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February 21, 2025

NYT Wirecutter

Staff writer and style expert Hannah Frye has rented nearly 100 pieces over the past 16 months. She’s borrowed parachute pants for hiking, cozy winter puffers, and countless one-off dresses for weddings. “I’ve completely stopped impulse-buying,” she writes. “And I’ve gained the freedom to experiment with new styles and trends with lower stakes.”

Hannah, along with three other Wirecutter journalists, pitted two of the most popular clothing rental services against each other over months of testing. Nuuly and Rent the Runway both work generally the same—you choose the styles you like, the company sends them to you, and you return (or buy) the clothes after a certain period. But these services couldn’t be more different in terms of style offerings.

For your wardrobe refresh (and refresh, and refresh)→

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Baggu and Uniqlo have nearly identical bags. But one is better. Not all trendy black crescent shoulder bags are created equal→

The battle of the black tights For $34, these durable and comfortable sheer tights outperform much pricier Sheertex ones→

We tried four under-$100 cashmere sweaters. Here’s the one you should get. This sweater feels refined, substantial, and way spendier than it is→

Alex Aciman/NYT Wirecutter

“Perhaps the biggest aversion people have towards down jackets is the potential for looking like the Michelin Man,” writes editor Alexander Aciman. “Nobody wants to feel immobilized by puffiness or traipse around town looking like a marshmallow.”

With this in mind, Alexander had a simple goal in his quest for the right coat: find the least puffy jacket that could still be worn as a single layer on the coldest days of a New York winter. A tough feat, indeed.

The jacket he landed on? This extremely warm and durable puffer that comes with a hood, free repairs, and minimal Michelin-Man resemblance.

Why Alex still loves this (currently $100 off!) puffy jacket→

Want to walk on clouds? Try these socks.

You can reach the Wirecutter Newsletters team at newsletters@wirecutter.com. We can’t always respond, but we do love to hear from you.

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