Sometime amid bounce and summer my assignment apparel seemed to lose its luster. My already appealing ‘50s-style floral dresses appeared achromatic (and not in the agilely awakening sense) and if I showed up to the appointment in angular jeans and a Breton tee on one added Monday, I feared I ability get kicked out of the appearance department.
Being the Style photo editor, I absorb best of my canicule gazing (longingly) at celebs on the red carpeting and big burghal streets. So artlessly the pieces I absolutely appetite are way out of my budget. And I don't alike beggarly the Peter Pilotto, Roksanda Ilincic and Monique Lhuillier get-ups. I'd acquiescently add a Cushnie et Ochs, Thakoon or Matthew Williamson cardinal to my closet.
Then, I had a thought: What if I apish a above appearance makeover application Hire the Runway. Now normally, one turns to this armpit for big contest (weddings, birthdays, etc.) but who's to say you can't additionally use it as a aboriginal footfall in revamping your circadian wardrobe. Not forever, no, but at atomic a few days…or even, say, an absolute month?!
And so, our fun agreement austere allotment of analytic journalism began. I capital to see if it's accessible to hire an appointment apparel for four weeks (I'm talking Monday through Friday). That's a altered artist attending every day for 20 canicule in the office, with a account of $500. And while I won't get to accumulate the clothes, I will get to adhere on to these memories.
Week 1: Aboriginal of all, I aloof appetite to say: OMG. This is amazing! I'd commonly be a bit afraid of alike activity into bisected the boutiques that advertise these dresses, so it's agitative to be acclimation up Carmen Marc Valvo and Cushnie et Ochs and alive they're activity to be delivered to my aperture in two days. There are some appealing alarming artist frocks for abutting to $30, although, I absolutely capital to draft my account on a brace of things and affectionate of did for this admirable Thakoon dress–Oops! (Worth it.)
Cost to me: $160
Retail amount of the dresses: $4,663
What I Wore: Carmen Marc Valvo Envelope dress, $30
Thakoon Lets Fly Away Dress, $40
Marchesa Voyage Peplum Dress, $30
Cushnie et Ochs Supernova Dress, $30
Jill, Jill Stuart Josephine Dress, $30
Important note: There's a $25 off advertisement for your aboriginal order, but I'm putting it beeline against a associates so that I get chargeless aircraft and allowance from actuality on out which is activity to save about $50 a week. It additionally agency I can breach my adjustment into two and I accept two items access on a Saturday and three on a Tuesday, giving me time to acknowledgment and barter if I charge and get aggregate aback on time.
Week Two: Let's get beeline to the ailing dresses, shall we? I am actual in adulation with a little cardinal from Kate Spade New York this week. You see, the absolute adaptation of me that exists alone in my acuteness wears Kate Spade head-to-toe, every day—so Thursday was a dream appear true. I'm additionally accepting actual absorbed to the Tracy Reese frock. I've never beat annihilation by her before, but that's absolutely activity to change.
Cost to me: $155 (including $20 discount)
Retail amount of the dresses: $2,208
What I wore:
Tracy Reese Trumpet dress, $30
Nanette Lapore Floral dress, $35
M Monique Lhuillier dress, $35
Kate Spade Fun and Games dress, $45
Camilla Marc Dive Right In dress, $30
Week Three: I capital to try article a bit altered this anniversary so autonomous for a top from Bailey 44 (some canicule you aloof charge to abrasion your jeans). I'm absolutely acquirements to use added Hire the Runway customer's photos as a adviser to how things will assignment on me. I ambition all online arcade had photos of the looks on admirable absolute people, not aloof admeasurement 2 models.
It was absolutely catchy to accept a admired from this week—the Issa architecture was aloof affection and the Helmut Lang cardinal cool comfortable. But the Erin dress was not alone admirable but additionally called the Hepburn dress, which bumped it to my top pick.
Cost to me: $140 (including $25 discount)
Cost retail: $2,210
What I wore:
Erin Erin Fetherstone Hepburn dress, $30
Issa Skim The Line dress, $30
Gryphon Pintuck Adulation dress, $40
Bailey 44 top, $35
Helmut Lang Heart Pumping dress, $30
Week Four: I'm clearly afraid it's activity to be crazily boxy activity aback to my old clothes. Bodies accept absolutely been acquainted my analgesic apparel and it is so above fun to comedy dress up as an adult. But I am attractive advanced to accepting a few added accidental options that will acquiesce me to cavern in on Bagel Thursday. RTR does accept some beautiful chill-out pieces for renting, like this Chargeless Bodies best which I absolutely adore, but the majority of the dresses are appealing figure-hugging (and big event-ready).
Cost to me: $140 (including $25 discount)
Cost retail: $2,384
What I wore:
Free Bodies best dress, $40
Matthew Williamson Treasure Garden dress, $30
Clover Canyon Gatsby dress, $30
Ali Ro Scuba Sheath, $30
Kate Spade Snap Dragon dress, $35
My Takeaway: It assault my apperception that in the aftermost ages I've beat about $12,000 account of clothing. Aloof autograph that makes me feel like Amal Clooney for a breach second. Some of my admired pieces haven't necessarily been the ones with the ultra-high retail prices, though. Both Kate Spade dresses were altogether made, as able-bodied as the Ali Ro, the Tracy Reese and the Jill by Jill Stuart numbers. I did feel appealing appropriate cutting the Cushnie et Ochs Supernova dress (it fit beautifully), and the Matthew Williamson Treasure Garden apron was so flattering—both items, by the way, amount added than my bells gown!
The account from RTR is appealing formidable, and if I had a account of over $500 a ages for appearance and appetite a activity of affluence with no laundry again I would actively anticipate about ditching arcade forever.
The best—and absolutely best surprising—thing about my adopted apparel was the acknowledgment I got from others. Every day several bodies would appear and say they admired my accouterments and ask me area it was from. So, yeah, the aftermost four weeks were absolutely a aplomb boost. And I'm appealing abiding I've assertive several accompany and colleagues—plus, absolutely a few affectionate but accidental strangers—to try circadian RTR.
In the end, I'd say the better change wasn't to my closet (as none of the dresses are currently blind there, obviously) but to my attitude. Now, I'm way added accessible to aggravating new designers—and alike if I can't allow the dresses, I apperceive there's a way I can still acquaintance them.
Overall Totals:
Cost to me: $595 (Yeah, I went over. What can I say? I couldn't abide a few splurges.)
Cost retail: $11,465
