{STYLE} Is Gwynnie Bee the Answer to Wardrobe Fatigue?
Though, objectively, I know that I have way too much clothing for my own good - I often find myself looking into my packed-from-wall-to-wall closet and exasperating that there's "nothing to wear." It's a problem I run into more often than I'd like to admit, especially as the seasons change or I have a special event or meeting that calls for something outside of my uniform-du-semain. In these moments I often cave and do a little bit of impulse shopping, only to find that those pieces rarely get worn often enough to justify their purchase. Ah, enter the solution to many of my problems.... Gwynnie Bee, or as I and many friends have dubbed it, "Wardrobe Netflix." Continue...
Dress: ASOS Curve via I first learned of Gwynnie Bee from twitter, when some of my favorite plus-size bloggers started chatting about the service and their growing selection. They had favorites from designers like Carmakoma and Mynt 1792 and Simply Be, -- and, actually, the tally is now up to nearly 100 brands, all available for "rental" with pre-paid return envelopes. The list of brands is impressive and exhaustive - even including a selection from just-on-the-market Jaime, BB Dakota's new plus-size line, and even includes some highly coveted pieces from seasons past. The model is simple enough, you select a plan that is priced according to the number of garments you can borrow at a time (and then send back for more) - starting at $35 for 1-garment-at-a-time and ranging up to $159 for 10-garments-at-a-time (a plan that might promise you never have to actually buy clothes again). As for sizing, there are items ranging from size 10 through 32, capturing an enormous range of the curvy-and-full-figured fashion market.
I was hesitant at first, but when I think about how often I look into my closet and feel like there's nothing to wear, Gwynnie Bee becomes the perfect supplement to any curvy girl's wardrobe. I think there are a handful of obvious benefits, especially for someone like me who likes to try out new styles and new designers on the regular. A short list, just for my own sake:
1.) I don't have to fall into a pattern of hyper consumption at the mercy of my impulses or wardrobe fatigue. Instead, when I'm craving something new or different, I can borrow it, get a few wears out of it, then send it back for something new. Rinse, lather, repeat!
2.) I don't have to buy clothing for occasions that I might not wear again. Maybe it's a blazer for an important meeting with a client, or a formal dress for a wedding, or maybe I just need something with that little extra "wow" factor for a special night out with my boo? Looking back, there are so many occasions that I wish something like Gwynnie Bee existed in my life! Oh, the pain and anguish it would have eased...
3.) Perhaps there's a new style that I'm just not sure about? I can try it on, risk free, and if it ends up not working out for me, back it goes -- without having to deal with my mistake staring back at me from the depths of my closet, (oh, come on, we all have those).
4.) Experimenting with new colors and patterns and yay! This is something I can definitely get behind.
5.) Access to an enormous range of designers - from trendy, a la mode pieces to super luxe, high end designers like Anna Scholz and Rani Zakhem) at one, accessible price point. That just might be the best part.
It doesn't solve the closet-full-of-clothes dilemma (I'm dealing with that, little-by-little) - but Gwynnie Bee seems like it will most certainly help me from acquiring more from here on out - and, of course, keeping my style fresh!
So -- after trying it, I'm on a 5-garments-at-a-time plan, and my "closet" (a running list of items you want to keep on hold for when you return currently checked-out pieces) is filled with dresses from Jaime and Carmakoma and Jessica Simpson Collection and honestly, I can't wait for my next shipment to arrive - it'll be just in time for my roadtrip to The South, where I'll surely need all the easy, breezy dresses I can get my hands on.
Want to try Gwynnie Bee for yourself? They're offering my readers a special bonus for signing up in the next two weeks -- add on one free garment for your first two months of membership. Not bad, eh?