So many choices
Need a special occasion dress? New for the Night offers designer rentals forbudget-conscious fashion lovers
Houston-based New for the Night rents dresses for every occasion at a fractionof retail.
Local shoppers can peruse the New for the Night showroom.
Brittany Sakowitz splits her time between running New for the Night andpracticing law.
In a perfect world, every day is a good hair day, you never nick your mani moments after getting it done and you always have the exact ready-to-wear ensemble for every occasion waiting in your closet. Brittany Sakowitz, the creator of New for the Night can’t quite help with the first two requests, although she’s probably working on it.
But with the launch of her new rental dress site, there’s no excuse for wearing that same LBD over and over again.
The idea came to Sakowitz, an attorney and member of the legendary Houston retail family (her father is Robert Sakowitz), after a lifetime where she and her two sisters borrowed from one another’s closets. And by borrowing, Sakowitz really means showing business acumen at an early age.
“We would steal from each other’s closets and then we’d just said I’ll pay $20 to wear that dress. My mom (Laura Sakowitz Sweeney) said, 'You should really be paying me,' ” Sakowitz says.
“You don’t want to wear the same thing over and over again and most of us can’t afford to run out and buy something new all the time, so it’s refreshing to know you don’t have to,” Sakowitz says.
The sisters are all grown up and living in separate cities — New York, Los Angeles and Houston — so it’s not so easy for them to plop down $20 bucks and rifle through each other’s closets. But a business plan inspired by their teenage system gave birth to the New for the Night concept, allowing women to rent designer gowns and cocktail dresses, plus accessories and other must-haves for a fraction of retail.
The Houston-based concept is similar to Rent the Runway and Sakowitz says there’s plenty of room in the market for both, especially since New for the Night has created the site with Southern girls in mind.
“We have bigger prints, bolder colors and lighter fabrics, especially since we can have up to nine months of summer,” Sakowitz says.
In addition to dresses for every imaginable occasion (including quinceaneras) and accessories, New for the Night will also rent maternity wear and someday move into bridal.
Registration is free and once on the site, a shopper can choose from a long list of events, which is especially helpful for invitations instructing guests to wear business attire or summer wedding. Shoppers can also search by size (2-12) and color.
Sakowitz and her team began courting designers in the summer of 2011, discussing partnerships and focusing on up-and-coming talent. Bringing New for the Night to life was a thorough process and one Sakowitz enjoyed because she got to use both her creative and business sides. The site’s designer list includes Cynthia Rowley, House of Harlow, Jay Godfrey, Theory and Shoshanna, and Sakowitz says they will be adding new designers and styles to the site.
So, if you’ve been eyeing that $300 Halston Heritage wrap dress, it can be rented for three days for $70. Need a long gown for a formal fete? A strapless beaded Basix gown rents for $99, but retails for $770. Once a shopper chooses a dress, it’s sent to them for between three and 10 days (there’s an extra fee if you keep the dress for more than three days) and when the dress is worn, shoppers pop it in a pre-paid envelope and send it back to New for the Night.
Local shoppers have the extra bonus of checking out the selection at New for the Night’s boutique, located at 3209 Westheimer (call 713-526-1166 or email appointments@newforthenight.com), and going through the same rental process.
New for the Night also makes sense for the woman who has a busy social calendar and active social media life, but still keeps an eye on her budget.
“You don’t want to wear the same thing over and over again and most of us can’t afford to run out and buy something new all the time, so it’s refreshing to know you don’t have to. People are online more, posting pictures to Facebook and you can’t wear the same thing 15 more times,” Sakowitz says.
Women across the country will appreciate the affordable fashion choices available on New for the Night, but for those who remember the upscale Sakowitz department stores, the new venture is fresh take on the changing face of retail.
“I’ve grown up in the industry and it really gets in your blood. With New for the Night, you choose something you love, have a blast in it, ship it back and try something new,” Sakowitz says.
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