I’m Loving Modern Mom Style Box Right Now • Budget Fashionista

Y’all know I love renting clothes. A rented garment provides that “new clothes to wear” buzz — without the messy closet hangover or empty bank account. So, when I heard there’s a new rental subscription in town — Modern Mom Style Box — I signed up.

Not my first rental subscription

Pre-COVID, I’d subscribed to Le Tote and Haverdash. I switched to Haverdash because the price was lower than Le Tote and I’d wanted to compare the two services. I kept my Haverdash subscription until the first half of 2020. I wasn’t leaving the house much at that point, so I didn’t need the extra clothes.

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When I heard about Modern Mom Style Box, I’d already been thinking about restarting Haverdash. But trying something new seemed like a better move, so here we are.

A modern mom’s style is size-inclusive, confidence-inspiring, and ready to take on the world, whether that is in the boardroom or in the playroom.

Tara Clark, Modern Mom Style Box

Modern Mom Style Box review: TLDR

Here’s the quick download on Modern Mom Style Box and how it works:  

• The monthly fee is $60. You can use my referral link to save $10 on your first month.
• You select your own garments. This isn’t a personal shopper service like Stitch Fix. To receive your first style box, you must select at least five garments. You can mark items as “high priority” if you want to receive them faster.
• You receive three garments in every box. Wear them once or five times. It doesn’t matter.
• You don’t have to wash or dry clean anything — just send it back when you’re done. If you still have five or more pieces saved, Modern Mom Style Box ships out another box.
• Shipping both ways is included.
• If you want to keep any of your rented clothes, you can buy them at a discount.
• The catalog is a nice mix of classics and trendy pieces.

Modern Mom Style Box vs. competitors

See the table below for a head-to-head comparison of the three big clothing rental subscriptions, Le Tote, Haverdash, and Modern Mom Style Box.

As you can see, all three have a plan at the $59 or $60 per month price point. Le Tote’s cheapest plan limits you to one box monthly with five garments. Haverdash and Modern Mom Style Box offer unlimited boxes with three garments each.

Le Tote additionally has more expensive plans that deliver more garments and, optionally, accessories.

My first style box

My first shipment from Modern Mom Style Box included a boxy sweater, light wash jeans, and a pair of suede, wide-legged crop pants. Everything fit as expected.

I fell in love with the suede pants immediately and decided to keep them for $53. I was badly in need of some casual bottoms that are nicer than jeans — these filled that wardrobe gap perfectly.

My strategy for choosing rental pieces  

Renting clothes can push your clothing spend higher if you’re not careful. Here’s what can happen. You pick out a garment you’re dying to try. It arrives and you realize you need one more thing to create the perfectly chic ensemble. Now you’re on Amazon looking for the right top or shoes or whatever. Once you’ve made that purchase, you’re more likely to buy the rented piece…

That’s a shopping spiral. It gets expensive.

You can sidestep that mess. Before saving any piece to your rental account, think about how it fits with your existing wardrobe. Ideally, your rental pieces should extend the versatility of clothes you already own. That’s how you maximize the value of your $60 monthly rental fee.

Also, dresses and jumpsuits make great rentals because you need only add shoes and a bag. For this reason, I’ll lean into bolder styles for those pieces. It’s a great opportunity to experiment without commitment.

To give you a sense of Modern Mom Style Box’ garment selection, below are the pieces I’ve saved:

• Blue ankle pants
• Short-sleeved cardi
• Floral short dress
• Ribbed midi dress
• Tie-waisted jumpsuit
• Pink crop jacket (I have a thing for pink jackets)
• Fuchsia shift dress
• Pretty blue pom pom sweater

Once I send back the jeans and the sweater from my first box, five of these will be on their way to me. I didn’t set any as high priority because I like the surprise of not knowing what’s in the box when I open it. 😊

The story of the Modern Mom

Tara Clark, author of Modern Mom Probs: A Survival Guide for 21st Century Mothers, founded Modern Mom Style Box in the second half of 2021. She had the idea for a clothing rental service 20 years ago. At the time, she was fresh out of college and didn’t have a huge budget for work clothes.

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Back then, her coworkers laughed at her idea. Today, it’s clear Clark was ahead of her time. When it comes to fashion — especially fashion for busy moms — there are compelling reasons to rent more and buy less:

1. Renting keeps your wardrobe fresh.
2. Renting saves you money.
3. Renting extends the life of clothes and keeps garments out of landfills.  
4. Renting saves you time. You don’t have to wash or dry clean the pieces you wear. Just send them back dirty and let Modern Mom Style Box handle it.

By a mom, for moms

On the issue of time, I asked Clark to share some inspirational words for moms who feel like there’s no time for style and personal care. Here’s her advice:

Celebrate your milestones as a mother. Celebrate that your baby slept through the night or that your toddler is now using a fork. Celebrate those small wins for yourself as much as we celebrate our children hitting their developmental milestones.

You can celebrate it by wearing a new outfit, blowing out your hair, painting your nails or eating cupcakes. Do whatever feels good to you.

Tara Clark, Modern Mom Style Box

I was already sold on clothing rentals before I’d heard of Modern Mom Style Box. But I gotta say, I love supporting a fellow mom and entrepreneur who’s inspiring others and solving real-life problems. If you’d like to give Modern Mom Style Box a try, use my referral link to save $10 on your first month.