A designer dress for prom? Rental website makes it possible
Once upon a time, in New York City, a team of 45 fairy godmothers scramble to make sure that women around the country are getting their fairy-tale moment in new designer gowns.
It's no fairy tale though. The team is real, hails from RentTheRunway.com and is composed of stylists, buyers, and developers to create the dress-shopping “experience” that co-founder and President Jennifer Fleiss said makes all the difference.
Fleiss and her co-founder, Jennifer Hyman, graduated from Harvard Business School with the idea to help all young, designer-dress-hungry women avoid ever being caught on Facebook wearing the same dress again and again, whether it's for prom, the winter formal, homecoming or similar events.
“It's a time in your life where there is the biggest gap in salary and number of social events to go to,” Fleiss said.
The company, launched in 2009, sets itself apart from WearTodayGoneTomorrow.com and GirlMeetsDress.com by creating a more personalized relationship with their clientele, owners say.
Fleiss says that for those longing for a haute couture moment in Diane von Furstenberg, Hervé Leger and Proenza Schouler, it is now obtainable for everyone's budget.
Getting something that no one else will have is important to Erica Crivolio, 18, of Bartlett.
“I want it to be unique and fit my own personal style,” she said. “I don't want to be walking in to prom with the same dress as five other girls. it has to look good on me and fit my body well.”
Still, Crivolio isn't sure she could rent a dress for special occasions. “I want this to be a special experience for me. I want it to be my own and no one else's,” she said.
Stella Siharath, 18, of Elgin shares Crivolio's skepticism.
“I wouldn't rent a prom dress because, it's just me, that I don't like the fact that someone has worn that dress before.”
However, Fleiss assures that dresses are delivered looking new and are retired once they look worn.
“The dress will go through four people to maintain our standards of quality before it goes out the door,” Fleiss said.
How does it work?
Much like Netflix, the dress is chosen online, shipped a couple days before the event, and is returned in a prepaid envelope the day after. The site takes care of all dry cleaning bills. Rentals are available for four or eight days, and ordered to be shipped well enough in advance to resolve sizing issues.
Rent The Runway's 11 stylists are available by phone from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. six days a week to answer questions.
“It's about the experience from start to finish. From the personal guidance of a stylist to the dress delivered in a Rent the Runway garment bag with our stylist kit,” Fleiss said.
Fleiss said their “fit kit,” a free addition to each rental, usually includes deodorant remover, lint remover, and double sided tape. There is a $5 insurance fee to cover any spills, broken zippers, or lost stones or detail.
The site will send a second size option completely free, and a second style option for $25. Fleiss said they prefer that their dresses not be tailored. They offer their long dresses for prom in two different tailored lengths.
“We've gone to extraordinary measures to make people happy,” Fleiss said.
How do you save money
The website offers dresses for 90 percent off their retail price. A dress that would retail for $500 would be $50 to rent. However, Fleiss said it is the cost of convenience that makes the difference.
“It's important to think about cost per wear,” Fleiss said. “These are dresses you wouldn't want to purchase because they're such statement pieces. You won't wear them again.”
Rent The Runway also offers designer jewelry, handbags, and purchasable intimates to go with their dresses.
“The feeling that a woman gets by putting on a designer dress is unmatched,” Fleiss said.