Anyone who knows me knows that I'm not the biggest fan of spending huge amounts of money on things I'm only going to wear once.  It's why wedding shows are so entertaining to me.  $20,000 on one white dress?  Yikes.

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Respite Care Ball Selfie Machine
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This is why when I was invited to the Respite Care Holiday Ball, I was daunted by the task of getting a fancy dress for the evening.  I don't own any floor-sweeping ball gowns (like any normal 22-year-old), and I certainly didn't want to spend the money on anything worth wearing.

That's when I found out you can actually rent a designer dress.

If you're a fashion maven-- like I try to convince myself that I am-- then you'll be familiar with names like Badgley Mischka, Kate Spade, and Monique Lhuillier. You'll also be familiar with the soaring prices that each designer attaches to their creations.  For Rent The Renway, though, you don't pay full price for your dress-- you rent it for a discounted price and, after a few days, send it back.

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Madi Scruggs, TSM
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I went through a ton of different options because Rent the Runway pretty much specializes in fancy events (though, if you just wanted a Free People dress for a barbecue or extra-special date night, you could always do that, too).   I ended up picking an asymmetrical Jill Stewart halter dress (see above) since it seemed demure enough for a work function but fun enough to be myself in.

If you're worried about sizes, don't be-- Rent the Runway sends you an extra size for free just in case the size six you're desperately hoping you're going to squeeze into doesn't quite work out.  You are taking a chance on hoping the dress looks good on you, but in reviews on a few of the dresses on the site, a few people wrote that in dire outfit emergencies, the site's customer service was eager to rush them another option.

I was pretty pleased with the whole experience, but if you'd rather have a collection of designer dresses in your closet for a (very fancy) rainy day, then this certainly isn't for you.  For me, though, I had my time with Jill Stewart, and while it was sad to see the beautiful thing go, I didn't really want to clean the spots of wine off the dress by myself, anyway.

Would you ever rent a dress?  Tell us in the comments!

 

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