Dress to Rent
What to wear over the holidays? Rent the Runway eyes Texas stylesetters withdesigner bargains
Escada Belted Flame Sheath Dress, retails for $1,150, rents for $100.Rent the Runway
What Goes Around Comes Around Vintage Chanel Black Coco Bag, retails for $6,160,rents for $400.Photo via Rent the Runway
Thakoon Violet Silk Draped Dress, retails for $575, rents for $75.Rent the Runway
Sophie Theallat Patriot Contrast Gown, retails for $2,950, rents for $400.Rent the Runway
Proenza Schouler Back to School Dress, retails for $1,725, rents for $125.Rent the Runway
Carlos Falchi Bronze Bombshell Clutch, retails for $795, rents for $35.Rent the Runway
There are some universal truths about Southern women. No matter how independent we are, opening the door for us will always be expected. Leaving the house without some element of our “face” on is unthinkable and yes, we like to dress up and do it often.
The creators of Rent the Runway may be New Yorkers, but we suspect they also have some of that same Southern joie de vivre. Their designer dress rental site is a one-stop shopping spot of head-to-toe wardrobing for every occasion, and is poised to dress quite a few Houstonians making the rounds this holiday season and beyond.
The grand idea was born from a Harvard Business School project by Jennifer Hyman and Jennifer Fleiss. Known as Jenn and Jenny respectively, the duo decided they couldn’t be the only women who yearned to wear, but couldn’t necessarily afford, designer gowns and accessories.
RTR was launched in 2009 and just two years later, the company has cultivated relationships with 150 designers, including Diane von Furstenberg, Versace, Peter Som and Yigal Azrouel, to develop a catalog of 25,000 dresses available to rent. The 1.5 million RTR shoppers also have 4,000 accessories to complement a dress rental, and women can buy foundation pieces as well as hair accessories.
Thinking of a New Year’s Eve gown? A Narciso Rodriguez Beauty in the Night asymmetrical gown retails for $1,895, but for $250 it can be rented for four days.
Markets like Houston, Dallas, Atlanta and New Orleans are fresh territory for the company because of the social nature of the cities. Full calendars aren’t limited to just the holidays and RTR gives women the opportunity to dazzle in different dresses and take style chances they may not normally try.
Southern customers are especially drawn to native Dallasite Lela Rose, Nicole Miller, Tibi, Shoshanna and Badgley Mischka (James Mischka studied at Rice University).
“There’s a chic factor in the south,” public relations manager Ashley Savage says. “Women gravitate toward fun sophisticated looks.”
Renting from the site is straightforward. Once a shopper establishes a free account, they choose price range, size, date, body type, sleeve and a host of other things a woman considers when standing in a dressing room.
Thinking of a New Year’s Eve gown? A Narciso Rodriguez Beauty in the Night asymmetrical gown retails for $1,895, but for $250 it can be rented for four days. A short, strapless Halston Heritage dress retails for $595, but can be rented for just $85.
Women are encouraged to order a dress in two sizes (the price doesn’t change) just in case what is ordered doesn’t quite work. Wear it for up to eight days and drop it back in a postage paid box and you're done. The idea is for a woman to outfit every need and every occasion for less.
“It’s a closet every girl wants but may not have access to. There’s no financial tie. You rent it, send it back and try something new,” director of public relations AJ Nicholas says. RTR shoppers find the idea liberating in a way and Nicholas says 98 percent of women rent a brand they have never tried before.
Because of the immediate culture of fashion, the desire for last night’s Gossip Girl look to something spotted on the runway 10 minutes ago appeals to teenage girls looking for a prom dress to working mothers on the hunt for a cocktail party dress. And it’s worth noting that in our profile pic obsession, there is pressure to present the best possible self each time that Facebook page is refreshed.
“Facebook has changed fashion. It’s like we all have our own red carpet moments and you don’t have to be seen wearing the same thing,” Nicholas says.
Certainly not.
