Whether it is for your engagement party or finally finding the perfect dress your bridesmaids, why pay so much for a cookie cutter dress that you will wear once? Now you can rent a well cared for designer dress at fraction of the cost! We had the pleasure of chatting with Jenny Fliess, one of the Founders of Rent The Runway, a chic and affordable way to dress in your favorite designers without having to fork over hundreds, even thousands of dollars.
After having about a dozen women try this for their own wedding since Rent The Runway started, Jenni and her team of stylists have started to perfect the process and tailor an option specifically for brides and their 'maids. They have hand picked designer collections, trendy accessories and on trend styles for all activities and events surrounding the the wedding. The idea stemmed from the fact that today's bride is creative and is often looking for different styles and colors for her bridal party. The women would ask if there were enough rental dresses in stock to dress their bridesmaids. In the end, brides find that they spend a lot less (up to 90% less than the retail price) on designer gowns for their girls.
Choose from popular designer brands such as: Catherine Malandrino, Calypso, Nicole Miller and Robert Rodriguez. Dresses are picked by color then by style, so you can mix and match between them. Jenny gives an example of having a, “Badgley Mischka dresses in all the same color but then switch out belts or straps to fit each bridesmaid.”
See the Badgley Mischka Dresses here that Jenni referenced in our interview. Each retails for $330 normally but you can rent them for only $100 each. That is half the price of J.Crew's line of mix and match dresses and at least $30-70 cheaper than David's Bridal basic options...not including the costs of alterations!
Here is how it works:
Search for your gown by color, length or designer at www.RentTheRunway.com
Mix and match from top designers in sizes 0-16. You have the ability to reserve up to 12 months in advance for 8 day rentals (They expect to get busy during the spring, so say “I Do” and order NOW!)
Choose 2 sizes to ensure fit. Mark which size fits best and that’s the one that arrives for the event! Dresses can be shipped to a desintation wedding or to your home.
Follow the easy and accessible calendar to ensure delivery five days prior to the event. After the wedding, let Rent The Runway take care of the rest. With the prepaid shipping label and packaging, just mail it back! Simple right? They’ll even take care of the dry cleaning!
Fit has been the hardest aspect in accommodating Rent The Runway wedding clients. Jenny says, “Tailoring is for dresses that aren’t designer, so having designer dresses for rent makes them a better fit from the get-go!”
So you may still have a few questions, right? For intstance, what happens if the dress comes and it is incorrect or has a stain? Rent The Runway ensures, “We are never going to leave any of our customers stranded and that is why we plan for it to arrive five days before the event”.
What if you want to keep the dress after the event? Well, they currently don’t have a way in which to do that. They do have an end of the season clearance or when they have enough in stock of one item they can let some dresses go. So check back often to see if you can snag that dress you loved so much!
Is there a penalty for late returns? Every day you are late there is a $25 fee. “If you are late, it likely means that someone else is waiting on the dress.” They encourage renters to have the same respect for the next person who wears it and return it on time.
So take a vow to big named fashion at teensy prices that stylishly complete the look for any wedding celebration!
Photo Credits Courtesy of www.renttherunway.com
