How to Look Great at Any Event
Everyone wants to look great and feel confident when they are invited to a big party or wedding——but we rarely want to drop a lot of cash on a look we are only going to wear once. Plus, in this age of social media, you really can’t get away with repeating outfits too often.
Being in the beauty industry, looking pulled together and appropriate for the occasion is extra important to me. Here’s my secret…. It rhymes with Spent the Fun Way.
Rent the Runway is my favorite trick. It’s really not a well-kept secret but I’m always amazed by how many people don’t know about it, OR know about it but have never tried it! But every time I use it, I get compliments. Lots of them. Every picture on social media gets an “omg you look great. Love the dress!” “That dress, tho!” and “you always have the best dresses!” and the compliments come pouring in while I’m at the event, too. It’s no wonder, because many of these dresses cost way more than I would be able to spend to own it—-but many of them are just $35-$55 for a 4-day rental. I do own lots of great dresses, but I’d frankly rather spend the money on dresses I’ll wear often (like for work) than for a dress that I’ll only rock once.
This isn’t a sponsored post. I don’t work for/with Rent the Runway (although I would certainly love to!). But here’s just some unbiased information from a real woman who has used them a lot:
Consider RTR for more than just weddings. Here’s kind of a weird one, but when I explain it, hopefully you’ll get it. I rented a dark dress to wear for my Father in Law’s funeral. I know it sounds vain and obnoxious to rent a dress for a funeral, but I promise it wasn’t about me: My husband is very observant, and I was afraid that if I wore one of my own dresses he would be reminded of this horrible day every time he saw me in it. A much more fun option is to consider it for Halloween. I’m renting a dress this year, but one year I rented all my accessories (sunglasses, a huge pearl necklace, and big earrings a la Holly Golightly from Breakfast at Tiffany’s. I’ve also rented dresses for my birthday, Valentine’s Day, etc.
Definitely go for the PRO membership. It’s $29.95, but with it you get a $35 credit toward a dress rental every year in your birthday month (which is enough to either pay for a whole dress, or at very least, leave you with very little remaining). That right there makes it pay for itself, but you also get free shipping on every order (which can add up) and free insurance. You want this. For realz. I’m not saying to be careless with your rentals, but one time I ripped a dress, and another time the hem of my long dress was pretty disgusting looking after a long night of dancing in Puerto Vallarta.
If you’re worried about sizing, They got you. Seriously. You get a backup size for FREE FIFTY. Plus other renters do a GREAT job of leaving reviews and information about sizing. So if everyone says the dress runs small I order my usual size and one size down, etc. They also will let you rent a second style for just $32.50. Even if it usually costs more than that to rent. Let’s say I’m going to a wedding and I want something hot for the wedding itself and the rehearsal dinner? This option is a super cost effective way to have (and look!) more fun!
Perfect for when you’re losing or gaining weight. I was just talking with a friend who is 3 months postpartum. She isn’t back to her pre-baby weight (no one would expect her to be!) But she has a wedding to attend in a few weeks and would rather not buy a dress that will almost assuredly be too big for her to ever wear again. Renting sounds like the perfect solution! They do also offer several maternity styles as well, FYI.
If your event is on a Saturday, get it delivered Thursday. Their standard option is a 4-day rental. If you get it on Thursday it gives you a little wiggle room in case it’s late (mine never have been) but also in the (unlikely) event that you hate your rental or nothing fits, you can call their amazing customer service and get a new style overnighted to you. I had to do this once and their customer service was uh-may-zing. The other plus about getting it on a Thursday is that it would make your stuff due back on Sunday. But—-they know some UPS locations are closed on Sunday, so they extend it until Monday for you. Boom. Just got you an extra day. Your welcome!
Consider accessories. I already mentioned renting a necklace, sunglasses, and earrings for Halloween, but also consider accessories to really pull a formal look together. The site does a great job of suggesting items that may coordinate, or you can sign up for “mystery bling”. At just $15, one of their stylists will send along a surprise. I did this once and I was sent something I may not have chosen for myself but went nicely with my dress and I received a lot of compliments.
Long dress styles are available in Long, Regular, or Short hems. That doesn’t guarantee that the length you need will be available, but it’s certainly helped me. If you can’t get the hem you need, you could easily use hem tape to temporarily do the job. I’ve also used a sewing kit to temporarily tighten long straps and then just carefully removed the stitches before sending it back.
Read the reviews. This part is so helpful. Not only are there photos of REAL CUSTOMERS wearing the dress, but people usually leave valuable information like “not great for curvy girls—I was falling out of the top!” or “it fit really snugly in the thigh” to “the straps kept falling down” or what kind of bra worked best. The reviews help me decide if I think the style will flatter my body type which is made even easier because the reviews have a section for the reviewer to indicate their body type, their usual size, and their actual size worn. So I look for women with a similar body type to mine and go from there.
Make shortlists! If you click the heart at the top right of any style it will add it to your “favorites” but you can also make a short list for an event. Let’s say I was making one for my friends Adam and Jackie’s wedding coming up. I can name it “Adam and Jackie’s wedding” and then save styles I want to consider wearing for their wedding in that list. I can even specify the dates so RTR can let me know if my usual size is available during the dates I’ll need the dress.
No cleaning required. Just package everything back up in the garment bag they sent your stuff in, switch out the shipping label for the return label, and drop it off at your nearest UPS. They’ll worry about cleaning it and getting it to the next person.
Make sure to send it back on time. I honestly don’t know if you’re charged extra or anything, but the process of sending the dress back, having them clean it and send it to the next person in time seems intricate, and if you delay the process, you could really be ruining someone else’s fun night out. And you don’t want that karma.
Convinced? Give it a whirl for your next special function. Click here and get $30 off your first order.
They also have an option called RTR Unlimited. For $159/month you can rent 4 pieces at a time for as long as you want. When you’re bored with one piece, you can send it back in exchange for something new. They do have lots of work-appropriate dresses and separates available, so you don’t have to just be limited to special occasion attire. If you find yourself renting a lot, getting bored with your current wardrobe, or fluctuating in size/weight this may be the perfect solution. You could also easily sign up for this if you have a lot of back-to-back events and then cancel or pause when your calendar calms down again, since this may be cheaper than renting for each occasion separately.
Get $80 Off 60-Day Unlimited Trial with Code: OUTSMART (on top of the $30 off by clicking the link above)!
