Leasing Beauty

On Thursday this gorgeous Max Mara dress was featured on Ideeli. Normally $2,695, a STEAL at $839:

Someday when I’m a baller I’ll drop $1000 on a dress without batting an eyelash. Will I ever purchase a two- or three-thousand dollar dress? … Er, probably – knowing me and my shopping habits (they just get more and more expensive). But even when I’m the ultimate baller I will never spend $1,625 on a ripped cotton t-shirt. If I EVER do, somebody please stage an intervention!

In the meantime, I have decided to Rent the Runway. A provision I actually included in my shopping cleanse, I have two fancy events happening in April and I wanted to go Cinderella and borrow a dress for both parties.

1) Lela Rose; retails for $1,295 but rents for $150.
2) Catharine Malandrino; retails for $495 but rents for $75.

I’ve actually wanted to use Rent the Runway since I first heard about them, but admittedly going through the process of renting is far less exciting than fantasizing and obsessing about which dress to wear. Because then you actually  have to spend money, and it feels a bit weird to spend money on something I’ll wear but won’t own. I could buy a beautiful dress for $150, or even $75. Or an even nicer one for $225! And this doesn’t include the $5 for insurance or $12.95 for shipping. So each dress rental has almost $20 tacked on to the price. But still I’m doing it, because instead of wearing a $265 dress I’ll be wearing a $495 dress AND a $1,295 (!) dress. I’m willing to put down $265 for a couple of Cinderella moments, even if a prince isn’t included.

My sister actually encouraged me to just buy an expensive dress instead of renting one. That’s logical, but since I’m on a shopping cleanse I’m spending money on renting instead of buying. The irony is not lost on me. Another friend I spoke to said she preferred to own what she wears. I used to feel that way too. When I first heard of Bag, Borrow or Steal I thought to myself – I would never want to rent a bag. What a waste of money! I don’t give a rat’s ass about “It” bags so why would I spend more money to rent a bag than I would to buy one?

At least you get a bag for a number of weeks. I only plan to wear these dresses once. But it’s worth it because I know the magic of looking fierce and fabulous for a night.

Would you ever rent an item of apparel?