Designer Hire

For me, most Friday or Saturday nights I go out into the city, whether it’s for a 21st, an engagement party or just catch-up drinks with mates. This means I’m often faced with the dilemma of what to wear and, if I need to buy something new, whether I can afford it.

Themed parties are the worst – you end up being forced to buy a ‘fluoro’ or a ‘1920s era’ outfit that you just wouldn’t wear on any other occasion. I’m sick of paying hundreds of dollars for a dress for an event, then having my photo taken and posted on Facebook etc. — meaning I can pretty much never wear the same thing again, or at least for a while.

Luckily, I have a younger sister I can borrow dresses from, and vice-versa. Try borrowing or swapping dresses with your girlfriends who are the same size as you.

You can also hire a designer dress from a service. Why commit to a whole purchase if you’re only going to wear it once?

Dressed Up is a great website for this. You can save hundreds of dollars by hiring, not buying. They have dresses by Wayne Cooper, Camilla and other popular designers whose outfits are also very expensive to buy. The cost to hire is relative to the actual RRP of the outfit you want, but most rental fees are under $100. You can search their inventory by designer, style or occasion such as ‘black tie event’ or ‘the races’, so it’s simple to find something perfect to wear.

And of course, there are multiple sizes to choose from. I recommend going in store to try on the dress before hiring online. If it’s not a dress you’re after, they also rent out skirts, tops and pants. They mail the dress right to your door with care instructions and return postage is paid for!

Princess Fashion House is a similar designer hire service but has more variety, offering shoes, accessories and even maternity wear if you’re not willing to spend too much on something you’ll need for less than nine months!

The same thing goes with handbags. Colours and styles quickly go out of season, so why buy one if it’ll just be collecting dust in the back of your closet in a couple of months. Mila & Eddie and Bag An Image are great sites for this.

Would you ever use a designer clothing hire service?

Image courtesy of Torley.