Your Rental Wardrobe:
Wedding Guest Edit
Buying new clothes releases a dopamine in our brains, the feel-good neurotransmitter that reinforces pleasure and reward. This doesn’t just come from the purchase; introducing fresh styles and patterns and exploring the latest trends can make us feel excited. Luckily, renting an outfit can tick all these boxes too.
We would love to encourage people to re-wear a dress and not feel so bound by contemporary society to always have a new outfit, but we must admit, weddings can feel a little different.
Why is this?
Well, we often want to show a couple that we respect the uniqueness of their event and we attempt to show this with an outfit chosen especially for their occasion. Fashion is a form of self-expression, of showing who you are and as a wedding is a particular day of celebrating people, we have this in our minds-eye as we choose a special outfit for ourselves.
And then, ‘the bad bit’
Annoyingly, even if multiple weddings have no guests in common- your Instagram feed has and contemporary society has taught us that outfit repeating is bad. (It is not.) It is now a social norm to wear a new outfit to a wedding and a lot of people may feel uncomfortable ‘not making an effort’ to buy something new.
P.s outfit repeating is actually cool now- sustainability is trending and we highly recommend you do it.
Goodbye Re-Greta Thunberg
We have found the following rental sites below to help you feel less Re-Greta Thunberg about choosing a new dress this wedding season.
All websites offer a perfect opportunity for you to experiment with colour and style and give you the chance to wear a high-ticket fashion piece- without the worry of not wearing it again due to our ever-changing bodies. (Or calculating cost-per-wear because I’m not 100% sure I will wear that glittery, feathery, sequin ball gown again, but I would like to wear it once).
1. One Hit Wonders
One-hit wonders (OHW) was founded by Sophie. During a move and wardrobe declutter she found a sad display of beautiful, never worn dresses still with tags on. Despite this, she still found herself looking to find a new dress whenever an occasion came along. The process was never enjoyable; endless scrolling, never the right thing at the right price, stressful, disappointing shopping trips- sound familiar?
Sophie runs OHW and wants to help you find your perfect dress for the occasion, she’s also happy for you to send her what you’re looking for in hope that she can help.
Editor’s Note: When I wanted to discover a more sustainable way to look chic at a wedding- One Hit Wonders was exactly what I was looking for.
Rent from Sophie from One Hit Wonders
2. Hurr
Back in 2018, CEO Victoria Prew realised that the demand for ‘newness’ didn’t fit in with a sustainable future. A solution? Renting not buying. From visiting lenders’ homes with camera in hand to a pop-up in Selfridges, HURR is now a destination with thousands of renters and lenders. They offer ‘full outfits’ so you don’t need to even think about the bag, the earrings etc. HURR Flex (pro or premium) enables you to rent more for your money- with a credit pass if you know you’ll rent more than one item. With Bump, Wimbledon and Mother-of-the-Bride edits; they really have got you covered (covered in sexy sustainable silk).
HURR also manage John Lewis and Selfridges Rental- where you can go on their website and choose from a range of dresses supplied on the John Lewis or Selfridges website.
Rent from individuals or from Hurr (who collaborate with lots of brands including Selfridges and John Lewis)
3. By Rotation
Since October 2019, By Rotation has always been a purely peer-to-peer fashion rental app. It is their belief that there are already so many clothes in circulation and they simply want to encourage people, you and me, to rotate their wardrobes and share their items through a trustworthy platform. They have also partnered with BLANC- an expert, non-toxic alternative to dry cleaning for all aftercare needs. We love their collections, accessories and that they now also rent menswear- sustainable suits coming in haaat.
Rent solely from individuals
4. Flannels Rental
When Flannels announced they were starting a rental service they pushed the idea of sisterhood and rental:
“the thing is, fashion and sisterhood have always gone hand in hand. The best part of the night out? It’s always been the getting ready. Picture the scene: there’s piles of clothes on the floor, make-up everywhere, music blasting and someone asking if anyone has a skirt that’ll go with this top or a bag that’ll match that dress. And this energy? It’s eternal. It started when we were children getting ready for a school disco, it was there when we were picking out prom dresses, heading out on a Friday night after sixth form or going on nights out at uni. Today? It’s still there.”
We love, love, love this energy. We also love that they have some insane ski outfits to rent (maybe not wedding guest dress appropriate…)
Rent from the Flannels collections
