Rent The Runway

I found out about a new website that may appeal to some of you, dear readers. The website is called Rent the Runway, and the concept is that those of us who don't want to pay top dollar for couture outfits can rent them instead.

It's a cool concept. Basically, you log onto the website and choose which dress you want to rent. RTR sends you the dress in two different sizes, just in case. You wear the gown and ship it back. They take care of the dry cleaning.

The website is well-designed, making it easy to navigate through the outfits. You can search by occasion, which is a great way to narrow down the inventory to the event you want.

I like the idea, but the only problem is that renting a designer dress from RTR is still more expensive than going to the mall and buying one. The prices start around $50/rental. For those of you who live and die on the runway, this probably won't matter. Better a Stella McCartney dress for a night than a Banana Republic dress for life.

I believe this website would come in handy, however, when you are looking for a dress for an occasion that will never repeat itself. Therefore, you need the dress for one night only. In this case, renting a dress may seem like the best option. For example, you are invited to a black-tie wedding. You are being whisked to Paris so your boyfriend can propose atop the Eiffel Tower. You are going to the Oscars. You are the mother-of-the-bride. In any such cases, I could imagine wanting a stunning dress, one you won't ever want to wear again or may never have an occasion to wear again.