I Tried This Sustainable Clothing Rental For A Year & It Helped Me Find My Confidence

For example: one of my favorite items I rented last year was a vintage Blondie band tee, which made me realize that I could be a skirt person. Previously, I’d swapped my oversized sweaters for oversized tanks in the summer. When I got a slimmer-fit tee, however, I found I could match it with a flouncy summer skirt and still feel like myself. In fact, I could still pair that with my trusty (extremely worn) combat boots (Nuuly hasn’t branched into accessories yet, but I’m not sure second-hand shoes are the way either). After finding out I loved wearing skirts, there was no looking back. I explored matching separates, rompers, cut-out maxi dresses — anything that I could still accessorize to feel like myself and feel confident wearing. And I’m never looking back.

Before I knew it, I was smiling in pictures constantly. It’s not that wearing trendy clothes magically cured my depression; it did not (I am medicated and go to weekly therapy!). But, without Nuuly enabling me to take a risk and splurge on myself, I’m not sure I would’ve ever been comfortable looking at myself in the mirror. Now, there’s not a mirror I don’t pass that I don’t look into. My confidence is at an all-time high, and I’ve been able to make a ton of other positive changes in my life because I’m feeling so good.

Not only that, but my former camera-shy self has transformed into a total diva. I find myself roping my girlfriend into impromptu photoshoots wherever we go, and I even post them on my Instagram grid for the internet to see. Not only has my experience with Nuuly made me fall back in love with clothes (who knew I enjoyed body con dresses and cropped silhouettes?), but also myself. Full disclosure: an oversized sweater or two still sneak into my monthly shipments, but that’s okay. There’s no limit on what I can wear now, and I’m fully taking advantage of that. Nuuly has options for comfort, holiday dinners, changing bodies, diverse body shapes, and so much more. Try it out, or do your friend a solid and gift it (Mother’s Day is coming up, and did I mention they’re good for rapidly shifting body sizes?). I’ll be re-upping my subscription for another year and will continue to smile about it.