If you’re into the idea of staying out of stores but still keeping your wardrobe up to date, we may have a new option for you beyond StitchFix and Rent the Runway. I’ve recently had a chance to try out Infinitely LOFT, which allows you to borrow 3 items from LOFT’s extensive collection at a time, exchanging or buying them at your convenience, for a reasonable monthly fee. Kind of like Gwynnie Bee only all the clothes are from one brand.
Here are the full details on how the Infinitely LOFT program works, and whether or not its for you.
Related: Is Stitch Fix worth it? Two brutally honest reviews with different conclusions.
Signing up is easy
Getting started with Infinitely LOFT is very easy. You simply sign up and add 8 items to your “closet” from their collection. No extensive questionnaire about your style preferences to fill out — which is a pro or a con, depending on how picky you are.
As soon as you’ve chosen 8 items you want to try, the service will send you the first three. When you want to return them, just log back into your account and let them know they’re on the way. Infinitely LOFT will go ahead and prep your next batch of 3 items to send your way.
There’s a range of sizes and styles. Or, a LOFT range at least.
You can choose from LOFT’s new arrivals, including petite, tall, and plus size, and even maternity items to add to your “closet” online. Yay for a size-inclusive option!
I really like that they let you add from any category to the same closet — so if you want some maternity items and some plus size dresses, you can do that too, no limitations. So I think this especially great for women whose bodies don’t match a single perfect type, should you want a mix of plus sizes and regular sizes.
I spotted some business suits and cocktail dresses among the options too, making this a great service for a mom like me who works, but not in a traditional office. I don’t need to own a suit, but having the ability to borrow one when an important meeting is coming up is great.
(Plus, when that important meeting comes up my suit will actually be in style not the 10-year-old version still in the back of my closet.)
Related: How to make money and save money with the best online consignment shops
You have more control over what gets sent to you
You have the option to add a”priority” status to the items in your closet that you’d like to receive first. If there’s something you really want for an event coming up, I recommend only marking that one item a priority. I did find that when I marked 2 to 3 items as priority together, they didn’t necessarily arrive together.
What you get next is based on what’s available to send you, so prioritize one thing at a time if it’s that important.
There is no style quiz, as I mentioned, however when you return an item, you’re able to give some feedback — did you wear it and love it? Did you just try it on once and never wear it out? Do you want to buy it? This helps the Infinitely LOFT folks hone the selections for you over time, so you’re seeing more of the type of items you’ll actually like.
Are the items pre-worn? Well, of course.
One of the reasons this service is so affordable is that as with all other similar services, the items are rented, not brand new. The LOFT items that arrived in my box were clean (they launder or dry clean for you) and neatly folded without any visible wear, but they don’t have price tags or that “new” feeling and smell.
This doesn’t bother me at all, and I actually wore one of the shirts so many times I decided to buy it. But a friend gave me a strange side-eyed look when I mentioned the items in the box weren’t brand new. That wasn’t for her…at all. But if you’re a Poshmark or online consignment shopper you’re already used to this.
You can keep the items you love at a discounted price…kind of
When you go to return your items, there is also a “buy” option that lets you keep it at a discounted price.
But is it really that discounted?
I did notice that the yellow top I chose to buy at a discount was marked $24.50 through the service. However, it was on clearance for $18 on the LOFT website. New. So while I had to pick it up at the store (or pay for shipping from the site and wait for it to arrive), I saved some money and got a new shirt, rather than one that’s been worn before — if only by me.
Be sure to do a quick check before you choose to buy the items from your box.
Related: A thorough comparison of the 6 top online consignment and resale shops
Be prepared for an onslaught of emails
If you don’t want a ton of promotional emails, be sure to adjust your email settings in your Infinitely LOFT account; they have sent me an email every day since I joined. And that’s a lot of emails.
As much as I like being able to mail back for a new box frequently, I don’t need to browse their collection and see every new item every single day. You might also set some email rules and filters in your own account or use a bulk mail management service like unroll.me to keep from being inundated.
Infinitely LOFT: The downsides to consider
As you might have guessed from my comment above about prioritizing wardrobe items, I really wish you could “lock” certain items together in your closet to ensure they arrive together. Even though I set priority to three pieces that I thought would look great as an outfit together, only two made it into my first box. So this isn’t necessarily a great service for outfits as much as for separates.
Unlike Gwynnie Bee which lets you return items one-at-a-time as you like, with Infinnitely LOFT it appears that you have to return all three items at the same time before you get three new ones. It would be nice to have an “I’d like to keep this one a little longer, but go ahead and send two new pieces” option, say you love a dress and want too wear it all season, but never fit into the pants that came along with it.
Also know that you’re not getting a personal shopper here. One of the great benefits to a membership to Stitch Fix is that they have a real person shopping for items specifically with your style and body type in mind. In my experience, they know what’s on trend and what will work for your measurements. With Infinitely LOFT, that’s up to you to figure out. But then, since it’s all LOFT it is easier to know your sizing.
Speaking of which, this is a single-brand clothing loaner experience. So even though there are hundreds of items to choose from in LOFT’s catalog, you’re still only getting LOFT clothes.
In other words, if it’s your favorite shop, Infinitely LOFT is a great deal. But if you’re only meh on their clothes, you’re going to have a tough time keeping 8 favorite choices in your closet at all times.
One big plus: The value
I believe subscription fee is really quite affordable — just $64.95/month. Compare that with Gwynnie Bee which is $95/month for 3 items out a time, or the hundreds that Rent the Runway may cost you for a single item for just a few days. Plus, shipping both ways is free, and a return bag is included in the box with your clothes.
If you wear the clothes often, you’ll could save the $65 alone in dry cleaning bills each month.
I don’t spend much money on new clothes for myself, but knowing I can get as many as 12-15 pieces to try each month for just $65 is a terrific deal. So I’m going to be renewing, after my trial subscription is up.
To subscribe to Infinitely LOFT, visit their site and add 8 items you’d like to try to your closet today. You’ll have your first box in just a few days. Thank you to Infinitely LOFT for providing a two-month subscription so we could try the service for editorial consideration.
I tried the service, given that I shop at Loft regularly. I signed up and then browsed the collection. There were very few choices, and the choices offered were not something I would wear. I canceled the service within 10 minutes, but after several emails, I was told that I would still pay for one month. My first shipment arrived with 2 shirts that were exactly the same. I am so overly disappointed and want to let everyone know that buyer needs to BEWARE.
Lori, thanks for sharing! That wasn’t my experience at all, but good to know. We did start to notice some limited availability on sizes for particular styles, but found that they were regularly adding new options (like, weekly) to their collection. I found that as long as I kept their recommended minimum of 8 items in my wish list, we got things we liked in our box!
Can I apply a Loft gift card to the monthly charge? Are you committed to the service for any length of time?
Pam, I’m not sure about the Loft gift card — I’d send that question in via their help line. But based on other comments we’re seeing here, you’re able to cancel one month out.
I signed up and then saw how few choices there were for me (even with me putting in a range of sizes just see more) and all of the styles were nothing we could feel professional or put together in – they looked like Walmart T-shirts seriously! The cute stuff like the jackets and things I would LOVE were not available. It was very disappointing and I was so hopeful. Then, I tried to cancel and they wouldn’t let me cancel till the next month! Without even being registered for 2 hours! And without ever receiving one thing I got charge $69 to look at their limited selection of short shorts and T-shirts that no one but a 18 year could wear to work! The customer service was horrible. I wish I had read your review before I signed up.
I was confused on returning items together, so I returned two things and waited for over a week to get new items. I think purchasing the third item triggered the system to send my next group of items. If their system takes over a week to send new items I might need to look into a new service. Not worth the cost if it really means on average I’d end up receiving about 6 items a month. And yes, I really wish they had a better way to create an outfit and get all the pieces it together.
I joined recently and was a bit disappointed at my initial review of the collection as there was a lack of availability in my size. However, the following day, I got an email that new items had been added to the collection. I was able to go online immediately and put a number of items in my closet that I really liked. I think if you are in the middle range of sizes, reviewing new items as they are added as soon as you can is probably key. In the end, I had 20+ items I would be happy to see in my first shipment.
I joined and received my first box and two of the items were worn and wrinkly. The pants had deep wrinkles at the hip line where clearly someone had been sitting in them. The shirt had lost color from being washed a lot. The third item was new and nice. I am trying to cancel my membership and am annoyed that you can’t do it online, you have to call or email. I tried calling only to find out that the phone is manned from 12-5, so I just sent an email. Hopefully it doesn’t take long to cancel. I really don’t like that they make it difficult to cancel.
Thanks for that feedback!
I have been a Loft customer for years and love their retail stores – I never walk past one! This service, however, is extremely disappointing. If you have experience with other clothing rental sites, this one is so inferior. If you are able to wear the clothes immediately and turn them around quickly and have a great deal of luck, you might manage three boxes (9 items) a month. Spend as much time as you want looking through the site and choosing all sorts of wonderful items and go ahead and prioritize them – you might see one. Don’t try to put together a complete outfit by prioritizing as you will only receive random items. I had 11 choices and 4 priorities in my “closet”, just got the email that only two items are arriving. I am not a specialty size, I am a medium/sz 10. I really want to try their jeans but doubt I will ever get that opportunity. I put four pair of jeans in my closet and have not received a single pair. After my first box took a week, arriving by snail mail, I tried to cancel and get a partial refund but no luck. I just have to ride the month out. If I canceled right away they would not continue sending me any items for the remainder of my month so my best choice was to keep it. Don’t buy the hype about notifying them when you send the items back in order to speed up your shipment. That doesn’t change the pace either. Avoid, avoid, avoid!
Michelle, thanks for your feedback. It looks like the company is struggling to keep up with the demand, and lots of clothes on our wishlists aren’t available when we hope they will be.
I was 100% disappointed in the availability of pieces available to me. No coincidence that you cannot see the “closet” before you sign up. I’d love to cancel but looks like I need to wait to not have my $69 wasted.