I Rented the Runway!

Have you heard of this Website yet?  It's called Rent the Runway, and you can rent designer dresses and jewelry for a fraction of the cost of purchasing the same.  I saw this on another blog recently, and decided maybe it was worth a try just to see how the whole process worked.  John and I were planning to go out on the town for our 1st Anniversary, so I thought I could use that as an opportunity to test out a great dress from Rent the Runway.

Let me start by saying that I told a few people that I was trying this, and somehow my little dress took on a life of it's own.  John told some of the ladies at his office about my little experiement, and they have been asking about this dress ever since.  I have also had friends of friends asking about this already too.  So now this dress has suddenly become more popular than I am.  In fact, IT asked me to blog about it, so I am graciously honoring that request.  Then, it asked me for it's own Facebook page.  Sorry, that request is denied.  I have to draw the line somewhere.

So, here's how it works.

You create an account with Rent the Runway, and then you have access to search through piles of designer dresses online.  You can save your favorites for future reference, and if you are like me, you search for a coupon code before you actually commit to renting the dress. (I found a code for $25 off my rental, which was only $75 to begin with!)  And it's as easy as that!  The rental period is for 4 days, and you pick the date you want the dress to arrive.  In my case, I chose to receive my dress on Friday, because I wanted to wear it on Saturday, and didn't want to be waiting my the mailbox right before our date!!

My package arrived exactly as promised.  AND, Rent the Runway is fabulous about sending you email updates.  I received a confirmation and a notification of shipment (of course) but also an email the day the dress was scheduled to arrive with FAQs and a phone number I could call if I had any questions.  I eagerly waited by the door for my much-anticipated dress, and the moment finally arrived.  Izzie barked her little head off at the delivery arriving on the doorstep, and I knew my dress was here!

I quickly opened up my box, and there it was all bundled up in a garment bag.  The anticipation was killing me, but I knew I wanted to get pictures first. 

And, ta-da!  The moment you have all been waiting for.  Well, the moment I was waiting for, anyway!  This is the dress I chose.  It is made by Zac Posen and retails for $400.  (Pay no attention to the messy closet in the background.)  And, no, you aren't seeing double here.  They actually send you a FREE second size of your choice, so it's highly unlikely that between the two of them, you will have fit problems.  

They also include a mailer for returning the dresses and well as full instructions on how to do that. But it's so simple really.  The postage is already paid, so you just package up your dress when you are finished with it, and pop it into a blue bin at the Post Office, and you are done.  You don't have to get it cleaned or anything.  They take care of all of that on their end!

And, this was a nice little surprise.  They included a few free samples, the most thoughtful of which was fashion tape to help hold everything in place.   I didn't need it for this dress, but I liked that little touch.  :)  So how was the dress in action, you ask?

Well, she certainly didn't disappoint.  I loved the color, and the fabric!  And, the best part?  This little party dress had pockets!!  AWESOME!!

I ended up accessorizing with my own jewelry, but you can also rent those types of pieces from RTR. I went with green and gold earrings and necklace, a gold bracelet, and nude heels.  It was a little chilly last night, so I also tossed my black and gold lace coat in the car with us, and I'm glad I did.  As for my date, let's just say, he cleaned up pretty nicely too.  That's one handsome man about town. 

I am so glad I gave this a try.  Would I rent from RTR again?  Absolutely!  The process is just so darn simple, and I ended up spending less on this rental than I would if I had bought a new dress.  I'm one happy customer.  Now, to package up my little dress and send her back on her way.  And just in the nick of time.  I didn't know how much longer I could stand this little dress outshining me.  :)