{Product Review} Le Tote - Totes #3 and #4

I'm currently on my fifth Le Tote. From this, you can probably assume that I have been relatively happy with the service so far, and I have been overall.

Le Tote #3 

1) Black top with ruffles and faux leather strap in back

2) Purple pleated tank

3) Orange and white print dress

4) Purple earrings, 5) white and gold bangle, 6) thin gold bangle

7) Black statement necklace

As you can tell, this tote contained more than five items, as promised by my stylist to make up for the broken piece I received in Le Tote #2.

I wore the gold bangles throughout the week with different outfits. I wound up wearing the purple top two times, once to work with the purple earrings and once to a festival on the 4th of July. I decided to pair this casual outfit with the statement necklace to make it more interesting and also because I needed to send back my items and didn't have anything else to wear the necklace to. 

I wore the black top to work, together with some old pieces. I actually really liked the fit of this top even though I initially thought it was quite boring. I was thinking about keeping the top but the "leather" strap in the back wouldn't stay closed throughout the day. 

I threw on the graphic dress for dinner one night with my hubby. I wasn't too happy with the shape of the dress and I didn't have an appropriate belt to cinch the waist with, so it was worn for all of 45 minutes. 

I wrote a long-ish email to my stylist after this box. Almost every piece I have gotten so far were flowy and waistless. I asked to receive more interesting shapes and cuts.

Le Tote #4

The items in this tote were completely different from the flowy, shapeless pieces I have normally received in previous totes. They were different cuts and different materials. 

1) Blue and pink dress with pink belt

2) Red pleather dress

3) Blue hummingbird top

4) Red dangle earrings and 5) Blue and gold chain necklace

The weather this week was scorching (in the high 90s and 100s) every single day, so I am quite sure I would have looked absolutely ridiculous wearing a pleather dress out. I thought it was quite odd that this piece was sent to me. Doesn't say summer at all! I did take a selfie of me in it though. 

I thought the blue dress and necklace were amazing together. So sweet and very girly. Honestly, it was a little too girly for me, but I didn't mind putting on some super girlish clothes for the day.

I really loved the hummingbird shirt. I wore it twice and also was pondering purchasing it. Unfortunately, it was a tad snug so I wound up sending it back. I paired the shirt with the earrings since I wasn't able to wear them with the dress. 

I don't think I'm going to cancel my subscription anytime soon. I love not having to think about what to wear after I receive a new tote and I love that it still serves its purpose of mixing up my wardrobe with new pieces. 

If you missed my first review of Le Tote, check it out here. 

{Product Review} Le Tote: Clothing Rental Service

Now, I know that I don't typically blog about fashion on here, but I recently stumbled upon a service that I am totally in love with.   

What is Le Tote? Lots of people have described it as the "Netflix for fashion," which I find to be a semi-fair comparison. Instead of DVDs, you are renting fashion. Subscribers pay $49 per month and receive unlimited "totes" of three garments and two accessories that you can keep as long as you want. Once you are finished with all five pieces, you send them back in a prepaid envelope (no washing required!) and wait for your next tote. The big differences between Le Tote and other fashion subscription services is that you are borrowing the items, and the subscription fee is per month, not per box so it is possible to get two or three boxes per month. If there is an item that you must keep, you can purchase that piece and send the rest back. 

To get started, I filled out a questionnaire on my style, which Le Tote's stylists to pick out your pieces for each tote. 

Why Do I Le Tote? 

1. I don't have an infatuation with owning things. I borrow books and DVDs from the public library. I purchased very few textbooks in business school and, instead, rented them for the semester. Along the same lines, I don't feel the need to own the clothes I wear, especially if I will only wear them a few times. 

2. Small closets. I live in an urban area, which means high rent for very little space. This is the size of my closet. As you can see, it is teeny tiny and I can't really fit much more in it. 

3. No time for shopping.
4. Fashion changes. I find that when I do have time to shop, I buy the practical items and not the fun items even though I would be open to trying out the trends from time to time.

Le Tote has been great so far. I don't have to commit to the clothing I receive and I don't have to make room for them in my closet permanently.

Le Tote #1

About four days after I subscribed, this box appeared on my doorstep. 

Inside was a Le Tote tote that was mine to keep plus a note from my stylist. 

I received 1) a white and gold bracelet and 2) gold earrings. 

3) A beige and white top

4) A zebra dress with red sash

I also received 5) a navy skirt with heart print that I forgot to take a separate photo of but it is below. None of the items were appropriate for work, so I saved them all for our weekend in Maine.

I paired the top, skirt and bracelet for one look.

The next night, I wore the zebra dress with the earrings. It was a bit chilly so I had to wear a sweater with the outfit.

Besides the bracelet, if I saw any of these items in a store, I would not purchase them because I don't think they would get worn enough. That has been my favorite thing so far, wearing things once that I wouldn't want to own. It allows me to change my wardrobe up.  

Le Tote #2
I sent Le Tote #1 back on a Monday and received Le Tote #2 that Friday. This was a much more colorful selection.

1) Corral pleated top with buttons up the back

2) Teal pleated flowy top

3a) Yellow and blue printed dress

3b) Blue belt for the dress

4) Beaded necklace and 5) blue and gold bracelet.

How'd we do this time? The flowy top looked really unflattering but I wore it anyway. I kind of felt like a lampshade. The other top was more my speed and my husband took this silly photo of me in it.

Finally, I wore the yellow and blue dress paired with the bracelet to Raisin Bread's birthday dinner. Also wasn't in love with the shape of the dress. Not super flattering!

I didn't wear the necklace because as you can see from the photo, it is broken! I emailed my stylist and she said she would send me an additional piece in my next box. Sounds like a good solution to me!

What's my take? Le Tote has been a great way to mix things up with my wardrobe. There have been some hits and some misses, but I love receiving my Totes. It's so exciting to get mail and not have any idea what might be inside. Le Tote is tots fun!