Shortcut to Fabulous Rentable Wearables

Ever want to wear some designer duds for a night out on the town or a special occasion, but can’t justify the price for for a one night affair? Well, luckily a few U.S. companies have started renting out designer dresses and moderately affordable prices. The concept of renting designer dresses has been around in Europe for years, and finally we have a couple of sources stateside for dress rentals. Here is a run down of what’s out there:

Rent the Runway: They have a great selection of dresses and accessories from designers such as Herve Leger, Helmut Lang, Alice and Olivia and more. Here is how it works. You enter the date of your event, your size and shipping zipcode on our homepage and you will receive a result set of dresses and accessories available for your special occasion. Then you reserve the dress and it is shipped to you with a comes with a pre-paid, pre-addressed return envelope that you can drop into any blue USPS mailbox. No need to worry about dry-cleaning or any other fuss. To make sure you get the right fit, they have “stylists” on hand who have tried every dress in their inventory on multiple different body types and are the ‘fit experts’. Call, email or live chat with them and the first time you rent a dress from any particular designer, they will let you try it in two different sizes – at no extra charge – just to be sure.

Wear Today Gone Tomorrow: Rents dress, tops and jackets from designers such as M Missoni, Zac Posen, Versace and more. This company seems to have a wider selection of high end, well known designers. It operates very similarly to Rent the Runway in that you select a dress, order for a specific date and the dress comes with pre-paid return packaging. Wear Today, Gone Tomorrow created what they call a revolutionary ‘Standardized Sizing’ system across designers. They also provide fit, height and styling tips for each piece of clothing (check out ‘SIZE CHART/FIT TIPS’ on each dress’ description page). You can also contact one of their Style Consultants for fit help. They are so confident in their ‘Standardized Sizing’, they are offer a ‘RISK-FREE’ trial: if it doesn’t fit, simply contact them immediately to obtain a return authorization, return it unworn within one day, and they will refund the rental/cleaning fee to you (less shipping).

We suggest going to a swanky store like Saks or Neimans to see if you can find the dress you are considering or at least a dress made by the same designer to try it on before renting. Dress rental is a fabulous way to look and feel amazing and special, without breaking the bank. How many times have you done out and purchased a dress from the sale rack for $100, worn it once and then let that cheap little frock sit in your closet? Well, the dress rental concept lets you look and feel like a million bucks (or at least several hundred or several thousand) for the price of a cute top. It is like borrowing from your favorite celebrity’s closet!

So, break out your wallet and rent your way to a fabulous, designer dress.