Rent The Runway

No-Guilt Couture

‘Tis the season for parties, and that means finding festive attire. Can you imagine turning heads in a Diane Von Furstenberg or Proenza dress you saw on the pages of Vogue this season? Exorbitant prices usually put that kind of couture out of reach, but not anymore.

Rent the Runway makes dreams come true for fashion lovers on a budget. It’s a service that lets members rent designer dresses for a fraction of their retail prices. (You can get two sizes to make sure a dress fits, and if you can’t decide between two different dresses, you can rent a second dress for just $25.) You get to wear the dress of your choice, look amazing in it, then return it to the company. They do the dry cleaning — simply ship it back in the box you received with a postage-paid label. What could be easier?

The idea for the service hatched after Jenn Hyman (on the left) watched her younger sister fret about what to wear to a wedding. She wanted something stunning, but the designers she loved were out of her budget. Jenn told her Harvard Business School classmate Jenny Carter Fleiss about the dilemma, and the two friends started brainstorming. They launched the Rent the Runway site just last month, and it’s been a huge hit at a time when we’re all watching our wallets… but still coveting spectacular outfits. So sign up, find your perfect dress and enjoy the party.

— Angella

Rent the Runway

• Browse and find your perfect dress

• Reserve your dress and the shipping dates. You’ll have the option to rent for either 4 days or 8 days.

• Sizing varies. Rent The Runway sends two sizes to assure that the dress you rent will fit. No extra charge

• Rent a back up dress for $25

• Dresses arrive within 2 – 3 days (or for the date you selected online)

• Return the dress with pre-paid, pre-addressed return envelope

• Rent the Runway takes care of cleaning the dress

• Daily Grommet has access to a limited amount of free memberships, where you can gain access to browse and shop skipping the exclusive wait list