Christmas party season is fast approaching which, if you’re a girl, means one thing: time to find the perfect dress.
Christmas party season is fast approaching which, if you’re a girl, means one thing: time to find the perfect dress. What if for the price of an ensemble from Topshop you could wear a designer dress instead? Yes, Really!
Say hello to Girl Meets Dress, the online rental service that is making big waves in the fashion world.
“Girl Meets Dress is your new best friend with the massive designer wardrobe who is cool enough to let you borrow whatever you want,” says co-founder, Anna Bance. “We provide millions of women the ability to rent designer dresses and accessories for a fraction of the retail price, allowing them to look and feel beautiful for all of their special occasions.”
When it comes to luxury fashion, Anna certainly knows her stuff. After graduating from The London College of Fashion, she worked at top magazines such as In Style and Harpers Bazaar, before working for luxury brand Hermes as PR Manager. It was her time at Hermes that gave Anna the idea for the company.
“Working as PR Manager involved lending the collection of dresses and accessories out on a daily basis to fashion magazines, shoots, celebrities and journalists,” explains Anna. “I thought to myself, wouldn’t it be amazing if we could all borrow dresses for just one event, and wear a different designer for every event in our calendar?”
Anna and her business partner, Xavier de Lecaros-Aquise then became the first company to rent luxury fashion online.
Luxury on a Student Budget
With over 4000 dresses from designers such as Victoria Beckham, Alexander McQueen and Burberry, in sizes 8-16 and starting from as little as £29 for two nights, Girl Meets Dress is the perfect way to work catwalk glamour on a student budget.
So how does it work? First, find the perfect dress on the website. Then select if you want the dress for two or seven nights and the date you want it for. Customers can select up to three dresses to try on, making it even easier to find the perfect outfit.
After your event, post back the dresses using the pre-paid postage label and any that are unworn will be refunded. Best of all, you can rent up to three months in advance so there’s no stress that you won’t find a dress in time for your big event. Simple!
Why Rent, Not Buy?
Of course, the big question is: why should you rent instead of buy? Surely it’s better to spend your money on something to keep? Well ladies, have a look in your wardrobe at all the dresses you’ve bought for events in the past. Do you really want to wear them again? Twitter, Facebook and Instagram mean it’s almost impossible to get away with wearing the same look twice. Chances are, all those frocks are just taking up wardrobe space that could be used for something much more wearable.
“Rental is a way for consumers to extract all the value without the headaches,” states Anna. “Women can now easily wear more relevant, trend led, time-sensitive fashions, while continuing to invest and buy only in those classic pieces which will stand the test of time. “Hiring from Girl Meets Dress allows you to wear designer dresses for less than 10% of the asking price, perfect for cash-strapped students!”
And don’t worry about the risk of attending a typically rowdy student party or having a drink spilled on you in a club- the £7 insurance charge will cover anything short of total destruction.
Top Picks For New Year
Girl Meets Dress has this season’s trends nailed. Whether you fancy a little lace DVF number (£49), a stunning Opulence gold glitter prom dress (£49), or an Alexander McQueen tartan frock (£49), you’re bound to be belle of the ball this Hogmanay. As Anna says:
“celebrities have always been borrowing dresses for special events, and now that everyone is a mini-celebrity in their own world, all women can have access to this luxury.”
