Cash is tight but a girl’s got to look good, right? Well, the solution is renting clothing and accessories. It’s a new fad that is becoming more and more popular. Now, you can relax in the comfort of your own home while you peruse through the hundreds of available formal wear fashions and accessories available for rent via the Internet. Not only will most online clothing rental sites tailor your rental to suit your unique size, shape, and style, but many will deliver your outfit, together with any requested matching accessories, right to your front door! If you’re game for giving up the hassle of in-store clothing rentals and want to try the online route, here’s a brief tutorial.
Pros of Renting Clothing Online
Convenience: With just a few clicks, you can shop online for rental-wear that will arrive in a day or two straight to your doorstep. Wear it, stick it in the prepaid envelope, and send it back. Done.
Time-saving: By shopping for your rental wardrobe online, you’ll save yourself up to two hours or more of driving, browsing and dealing with salespeople and crowds.
Thrift: Why spend a fortune for formal wear that you’ll only wear a few times? For a tiny fraction of the cost you can dress like a diva without spending your life savings.
Selection: Your glamorous wardrobe will make you the envy of your friends; and you’ll never show up wearing the same thing twice! Many online formal wear rental sites offer the latest designer duds and accessories, jewelry, purses, and shoes to match any outfit in their collection.
Cons of Online Clothing Rental vs. Local, In-Store Rental
Sizing: Because designer fashion sizing can be inconsistent, it is harder to ensure that your rental outfit will fit properly when you get it. Many sites offer sizing charts and detailed instructions on taking your own measurements. Still, without actually seeing yourself in the clothing before renting it, you won’t know how it will look on your frame until it comes to your door.
Lack of Flexibility: Because most online clothing rentals are for a week or less, you have less wiggle room to cancel your order should your plans change. Also, if the clothes don’t look the way you had hoped, it’s harder to make a last minute exchange.
Smaller Selection for Plus-Sized Women: I had a hard time finding anything larger than a size 10 when browsing through several of the sites. The selection seemed much bigger for smaller gals: size 0 to 6.
Here are some online stores that we recommend testing out.
Accessories, Jewelry and Handbags
AllThatBags: This online designer handbag rental outlet offers 25 percent off your first order and a membership rewards program for frequent renters. If you fall in love with your purse, you can buy it for up to 70 percent off its retail value.
BagBorrowOrSteal: This site’s slogan is Guilty Pleasure, Minus the Guilt. If you sign up as a member of this designer handbag rental site, you’ll get priority on choosing the newest weekly arrivals and you’ll also get a 20 percent discount on rental items.
BlingYourself: This jewelry rental site is frequented by celebrities and average Joes alike, offering men’s and women’s expensive jewelry. Whether you want to rent a Rolex or diamond earrings, you’ll find it here, and it won’t break your bank. What’s more, they offer free pickup when you’re done and frequent renters can earn bonus points towards future rentals.
iRent2u: This is sort of an eBay-like rental site where anyone can lend or borrow any item for cash. Prospective renters and lenders can search by location and a broad list of categories to find what they need, where it is, and how to rent it. In addition to rental items, this site offers a link to services for hire, as well. An onsite blog allows renters and rentees to discuss their experiences, network with others, and air any grievances they may have in a public forum. From drills to yachts, if you want to rent it, they probably have it listed.
Dresses, Suits and Tuxedos
ClosetElite: Well-designed site offering high-fashion and designer wear for women. Affordable options and a detailed size chart make this site accessible to the average Jane. They carry dresses in most sizes, up to 14 and offer additional insurance for an additional price.
DressVault: This online closet service facilitates the lending and borrowing of dresses to and by site members. It is a fashion social network of virtual closets with over 900 current members. This site provides easy access to reasonably priced off the rack designs, but they need to add a search by size function to make things simpler.
AlbrightNYC: You can browse through this extensive designer collection online, but you’ll have to visit the Cooper Square warehouse in lower Manhattan for these luxury rentals. Their fashion library includes designs by Armani, Posen, Chanel, and others at a rental price of 10 to 15 percent of the original retail purchase price. Their collection features one of a kind couture dresses and a fashion smorgasbord of top designer fashions. They specialize in providing magazine editors with clothing for big star photo shoots, so bring your piggy bank.
Rent the Runway: Rent the Runway ensures their customer’s satisfaction, and even ships a second style for a $25 fee. The beauty of Rent the Runway is that you don’t have to commit hundreds of dollars to a style or designer that you might not usually wear or buy. They even have on-staff stylists to help you make a decision. Simply click a chat button and you are immediately connected to a stylist who asks what kind of dress you are looking for.
General
Zilok: This one year-old online rental marketplace offers a little bit of everything for rent. With an international and nearly-nationwide network of lenders and borrowers, chances are if you need to rent it, it’s here. This is currently the largest rental network online. It offers items from both private individuals and businesses. It’s user-friendly, visually appealing and jam-packed full of interesting rental stuff and services. If I had to bookmark one online rental site, this would be it.
Many of the sites offer purchase plans in case you fall totally in love with the item and don’t want to return it. Whichever company you decide to join and rent from, make sure that you read all their guidelines completely. It’s a good idea not to buy a dress that you won’t wear more than once, and renting a dress once would be cheaper than buying it. Renting luxury has become a way for people to (a) spend money only when they want to use an item, (b) achieve a level of luxury that would be above their means if they had to own the product, and/or (c) introduce more variety into their wardrobe without the corresponding cash outlay. Each company has their own set of rules that you need to follow so there are no hidden fees or penalties.