Rent the Runway

For many women, a $1,000 dress is something they admire in the pages of a glossy magazine or see draped on the frame of a celebrity — not an item hanging in their closet.

But a nascent Web site called Rent the Runway is hoping to make high-end fashions much more accessible and almost as easy as renting a movie from Netflix.

The mail-order service, which finishes the testing phase on Monday, allows women to rent dresses from notable fashion designers like Diane Von Furstenberg, Hervé Léger and Proenza Schouler for roughly one-tenth of what they would cost to buy in a retail store.

The rentals run $50 to $200 for a four-night loan and are shipped directly to the customer’s doorstep. After wearing the dress, she puts it into a prepaid envelope and drops it in the mail. Dry cleaning is included in the price, but damage insurance costs $5, and in the case of outright destruction of the dress, the renter is responsible for the full retail price.

Full NYT article

Rent the Runway website

Re: Rent the Runway

That's awesome!! I wonder if they will have all sizes though..

Re: Rent the Runway

...now if only i could rent brad pitt...

Re: Rent the Runway

I kind of like the idea

I always buy a dress- wear it once and sell it on ebay

Re: Rent the Runway

Re: Rent the Runway

I think it's genius.. but I am already on the waiting list.. booooo

Re: Rent the Runway

Their selection isn't that big imo...and all the dresses are teeny-tiny styles...not exactly appealing to most women.