Rent the Runway
Posted by bellastraniera - 04/11/09 at 07:11 pm The tough thing about looking at fabulous designer fashion all day is being able to tell the difference between designer and a Zara knock off – and knowing you can’t afford fill your closet with the former. Exquisite tailoring and gorgeous fabrics, not just new trends, are what sets the real thing apart.
Rent the Runway, sort of like Bag, Borrow or Steal crossed with Gilt Group, lets you clad yourself in the real thing for a party or event and then return it a few days later. It sounds almost too good to be true, were it not started by a pair of friends from Harvard Business School after a formative meeting with Diane von Furstenberg. Prices for rentals are 10 percent of retail prices (about $50-$200), and most of the items are cocktail dresses and party clothes. Why wear just any LBD when you could wear this season’s Proenza Schouler peekaboo shoulder sheath? And a racerback dress is so much more yummy when it’s a sexy number by Brian Reyes. It also justifies impulse “buys”: while you may not necessarily want to own a one-shoulder Robert Rodriguez sequin disco romper, it would be a fun for a night on the town. Even more insane: if you live in NYC, you can get same-day delivery of your picks.
So is this rental idea good or bad for designers? The jury’s still out on that one. It certainly cultivates the next generation of buying customers, and if Rent the Runway takes off, it could end up being a big buyer of designer clothing. Now let’s just hope designers don’t think of it as the next iTunes….
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bellastraniera
a.k.a. Marcy Swingle - obsessed with food and fashion.
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November 6th, 2009 at 7:37 pm
WearTodayGoneTomorrow.com has been doing this for almost a year! WTGT loans nationally at 5 – 10% retail values, has had amazing reviews from Teen Vogue, People, InStyle, The Today How and many more. Items arrive in 2 – 3 days, and they carry over 125 of the top designers including 3.1 Phillip Lim, Herve Leger, Matthew Williamson and more. They’re amazing!