I Rented Athleisure From Nuuly for the First (and Maybe the Last) Time

I remember the day I finally caved and bought a Nuuly subscription. I received a text message from the organizer of a bachelorette weekend I was about to attend. Underneath each line item of the busy itinerary were details concerning mandated attire. As I read “Something sparkly or with sequins!” I wondered where I could even find something so far out of my usual repertoire. Then my mind flashed years into the future, when I’d uncover the disco ball of a shirt, on which I’d spent $40, haunting the graveyard section of my closet.

“No,” I decided right then. “I won’t allow it.”

Recalling the targeted Instagram ads frequenting my feed, I signed up for Nuuly. Once I started renting clothes, I never looked back. There were months when I had a trip planned and didn’t want to permanently invest in needed wardrobe items. Other times, I simply wanted the excitement of trying styles of clothes and accessories that I wouldn’t normally buy (yes, that once included a greyhound-themed sweater).

It never occurred to me to rent yoga clothes. That is until recently, when I found myself bored of my cliché black-on-black uniform of workout tank and leggings. So I scoured Nuuly’s athleisure section.

Though the clothing rental service doesn’t carry the usual suspects I associate with yoga (Lululemon, Athleta, Girlfriend Collective), Nuuly offers a variety of items—ranging from practical to comfy—that allowed me to spice up my look.

They weren’t all favorites, but I learned some things about what I like (and hate) along the way. I even loved something so much I bought it.

How Does Nuuly Work?

With Nuuly, you pay $98 per month and pick six items of clothes from their website that are then shipped to you. You keep them for the whole month, then send them back in the reusable package they came in. Nuuly includes a return label for shipping. You don’t need to launder anything. Ever.

Pros:

• Nuuly seems to have way more plus-size clothing options than Rent the Runway. (When I was an RTR member and filtered various clothing category pages for my size, the search results often yielded necklaces, earrings, and purses. Zero clothes.)
• Like other clothing rental sites, Nuuly offers subscribers the option to buy anything they rent at a discount compared to its retail price. The Thrift Shop section of Nuuly’s website also features rental clothes for final sale, some of which are significantly reduced.
• You can pause your Nuuly subscription for months when you don’t need it.

Cons:

• Although Nuuly’s sizes are overall more inclusive, that doesn’t mean those sizes are always available. When I filtered their athleisure section for my size in leggings, sweatpants, and joggers, there was literally one pair of pants available to rent. That doesn’t mean they don’t offer many pairs of pants in plus sizes—in theory, it could mean that other people are renting them. But I’ve checked often enough to suspect scarcity.
• Sizing can be tricky. I often have to open a separate tab in my browser to Google an item I’m considering renting and check if the brand has a size chart. Because Nuuly does not and there’s inconsistency of sizes across the brands that they carry.
• Unlike Rent the Runway, Nuuly doesn’t let you exchange any items from your shipment. Basically, if your items don’t fit, you’re stuck with them for the month.
• Nuuly is owned by the same parent company as Anthropologie. So if you don’t like Anthropologie clothes, safe to say you might not like Nuuly.

I was disappointed that the only athleisure items Nuuly had available in my size at the time I rented consisted mostly of hoodies and sweatshirts along with seasonal items like tennis dresses and bike shorts. It wasn’t quite the usual selection of yoga or gym clothes I was looking for. There’s much more size, color, and style diversity in their non-athleisure selections. Still, most of the items felt “on trend” in the sense that I recognized styles of clothing I’d seen on social media or in stores.

Surprise Favorite: Next to Naked Unitard (Retail: $128)

This rental piece is the *definition* of stepping outside my comfort zone. From the name (“next to naked”? gasp!) to the fact that it appears to be a skin-tight unitard, I was banking on hating this. And maybe never even trying it on. But I was encouraged by the reviews, some of which are titled “buttery soft,” “great quality,” and “omg girl you need this.”

After my delivery came and I was able to feel the buttery softness for myself, I felt more confident. It slipped on more easily than I had imagined and, to my delight, was extremely comfortable and easy to move in. I wore it while working and stretching at home. Though I didn’t feel confident wearing it to yoga class (not my vibe), I did layer an oversized sweater over it and wear it out to dinner one night (which was my vibe).

Crowd-Pleaser: Power to the Parks Shroom Pullover (Retail: $120)

If, while browsing items in a retail store, a salesperson asked me if I was interested in an “allover mushroom print” fleece, I’d most likely reply, “I’m good, thanks.” Once again, however, renting clothes gave me a delightful Icarus complex surrounding my personal style.

I wore the Power to the Parks Shroom Pullover over my usual black workout tank to the gym and yoga. It was a comfy and warm piece to layer for cold weather, although I can’t say I really liked it. Though I may one day quit my job to teach ceramic wheel throwing in Woodstock, I felt like an imposter trying to embrace that aesthetic prematurely.

I did receive several compliments while wearing this piece and Nuuly reviewers call it comfy, cute, and amazing—for the most part. One reviewer notes that her item arrived looking rather worn. My pullover also looked like someone had owned it for years, as evidenced by its slight pilling, which is kinda the risk you run with rental clothes.

The Let-Down: Tennis Cropped Windbreaker (Retail: $128)

This presented as the most fashion-forward item of the bunch. The shade of white was super clean and added a lovely brightness to my all-black ’fit.

I’m typically wary of renting jackets because of the all too familiar pulling I often experience at the seams underneath the armpits when I move my arms. This jacket was the exact opposite, which was a pro and con.

Though it fit my body really well, the windbreaker is pretty baggy in the arms. That would be fine if the elastic bands around the wrist actually cinched and didn’t swallow my hands. Another reviewer experienced the same issue. I also found the crop of this jacket to be suuuper cropped—and this is coming from someone who exclusively wears high-waisted pants. I still found myself pulling the bottom of the jacket down to cover my shirt while on a walk.

My Forever Love: Vine Half-Zip Pullover (Retail: $158)

With 4.5 out of 5 stars from over 3,000 reviewers, this item seemed like slam-dunk rental. And it is. I wore this over my yoga clothes and, in a yin class, kept it on the entire time as a cozy addition to my practice. As one reviewer notes, it’s more of a statement piece than a typical sweatshirt. For me, that meant I had to kinda get used to the feeling of the large collar and zipper, which are a bit heavier than most pullovers I’ve worn. But that’s also what makes it fun to wear.

I could zip it up higher or lower, depending on what I was wearing underneath and how I wanted to style it. It does have a slightly fitted band at the bottom, which sometimes made it awkward to style with pants that weren’t leggings—specifically because I sized up, so the band tends to fall over my butt instead of sitting at my hips or waist. (For this reason, one reviewer calls it an “unflattering sack.” Fair.)

I ended up buying this in green, but only after it went on sale at Nuuly’s Thrift Shop for $20.

Honorable Mention: New Wave Bike Shorts (Retail: $110)

You know when you’re shopping online and you throw an item in your cart only to later realize you were kinda fantasizing about an alternate timeline version of yourself and imagining her wearing it? Yeah. That’s what renting these bike shorts was like. I was channeling the life I would’ve had if I were a competitive powerlifter or SoulCycle instructor.

These shorts represent a lot of what Nuuly’s athleisure section has to offer—bold prints, inclusive sizes, and fun fantasies of what your wardrobe could be if only you were bold enough to take the risk. In this case, I was not bold enough—I never even tried them on before shipping them right back to Nuuly. But I *could’ve* if I wanted to, and isn’t that the whole point of renting your clothes?

The verdict? I wouldn’t rent clothes to specifically wear to yoga or the gym from Nuuly again. But I will continue to reactivate my subscription for months when I have obligatory occasions that call for other types of clothes, such as formal wear, cocktail dresses, and anything I don’t want to spend money on because I will only be wearing it once.