Renting trumps retail

Renting trumps retail

By Laura Timberlake

The festive season is fast approaching.

The tail end of Spring Racing is coming up, only to be followed by numerous events leading up to Christmas.

What is a girl to do for clothing options?

So many events require a lot of new outfits.

That’s where renting comes in.

The concept gained a lot of interest after Carrie Bradshaw’s assistant Louise claimed her bag was rented from Bag Borrow or Steal, in the first Sex in the City movie.

Luckily for us, Melbourne has its own versions of Bag Borrow or Steal.

Her Wardrobe offers both clothing and accessories, and was founded by Alexandra Osmond.

She started the business in 2014 when she realised that she owned 46 dresses, most of which she had only worn once.

Alexandra believes that renting a dress is a financially viable way to have a high-end designer experience without paying the inflated prices.

She purchases Her Wardrobe’s dresses, millinery and bags wholesale from designers.

The fees range from $50-$249 for a dress, or you can hire an entire outfit.

The outfit will arrive on the day the rental period begins, and all you have to do is pop it into the pre-paid return envelope after the event.

(All dry cleaning costs are covered.)

Her Wardrobe has had a fantastic response since it launched last year, particularly for Spring Racing.

“I was surprised when girls emailed me at the beginning of August asking when our new hats would arrive,” Alexandra said.

Emily Collie, editor of Melbourne Girl, has been a long time customer at GlamCorner.

GlamCorner is another rental company that offers designer dresses for all occasions.

Glam Corner also lists the retail value of the dress you hire, so you know what bang you’re getting for your buck.

“These days, we have so many events to go to, like fashion week, weddings and Spring Carnival – what ever the occasion may be, we never want to be seen in the same dress twice,” Emily said.

“The concept of renting a dress for the fraction of the price of buying one is just too good not to try.”

But if accessories are more your thing, check out Love Me and Leave Me.

Love Me and Leave Me offer a rent or buy option, or a Wear Now Pay Later Plan (this requires weekly or monthly payments for a bag once your application is approved).

The bags can be rented weekly or monthly.

It’s a better deal if you rent by the month though (like buying in bulk).

So before you drop $1500 on your next party outfit, why not consider renting?

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