There are pros, and cons.

Pros.
*Lots of name brand/ designer dresses and clothing items to choose from---thus there is quite a bit of variety, so you can change-up your wardrobe without large investment in individual pieces you may only wear a couple times.

*I also found Gwynnie Bee to be a nice option while losing weight----its hard to invest in nice clothing that you know you will shrink out of soon (especially expensive dresses). When I started I was a 22, and now am a 16... so theoretically it is nice to have options, and to be able to change the size of items you have in your subscription closet.

*Plus sizes. Let's face it, it is harder to find clothing that does not have Tweetie birds and excessive use of animal prints when you have a little "extra to love".

* While I still was active, they started a "prioritize" system so that you could at least narrow down the clothing choices to have a better chance at getting what you most would like to wear.

Cons.
* Long turn-around time. It often took well over a week ( as much as two weeks) between returning, and receiving new garments. Additionally, I would get messages that new items were on the way, but in reality it was just a creation of a tracking number and notification of item to be shipped... and the item itself often would not ship-out until several days after that number and notification were created. The result was, when I only had one item at a time... I only received a couple garments within a month, and thus it just made it all the more frustrating if something did not fit, or look right. When I had 3 items at a time it helped to have a few more options, but still could not even guarantee having 3 new items a week no-matter how quickly I myself put them back out. I could not help but wonder if the shipping delays sometimes were on purpose to slow-down the frequency/ shipping costs. Part of the problem is that they only have one distribution center, and it is located in Ohio. That means there is longer turn-around/ shipping times for those of us on the West Coast.

* Lots of bold geometric patterns, animal prints etc... I realize this of course could be a personal choice, but it is a complaint others I know have also had. Though there are a lot of garments, it often can take a lot of weeding to find solids, and simple prints etc... Though some people like bold/ loud prints, in reality far more people do NOT, and thus it would be nice if there were more options that do not cause headaches to look at, and that are more classic, simple etc... I often would weed through multiple pages before I found an item that that did not have some loud print or odd design that did not look very flattering. Just because women are plus-sized does not mean they want to cover themselves in crazy patterns to try to detract. There is a lot to be said for classic, flattering shapes, lines... solid colors etc... It was for this reason that it was hard for me to find tops that I liked. I mainly put dresses in my closet, because so many of the tops had the crazy patterns and cuts etc... that just were not flattering. It would have been nice to see more balance---at least add more options for those of us who are more classic with our clothing, rather than wanting to look like edgy, loud, 1980's street art.

* Though there are lots of pretty, stylish dresses ( which was my favorite element of the site---I especially like a-line/ fit and flare classic looks, and there was good variety of those)... it just would be nice if there were more options with long, or 3/4 sleeves. So many of the dresses are sleeveless... and that continues to be true, even though it is winter. Many of us live in areas where it is too cold for sleeveless dresses, or need to wear modest clothing for work or church etc... that require sleeves. Additionally, many plus sized women are self-conscious of their arms, and so sleeveless dresses are not a good option. Sure, we can wear cardigans and shrugs, but sometimes that just hides both the dress, and our shape/ makes us look "frumpy" etc... not to mention, can be difficult if you also need to wear a coat and do not want people to see you "sleeveless" during transition times. I know this may sound petty, just... I often was amazed at how hard it was just to find dresses with adequate sleeves on them. Many people even have religious restrictions that do not allow for wearing sleeveless clothing, so it would just be nice to see more options with sleeves provided.

* I understand availability makes it hard to ship specific items out. When I first started, it was a crap-shoot as to what you would get, and then they at least started a prioritize system. However, lets face it... we have events and circumstances that determine what we actually currently need. If we have a date, or a function that we need to dress-up for, we of course may have our eye on a couple specific dresses for that purpose in hopes that we don't have to go out and buy something... but we can't guarantee we will receive a garment that fills that need. It would be nice if they took it up another level, and were able to indicate what items in your closet are currently available for shipping... and if you could somehow select/ reserve those specific items as your next choice (if you of course have put current ones in the mail). I may of course be naive in this, but it sure would make the service more worthwhile for many if they could further narrow-down what items they receive to suit their needs.

* Glitches. I often noticed that items I had returned took a long time to have their status changed. One of the first garments that I received, and returned ( in a package envelope with another garment no less)... continues to sit/ show in my account as "return notified" ( meaning it has not been cleared as having been received). The item it was with was received, so it had to of been as well. I returned it in July, and it is now the start of January. When I deactivated my service, I was sent notices that I would be charged for that item. I corresponded with staff, and they said they would settle the issue, but nothing ever changed... so I live in wait for the day when I get charged for something I returned 6 months ago, and would even be way too big for me now if I did have it.

Overall, there were clearly both things that I liked... and things... well, not so much. Ultimately the reason that I canceled my subscription was because the turn-around time was too great to really justify the price... especially when it felt like I really was only getting a couple wearable items a month, even when I was doing three at a time. I have been looking at some of the new dresses they have added, and been tempted to try it again, but then I remember how long it took to receive things. It would be nice if they had distribution centers in multiple locations... I live on the west coast, so everything had to travel back and forth across the whole country. I imagine those who live east coast have faster turn-around, and thus have better experiences with the program. So, really for the cost, and lack of regional distribution, I just am not sure if its worth the expense to start it again... even if the dresses are cute.

My old review is below. I previously gave the service 4 stars after a couple months. I've now dropped it to 2. I had a membership for 6 months or so, deactivated for a while, then reactivated earlier this year for a few months.

When I wrote this review, I hadn't yet tried LeTote. These services are certainly not interchangeable -- for one, LeTote only goes up to about 16/XXL, and only for some of its products. Also, LeTote is clothes and accessories, whereas GB is only clothes. But still, they are both rental services. And trying Gwynnie Bee again after using LeTote just reminded me of how painfullllly sloooooow the service is.

When I re-signed up for GB, I was offered 50% off 3 months, which was the only way it seemed reasonable, on the two-at-a-time plan. My first two dresses took at least a couple days to get notification on, and then of course I had to wait for them to ship. One frustrating thing about GB is that you would see that the item had "shipped," but typically, it didn't even leave the warehouse for another 24 hours. Considering it usually takes them 72 hours for something just to be marked as "shipped," I feel like this is kind of an egregious way for them to get around adhering their own policy of a 72 hour wait. Add that time at the warehouse, and you're up to 96!

So that's all well and good, but after experiencing the lightning fast shipping of LeTote -- when I'd receive a tote two days from the time that I set up my account or put it on hold -- waiting basically a week for two items was kind of painful. And the problem with a one-or-two plan is that if you don't like something you receive, or it doesn't fit -- and many of the brands GB carries are notoriously bad at consistent sizing, and sometimes the colors aren't represented well -- then you are SOL for pretty much another week.

When I went to one at a time in my final month, this ended up translating to paying $27 each to wear a couple of dresses once, since inevitably half of them wouldn't fit me. Meanwhile, I had a gift card for the shop. I used up the gift card (since I knew I wouldn't be able to use it after cancelling) -- unlike other services, GB immediately cancels when you ask to cancel, rather than letting you have the rest of the month (so take heed, cancel at the last possible minute). I cancelled the service on a Friday, and received notification that a shop purchase I'd made a WEEK prior had not been fulfilled. Since my account was now closed, this meant I forfeited my gift card balance. Of course I went back and forth with their outsourced customer service who did not seem to think I was correct about this, yet they did not offer me a way to use my gift card.

While they deny it every single time, their timing of screwing me over was ALWAYS impeccable. You get a notice of shipping in the 71st hour after return notifying a garment, and then it's held at the warehouse for another 24 hours. The timing of the "refund" notification on the returned item -- of course I didn't get the cash I paid for another item back, just the gift card -- less than 24 hours after I cancelled my account, and when I technically still should have had access to the shop? Maybe it's all a coincidence, but it's certainly not in the interest of the consumer.

Compared to LeTote -- as soon as my return is detected in the system, I get an email to confirm the next tote. The only time it ever takes as long as GB used to is if it's not ever scanned by the postal service. But even then, it seems less painful because for the SAME PRICE of getting roughly four dresses all month, I could get 15 items from LeTote. And without any headaches.

GB has such a great concept, and they really are serving an important, underserved segment of the population. But they are failing them.

**
I have been a Gwynnie Bee member now for two months, and while I really do like it and plan to continue with the subscription, I would only recommend it with reservations for others considering it. (Unless there is a free trial, then try it!)

I kept track of how long it usually took Gwynnie Bee to get stuff to me, and it was generally four business days -- meaning, I'd return something on Saturday and get something on Thursday, for example. Sometimes, it was as few days as 2 and sometimes it was as many as 7 (but when it was that long, they offered me some sort of credit).

Others have complained about clothes that were stinky or in disrepair. This has happened to me twice (out of three dozen or so garments) and both times, I was given extra garment upgrades for this. Otherwise, I've been pretty happy with the condition of the clothes I've received.

Some of the clothes I've gotten are low quality, but some are very high quality. Look at reviews of any garment on their site and you will see that people have vastly different views on what constitutes high quality, on the same piece!

As for the styles, I am 32 years old and I find that I like many of the styles available in the store. Some complain that there is not much for them at GB. If your style is incredibly specific, and especially if you don't like dresses, then of course you aren't going to get much value out of this service.

Truth be told, I have only worn about 33% of what they've sent me, but I've tried to be VERY broad these first couple months to get a good idea of the styles that look best on me and the sizing that works best. If you are already familiar with the brands offered, you'll find this easy, but I had only worn maybe one or two of the brands that they offer prior to using this service. So for me, there has been a lot of trial and error. The size charts are VERY helpful, and most of the time when I get something that doesn't fit me, I see that I made a mistake in not reviewing the sizing chart.

It's also incredibly helpful to read the reviews on sizing, although unless specific details are given, sometimes the advice is more harmful than helpful! For example, lots of people mention that dresses are too short on them (or too long) and blame it on their height. Of course that factors in, but your proportions matter too -- if you have a big butt and/or a big bust, that's going to take some more fabric and raise the height of the whole dress. If you have a longer torso and shorter legs, that will affect the length. Also, a lot of people complain about dresses being low cut or shapeless. Put a belt on it and a cami under it!

For me, this service has been invaluable in broadening my style horizons, even if much of what I receive is a "dud." But I know that the more I use it, the better it's going to get. The service isn't always impeccable. See aforementioned note about having to wait 7 days for clothes; there was also the recent time where they sent me three of the same dress...! But, usually customer service is pretty attentive.

Other tips for getting the most out of the service:
-I always keep an eye on my returns, including keeping the tracking numbers in my computer bookmarks. If I see that something shows in my "closet" after I've returned it, I email them to let them know I show it as returned and it needs to be removed from the closet.
-I also keep an eye on my account to make sure they haven't taken longer than 72 hours to send me something after a return notification. If they do, I email them.
-I already said this but it bears repeating, LOOK AT THE SIZE CHARTS. If the tips in the description say to order based off your bust/waist/hip size, do that.
-There are so many great resources on style on the web, and even GB has some resources on style. A lot of people will complain that something doesn't look good on them. Yes, of course a shift won't look good on you if you have large hips, and of course pale pink won't look good on you without the right skin tone. Gwynnie Bee can also be used as your way of finding this out for yourself. Use the "dress for your body type" tips on the site. They aren't foolproof, but they are helpful!