Don’t buy it, rent it!

Already I have three weddings in my diary for next year and while I’d love to use that to justify purchasing three new outfits, with my budget it’s just not feasible. What to do though when you know that some of the same people will be at all three events? Being seen in the same dress is too much of fashion faux pas – even for me!

And as hard as I try, I find myself with a wardrobe full of dresses that I’ve spent serious money on and I know I’ll never wear again – a complete waste.

Much to my delight I came across a new and rather nifty website which could be the answer to my problems – a place where you can rent designer dresses for less than the price of a pair of shoes.  We’ve mentioned collaborative consumption a fair bit here at TotallyMoney and it has all got me thinking  - if you had any kind of occasion which required a killer outfit, just how much of it could you rent?

The website I’m talking about is obviously pretty new, but already That Dress has a good selection of lovely gowns to choose from. A standard rental period is for two nights, and you can even have one delivered to try on if you’re having trouble choosing. Dresses are delivered to you by 1pm on your chosen day and must be signed for, and prices start from just £35.

They aren’t the first to think of such a genius idea though – Girl Meets Dress is also well worth a look. While slightly pricier, they have a huge selection of dresses for all kinds of occasions.

They also have a great membership scheme which allows you to sign up and pay £39 a month to be able to rent any dress you like each month. Obviously most of us don’t have the need for such luxurious outfits all the time, but you can cancel your membership whenever you want after three months. Perfect if you have, say, three months of summer weddings to contend with! It would also – any boys reading take note now – make a lovely present.

So you’ve got the dress, now for the accessories. Cinderella Me is the place to go for designer shoes. They have a great selection from Alexander McQueen to Christian Louboutin and prices start from about £35 for a week’s hire. You do also have to pay £10 for postage but that covers your costs to return the shoes afterwards and means they are insured whilst in transit. And if shoes are your thing, these guys also have a similar membership scheme to Girl Meets Dress.

Now for the bag. Fashion Hire is the place to go, with a great selection of designer bags to suit different budgets. They rent their bags on a monthly basis and prices start from about £10 a month. Once again there’s a delivery charge of £14.99 but that covers delivery and returns and makes sure the bag is insured on the journey. To rent from these guys you do need to pay membership – which is £9.95 a month. It’s pay as you go though so after a minimum of three months you can choose to cancel if you want.

These places don’t have fashion cast-offs either, they are all genuine, current season designer products. Add them all together and you’re talking about an entire designer outfit guaranteed to wow for under £150 – I think that’s pretty good going. I’m not suggesting you do this every time you have a night out with the girls, but for a really special occasion I think it’s a great idea.

{Photo: Jimmy Choo- Clue available at Cindarella-me.co.uk}