My First Rent the Runway Experience

You might recall awhile back, I mentioned Rent the Runway – a place where you can rent designer dresses at affordable prices. After being a member of the website for a good 2+ years, I FINALLY made my first order and OMG, it far exceeded my expectations!

I didn’t actually get any of the dresses I originally posted, but I settled on these two for the family Christmas Eve party:

I ended up wearing the top dress – thank you, Christian Siriano!

I was too excited when the package arrived that I forgot to take pictures of the presentation. Man, Rent the Runway really GETS its customers! I opened the box and inside was a garment bag with my three dresses (they give you two sizes of each – but they only had one of my sizes in the Christian Siriano, which is why I even opted to add the Jay Godfrey to my order). They included Hollywood Tape to make the dresses fit if they weren’t perfect. (And if none of your dresses fit at all, you just let them know, send them back and you get a refund…and I think they might try to send you new dresses that will fit asap….)

The package also included the prepaid envelope to mail the dresses back in, and a checklist to make sure you didn’t forget anything when packaging the dresses up to send back. In addition, I received two reminder emails letting me know when my dresses needed to be returned. It really could not have been a better experience for me.

Added bonus: you get to keep the Rent the Runway garment bag 🙂 Not that I need garment bags, but it’s a nice touch.

So what was the grand total for all of that? $75. That’s it. It could have been $50 if I went with only one style, but I added the second style for $25 since I’d never done this before and wanted to make sure I had a dress to wear – that fit.

Overall, I’m a huge believer of RTR and can’t wait for my next event. Maybe next time I’ll rent some accessories or a handbag to go with the dress. I just can’t believe I waited two years to finally try this out. Do yourself a favor, ladies, start renting gorgeous designer dresses ASAP! Make 2012 the year of FASHIONABLE YOU!!

Rent the Runway – Designer Dresses at Affordable Prices!

I’m back!  You can thank my lovely 72-hour migraine for putting me out of commission.

Rent the Runway. Who’s familiar with this? It’s like Bag Borrow or Steal, but for designer dresses. I’ve ben a Rent the Runway member for two years but have yet to rent a dress (I know, it’s a shameful admission). The truth is, I don’t lead a fancy enough lifestyle that warrants me wearing gorgeous designer dresses. Sad.

However, I think I’m going to give it a try for the holidays this year. My entire extended family gets together for a Christmas Eve party every year, and though it tends to lean towards the business casual side of the wardrobe, I really can’t see a downside in dressing up to feel glamorous for a night. Here’s what I’m currently considering (I know, I need to narrow down my options here…suggestions welcome!!):

 

Pencey: Gold Rush Mini
Retail: $520; Rent: $75

 

Jay Godfrey: Iris Lace Sheath
Retail: $325; Rent: $50

Kate Spade: Mademoiselle Dress
Retail: $395; Rent: $50

TIBI: Black (or Navy) Zepplin Mini Shift
Retail: $363; Rent: $50

 

Shoshanna: My Little Secret Dress
Retail: $395; Rent: $50

How does it work?
You select the dress and/or accessories you want for a certain event. On the homepage, you enter your zip code, date you need your dress and you size (you even get a backup size if you’re unsure what size will fit). You can open the calendar on the dress page and select from the available dates. They advise you to select a rental date a day or two before your actual event. After you wear your dress (or accessory), you just mail it back in a prepaid envelope, and that’s it. RTR takes care of the dry cleaning and everything. And you know you’re getting quality dresses because once a garment even starts to look worn, they retire it. An additional perk: you can call a stylist at RTR to help you put your whole look together.

How do I sign up?
Easy. Just go to their website and you can sign up for free. Of course there are perks for referring friends as well. Though I haven’t actually rented a dress yet, I think this idea is stellar and I can’t wait to give it a shot in a month!