This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Fordham chapter.
On a mid-August afternoon, I walked into a high-rise apartment building on the Upper West Side and walked out with a designer Zimmerman dress in my arms to wear to a formal wedding I was attending in Tribeca that night. (It should also be noted that I walked past Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher pushing their child in a baby stroller as I walked along Central Park on my way to the apartment.)
What might sound like a day on the set of Gossip Girl was all made possible through VillageLuxe, a community of professional women in NYC who rent out their designer clothes to each other. Founded by Harvard grad Julia Gudish Krieger, VillageLuxe isn’t simply a clothing rental service like Rent The Runway. First, since VillageLuxe specializes in renting pieces from individual women’s closets, it has a much broader spectrum of high-end fashion. Options range anywhere from Alice + Olivia dresses to a Prada bag to that coveted pair of Louboutins you’ve always wanted to try. Second, VillageLuxe isn’t simply about sharing clothes; it’s about sharing connections. It’s an invite-only community of women who not only live in NYC but work here as well. Renting pieces through VillageLuxe begins with a shared fashion taste but could also lead to meeting, frankly, a super cool woman who is thriving in her professional life.
Her Campus Fordham was given the opportunity to debut the VillageLuxe access code for Fordham women last month. Julia Gudish Krieger made it clear that she wanted college women to have access to these designer pieces on a budget and seize the opportunity to join a network of women who are succeeding in their respective career fields, fields that college students might want to work in one day as well. Having used the service, I would highly recommend it. The woman who rented the Zimmerman piece to me was extremely communicative, and I felt amazing in the dress. Because of the wide range of styles on the site, Fordham collegiettes could easily browse VillageLuxe for an internship event, a family wedding, a girls’ night on the town, or the Under The Tent dance during Spring Weekend. And who knows? You might even run into one of your favorite celebs on your way to pick up your designer item! To access the VillageLuxe collection and begin renting (or rent out your own pieces!), use the access code “FORDHAM” at villageluxe.com.