Hubby and I were recently invited to his colleague’s wedding – we don’t often get the chance to dress up and attend fancy events so we were really looking forward to a night of dinner & dancing!
I knew I wanted to wear something unique…yet after my closet reorganization, I was hesitant to add an unnecessary item to my wardrobe. In addition, I wanted to wear something glamorous and unique – not a reusable/versatile dress (like an LBD). I remembered hearing about Rent Frock Repeat at the last Blogger conference I attended, so I contacted them regarding a possible rental.
WHAT IS RENT FROCK REPEAT?
- Canadian-based designer dress rental company
- Registration is free, Rental fees range from $50 – $295
- Each dress comes with a complimentary back-up in a different size to ensure fit
- After the event, just mail the dress back in the prepaid envelope provided with your order – the company takes care of dry-cleaning the dress!
MY SKYPE CONSULTATION:
 |
| Carly showing me a dress from their showroom |
Rent Frock Repeat offers private fitting consultations at their showroom, but with small kids at home, I opted for an e-consultation over Skype. My stylist, Carly, was SO helpful! Prior to our session, we exchanged emails regarding my dress requirements and preferences, as well as information on my measurements.
During the session (as screencapped above) Carly showed me dresses I had chosen from the site, while also displaying some of her own recommendations. She explained which dress would suit my body type, and advised me on which sizes I should order. One of my main concerns was dress length (I prefer my dresses to be knee-length or longer), so after our session, she emailed me photos of the dresses I selected on a fit model with similar measurements. She also provided suggestions on hairstyles, makeup and accessories – I’ve never had a personal stylist before and it was wonderful!
MY CHOICES:
The
dresses arrived in a slim box complete with hangers and garment
bags. Also included were: dress care instructions, a prepaid envelope for their return AND fashion tape + stain removing sponge – such a sweet and useful touch.
I took advantage of Rent Frock Repeat’s “add another dress for $35” offer and ended up choosing 2 dresses for the rental. A black and white Badgley Mischka dress and an orchid David Meister dress. I needed help deciding which would be more appropriate for the event, so I asked my Twitter, Facebook and Instagram followers for help. As you can see, the verdict was unanimous in favor of the orchid dress!
 |
| Love my Instagram friends ♥ |
Although the Orchid dress is more evening appropriate, I still have a soft spot for the black and white dress – the fit is divine- it sucks me in and makes me stand straight! I think it would be the perfect dress for a fancy brunch. The quality of both these dresses is amazing – the material and tailoring is exquisite. I can see why they retail for such high prices –
and am glad the rental fee is only a fraction of that!
THE DAY OF THE WEDDING:
MY THOUGHTS:
It was a little nerve-wracking being responsible for such a valuable
dress, but it was reassuring to note that the dress rental insurance
covers: “Normal wear and tear (…) minor stains, rips, missing beads,
stuck zippers or other minor damage.”
While purchasing a new dress is always exciting, there are some instances when renting a dress makes more sense. In my case, the only time I ever need to get dressed up is for hubby’s work events. I have to wear formal attire, and can’t really repeat the same outfit for different events.
It’s true that the rental fee is costly – but buying a formal dress would be even more expensive…especially if I never wore it again. (Of course, there’s always the possibility to re-sell the dress, but that can involve some hassle). I don’t mind investing in accessories as they can be worn with different outfits, but it’s hard for me to justify purchasing expensive dresses – so I’m glad I had the option of renting instead!
If you’re interested in RENT FROCK REPEAT – visit their Website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & Pinterest.
Hope you enjoyed reading about my experience. Have you ever rented a dress before?
DISCLAIMER: I was interested in trying their service so I contacted Rent Frock Repeat regarding a collaboration, and they kindly provided me with a promo code to use on my rental. All opinions are 100% my own.
Really great review and I'm so happy both dresses worked for you! I've been hesitant myself to try this service out as yes the rental is quite pricey but of course they are higher end dresses too. I think this service would make sense for me if I had 1 – 2 really dressy events to attend and I might be seeing the same crowd 🙂 You looked absolutely gorgeous on the day of the wedding <3
Thanks Elaine! I especially think this service would be great for weddings – as you often have 2 dressy events within a weekend. And with the "add-a-dress" option, the cost would be less than 2 separate rentals :-)I don't think I've ever worn designer dresses before – so that was fun too!
How beautiful do you look?! Just like a movie star! The dress is gorgeous, and it fits you perfectly! This sounds like a great idea for a special occasion 😉
Thanks Noelle – it was SO much fun getting dressed up…and thanks to all I learned from youtube/blogs, I could do my own hair and even put on false eyelashes 😉
Amazing what an awesome service! Good to know there are fun Canadian companies out there! You looked stunning.
Thanks Erica! It really IS a great service – even before I'd rented my dress, I'd told a lot of my friends about this company – because there are some occasions when a quality dress rental service is the best option 🙂 Especially when you're short on time & can't shop around!
You are stunning! I love both dresses but the orchid definitely is the most flattering. Your hair and makeup are beautiful! Makeup tutorial coming soon, maybe? That is such a great service. I'm in the same boat as you as far as only needing a dress for a wedding or formal event so this option is great. On the flip side I'm not sure I would want to worry all night about possibly spilling wine on the dress.
Thanks Schnelle – all my make-up and hair is courtesy of things-I-learned-from-blogs LOL! But I'll definitely do a quick post with a breakdown of what I used and links to tutorials that helped me ;-)I know what you mean about worrying about ruining the dress – I was SO glad to learn that minor stains were covered under their insurance policy! But I was definitely more careful than I would have been with my own clothes LOL!
Aw you look so beautiful! That colour is fantastic on you!I've never rented a dress but I think that's it's a great idea espcially if you're getting a designer dress. In all reality we have so many dresser in our closets that when do we actually wear them a 2nd time? Rarely, so this is a great idea. Love that you have a 2nd option too.
Thanks Monica – you're so sweet! I'd never rented a dress before either – so I thought it would be fun to write about my first experience.The 2nd option definitely is a bargain – especially if you're attending a weekend of events.
Ella, you look absolutely stunning! The Orchid dress fits you SO well! Love the skype consultation, such a great idea!
Thanks Lilly – the skype consultation was amazing. She guided me towards dresses that would suit my body type – and her sizing recommendations were so accurate – my dresses fit perfectly!
That rental was worth it! You look gorgeous in it and your hair and shoes are perfection!
Thanks Olyvia – I was pleasantly surprised to find that my ZARA shoes were a perfect match for this dress…I don't own too many high-heeled shoes, so it was really lucky to find one what went perfectly 😉
Such a great idea! I love both dresses on you, but the orchid color really looks stunning. Great post!
Thanks Mary-Irene – I'm so glad I got the chance to try on both dresses!
Wow, these dresses look amazing on you and I love the pink dress on you and I love that the shoes match the shoulder detailing perfectly! Great blog and you have a new follower here! Have a nice night and hope you will stop by and visit me! xx PipEasy Outfits by Pip
Thanks for following me Pip, I'll definitely check out your blog. You're right about the shoulder detailing matching the shoes – I didn't even notice that LOL!
Orchid was absolutely gorgeous on you!
Thanks Esther!
I've always wondered about Rent, Frock, Repeat. Thanks for investigating for us. Great post! And you looked smoking in the dress! xo Helen
I've always wondered about Rent, Frock, Repeat. Thanks for investigating for us. Great post! And you looked smoking in the dress! xo Helen, theskiny.com
Thanks Helen – glad you liked reading about the service – I tried to cover all the points I used to wonder about before my own trial (like the insurance, how to ensure fit etc). LOVE your blog by the way – I've been following it for a while, and am so excited that you checked out my post 😉
You looked amazing! Might check them out, hate buying a dress for one occasion !!!