Rent the Runway’s Annual Sample Sale Just Popped Up Near Dupont Circle – Washingtonian

Rent the Runway’s Annual Sample Sale Just Popped Up Near Dupont Circle – Washingtonian

September 23, 2024

Rent the Runway’s Dupont Circle pop-up is running from September 20 to October 13. Photograph courtesy of Leap.

Bargain hunters, hold onto your discounted hats: Rent the Runway—the online shopping platform that allows users to rent and buy designer clothing and accessories—is back in DC with another pop-up sample sale, this time near Dupont Circle. Until October 13, shoppers can snag designer items for up to 90% off original retail prices, including styles from brands like Tory Burch, Rhode, Reformation, ba&sh, Lauren Ralph Lauren, Club Monaco, A.L.C., Farm Rio, Rag & Bone, Anine Bing, and Sandro. 

This year’s inventory, says Kelly McMillan, who heads all of Rent the Runway’s sample sales, includes a “more curated assortment” of items tailored to what’s been most popular at DC pop-ups in the past. Looking back at the numbers, she says DC shoppers tend to go for blazers, trenches, and skirts, and the most popular brands have include Jason Wu and Agolde. 

Fall, winter, and seasonless pieces will take up most of the racks, says McMillan, but the pop-up is also expecting a shipment of about 4,000 units of warm-weather styles from a recent LA sample sale to arrive this week.

Additional inventory will be restocked as the sale goes on—McMillan says there have already been about 2,500 purchases in the sale’s first three days—so shoppers can revisit to check out fresh merchandise.

And if one sample sale doesn’t sound like enough to you, Rent the Runway is planning a poll to get your feedback: “I would love to know if our DC clientele would be interested in doing a summer or spring summer type of sale as well,” says McMillan. “If it’s something that they’re interested in, that’s something I’m more than happy to do in 2025.”

The sale is located south of Dupont Circle at 1140 Connecticut Ave., NW, and doors are open Monday through Saturday from 11 AM to 7 PM, and on Sundays 12 PM to 6 PM. Tickets—they’re recommended, but not required—are available for free on Eventbrite

 

Kate Corliss