Last week, I had the pleasure of experiencing a private fitting at Rent frock Repeat and meeting Co-Founder Lisa. If you’ve never heard of the service, it is a boutique that allows you to rent a designer dress (that would usually cost you hundreds of dollars). Whether it is a black-tie affair, wedding or new years eve party, renting a dress at Rent Frock Repeat is a great way to wear a high-end designer dress for a fraction of the cost. There really is something for everyone.

Renting a dress from Rent Frock Repeat

Prior to your visit, you create an account to take a look at the frocks and create a wish list of dresses you’d like to try on and in what size. Online shopping can be a bit tricky since you don’t always get to try them on, but each dress here comes with great photos of real life models wearing them and very useful tips (ie. dress runs long or runs a bit tight). You can compare and see which model you are most similar to and see what size they are wearing for that specific dress.

At your private fitting, they will pull the dresses you picked out in your size prior to you coming in, so you can quickly change into them. Here were a few that I tried on:

Renting a dress from Rent Frock Repeat - David Meister and Tracy Reese
Above: Black One-Shoulder Gown by David Meister and a Copper Sleeveless Sequin Shift from Tracy Reese

Renting a dress from Rent Frock Repeat - David Meister and Farah Khan
Above: Copper Crew Neck Cap Sleeve Gown from Farah Khan and a Matte Silver Sequin Sleeveless Gown by David Meister (love this designer!)

These were definitely some of my favourites. It’s really nice to see the dresses in person, though it just so happened that the ones I liked online were the ones that fit me in real life. I love silhouettes that are slim and flare at the bottom, so naturally these were a great fit. What do you think? 😉

Renting a dress from Rent Frock Repeat - creating a wishlist

At the fitting, the stylist will help you write down notes as you are trying on dresses about the size that fit you and if it fit well or not. One of her comments was “size XS – beautiful!! please find some place to wear this dress to!”. This can be super helpful as you go back months later to decide on a dress to rent.

jewellery

Need accessories for your outfit? They had jewellery for rent as well, so no fret!

Beyond the price of the rental, you will need to pay for insurance and shipping. The shipping pays for shipping the dress to you and pays for return shipping as well. A normal rental will allow you 4 days (perfect for a weekend!) and every order comes with the same dress in a second size in case one doesn’t fit.

Overall it was a great experience and I would especially recommend brides to consider renting an evening gown from here for their dress change (maybe even a wedding gown if you find a good fit!). It’s also great for an event where you want to change things up and wear something fabulous/different.

If you are interested in renting a dress from here, let the girls at RfR know you read about it here to receive a special code! Simply email them at [email protected] and they will take care of you. Happy shopping!


Rebecca Chan is a Toronto event designer and event planner. If you have a brand activation, media launch event, design project, trade show or a special event, connect with her today to see how we can collaborate on your next project.