting to borrow dresses from Anthropologie and Free People (along with brands like Spell and For Love and Lemons) was a huge win. In addition, everything is shipped in a convenient reusable case, and the customer service was top-notch. I got more compliments than ever and repeatedly got stopped by people wanting to know where my outfit was from.

Disadvantages of Nuuly

The most significant disadvantage is written plainly in how the subscription operates. You borrow six items a month, and there’s no “renter’s regret” — if something doesn’t fit, too bad. The first two months, this wasn’t a problem. I know my measurements and just looked for items that had good reviews from plus-size customers. Both times, I was able to wear five of the six items I chose.

After that, though, I struggled. Popular plus-size items get rented quickly, so I sometimes had to comb through pages of results to find something that *might* work. One month was such a bust that I reached out to them because I only had one dress that fit after paying $88 for an entire box (to their credit, they offered me a refund and told me to reorder). Because I’m short and curvy, I often strike out in fitting rooms. I love the concept of Nuuly, I do, but ordering clothing without being able to try it on and being SOL if it doesn’t work is a no for me.

I still recommend giving it a go, especially if your clothing size is consistent across brands and you don’t have much trouble finding things that work. (Anecdotally, a lot of the people I know who swear by Nuuly are thin.) I have my subscription paused right now, and I think I’ll return once they add more plus-size styles.

Who wins for…

Budget: ELOQUII. If you wanted to, you could rent and wear 12 pieces a month, which gives you a bit more for your money, especially since Nuuly is more expensive.

Clothing Quality: Nuuly. A lot of the pieces I tried retailed for $200+, and it definitely showed through in the quality. They felt thicker and more durable than most of the ELOQUII items I tried.

Versatility: ELOQUII. Because it’s exclusively a plus size clothing rental service instead of a rental service that happens to carry plus sizes, I was way more impressed with their selection.

Customer Service: Nuuly. I ran into issues canceling my subscription with both services, and Nuuly’s team was a lot more helpful. ELOQUII didn’t do anything wrong, per se, but Nuuly’s associates went above and beyond.

I had a decent experience with both services and got to try a ton of dresses I’d never buy myself. If you’re someone who goes to a lot of events or takes a lot of pictures like I do, clothing rental is worth a try. Have you tried either of these services? Let me know in the comments! Also, I do receive a small commission if you decide to try either service using my links.

TRY NUULY HERE.

TRY ELOQUII UNLIMITED HERE.