Photo: © 2009 Jupiterimages Corporation

Photo: © 2009 Jupiterimages Corporation

A woman’s social calendar inevitably includes events that require dressing up. There’s the dress to think about, of course, plus matching shoes, a handbag and jewelry too. It’s all fun and frivolous until you see the bill. An evening gown can cost hundreds of dollars, even at an affordable department store. Add those essential accessories, and you’ve got yourself quite the credit card bill.

Sure, you might look glamorous for an evening, but more often than not, your party garb never sees the light of day again. Even if you do end up wearing that sequin number more than once, chances are you won’t wear it often enough to get back what you paid.

This age-old wardrobe conundrum has inspired a handful of companies to deliver a new solution for the modern woman who wants a shiny new dress to wear for a special occasion, without having to spend a small fortune to do so. The solution: dress rentals. And shoe and handbag and—yes!—even jewelry rentals.

The concept is simple: Rent a dress of your choosing for a few days, wear it, then return it. Pay a small amount extra for insurance (sometimes included in the price) in case you spill some Merlot on your Marni. It’s a captivating concept that’s been gaining steam in these tough economic times, especially with the ease of ordering online. Here’s a roundup of some of the companies leading the way in the fashion-for-rent game.

Rent the Runway (RenttheRunway.com)
As the name suggests, Rent the Runway lets customers rent dresses from top-name designers such as Diane von Furstenberg, Hervé Léger and Proenza Schouler. Rentals run $50 to $200 for a four-night loan and are shipped directly to the customer’s doorstep.

Wear Today Gone Tomorrow (WearTodayGoneTomorrow.com)
Borrow a beautiful designer dress for 5 to 10 percent of its retail price (with a minimal cleaning free). As part of its environmental commitment, Wear Today Gone Tomorrow uses an organic dry cleaning process as part of its business model, which it calls “recycling designer clothing.”

Girl Meets Dress (GirlMeetsDress.com)
For residents of the UK, this wallet-friendly service allows you to rent dresses from such designers as Marc Jacobs, Tibi and 3.1 Phillip Lim from £31 a day. Try on your dress before an event at no extra cost.

Avelle (BagBorroworSteal.com)
Formerly Bag, Borrow or Steal, this site went mainstream when it was mentioned in the Sex In the City movie and has been renting authentic designer handbags, accessories, sunglasses, watches and jewelry since 2006. With no limit on the amount of time you can rent, you can keep that Louis Vuitton “it” bag as long as you’d like.

The perks and perils of renting

Why Rent?

It’s affordable. You can rent designer duds for roughly one-tenth of what you’d pay in a retail store. Besides, men have been renting tuxedos (and saving money by doing so) for ages.

It’s green. Rather than relegate old frocks to the back of your closet (or worse, a landfill), dresses are cleaned and rented to somebody else.

It lets you dream. Keep up with the latest trends and your changing whims by renting looks you love, then leaving them behind.

The Perils of Renting

Sizing: Designer gowns are notoriously inconsistent when it comes to sizing. Rent the Runway ships dresses in two sizes to try and compensate for this fact. Regardless, many designs aren’t even offered beyond a size 8. Ouch.

Label lust: The need to “dress like a celebrity” can get a bit out of hand. When so many people are struggling to afford necessities, renting a dress for its luxe label can seem excessive.

Selection: It remains to be seen whether designer rental companies can keep fashionistas’ discerning palettes satiated, especially in an industry where what’s “in” today is “out” tomorrow.

Dianna Baros is the editor and founder of TheBudgetBabe.com, a blog about fashion, beauty and style for women on a budget.

5 must-have pieces worth the investment

Read the article at Oprah.com

“WELCOME TO THE BORROWING REVOLUTION”

They say it’s lonely at the top, but at Bag Borrow or Steal we’ve got legions of loyal members—handbag and jewelry enthusiasts just like us—to keep us company! Nobody offers a broader selection of tip-top terrific merchandise, and no one stocks their closets with more delightful fresh discoveries.

It all started years ago when our co-founders started asking some honest questions: Why should women have to endure the emotional and financial sacrifices that accompany the endless search for the “right” accessory for every event, wedding, and dinner party? Why should celebrities, fashion editors, and socialites be the only ones allowed to borrow fashion accessories? Why not give everyone access to the perfect accoutrement for every occasion?

And so Bag Borrow or Steal burst onto the scene, and there was much rejoicing. We set out to do something different, building an online borrowing experience that provides just the right something for everyone.

Renting designer handbags makes sense for a lot of reasons

1

You can carry handbags like celebrities! Get a fabulous “it” handbag for an event, special occasion, or even everyday…carry it and then return it!

2

No more “handbag boredom”! Isn’t there always a new handbag that you want? Now you can change your purse whenever the mood strikes.

3

Husbands love us! Seriously. They’re tired of expensive handbags piling up in the closet because we’re “over” them.

4

It costs less than you think! You can carry stunning designer handbags, jewelry, sunglasses and even watches from only $25 a month!

(Hubbies also like that about us!)

5

Best of all: Renting is easy! Browse our collection of purses, totes, satchels,
clutches (and more) and click. Enjoy them for a week, a month or as long as you wish. And when you’ve had your fun, send them back and rent something new!

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About Avelle – Bag Borrow or Steal

• Avelle, the new Bag Borrow or Steal launched in April 2004, pioneering the rental of designer accessories-establishing a new fashion trend in the process.
• Avelle is now the premier destination for luxury designer accessory rentals with the world’s largest collection of designers and styles.
• Avelle is led by a seasoned team, which brings a wealth of knowledge from the realms of fashion, retail, subscription, and ecommerce. Members of the management team have almost 20 years experience at key retailers, such as Nordstrom, Lands’ End, Garnet Hill, and Eddie Bauer.
• Renting designer accessories at Avelle is a simple proposition. Handbags and accessories can be borrowed on an as-needed time frame, weekly for special events, monthly or as long as you want.
• Membership is not required to rent accessories. However, members have many added benefits in the form of discounted rental prices, special outlet savings, first notice of new items, Wait List access for popular items, and generous rewards toward free rentals. Many members rent multiple accessories at a time.
• The membership fee of only $5-10 per month is immediately available as a credit towards rentals. Items can be rented on a weekly, monthly or tri-monthly basis.
• For members who can’t bear to part with the beautiful accessory they’ve rented, they can request to “Steal,” or purchase it. And for most all accessories members can apply 50% or more of their rental fees toward purchasing that accessory.
• Avelle designer accessories are 100% guaranteed authentic. Everything is certified authentic and goes through a rigorous refurbishing and authentication process before it ships to a customer—so it arrives like new. If an item doesn’t pass our rigorous inspection, it won’t go out the door.
• The idea to offer luxury fashion accessories for loan was born when co-founders, Lloyd Lapidus and Greg Pippo, watched their wives and sisters raid each other’s closets to borrow the perfect handbag for every outfit or occasion. Assuming all women shared the same passion for designer accessories, the men founded Bag Borrow or Steal, now known as Avelle, creating the ultimate luxury accessory closet and the largest!
• Avelle is based in Seattle, Washington, home to a myriad of successful fashion, retail, subscription and ecommerce businesses.
• Avelle offers members the opportunity to rent more than 4,000 styles of luxury handbags, jewelry, sunglasses, watches and luggage from more than 150 designers, including Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada, Coach, Stephen Dweck and Vera Wang.
• Avelle has a member base of more than 1.5 million women across the United States, including both members and guests.  Our core member is a well-educated, high-income, urban woman who absolutely loves luxury accessories – especially handbags.  These women – from college students to grandmothers – are passionate about beautifully crafted accessories and delight in how the right bag pulls together their look and makes them feel fabulous.
• Avelle, the new Bag Borrow or Steal was featured in the Sex and the City movie that came out in May 2008.
• In June 2009, Avelle expanded its service offerings and launched the first major nationwide Professional Handbag Cleaning and Repair Service. This new refurbishment service helps women Keep their favorite designer handbags looking like new and avoid buyer temptation.
• Avelle is focused on feeding women’s passions for luxury, fashion and style by offering them more ways to enjoy designer accessories and allows them to have more luxury, more often. Renting designer accessories provides our members with the freedom to indulge in every popular fashion trend (not just one) and easy access to the perfect handbag, jewels or other accessories for every occasion.