Today I thought I’d bring something completely fresh to the mix. And no, before you worry, I am not careening off the tracks and suddenly doing fashion *insert large air quotes.* I do however enjoy dressing myself and pairing colours and sheens in the realm of accessories as much as I do in the realm of home decor. Much like our PMQ, I don’t (currently) have the pre-requisite body to show it all off the right way, but gosh darn can I put a look together. A few weeks ago the Artillery School hosted its spring ball and I was tickled by the opportunity to get all dolled-up for it.
The ball was the perfect confluence of two big problems for me: my size and our geographic location.
See, I’m a tall woman, and am currently a plus-size (even though my weight looks proportional on me). I also happen to not live in a major city centre with tons of variety at my disposal. Luckily enough for me, I solved both of these problems back in February when I attended the winter wedding I did all the florals for // here // – through the power of the internet!
*Rent Frock Repeat sponsored this post, but all thoughts are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make PMQ for two possible.
Rent Frock Repeat.com (RFR) is like the big sister’s closet I always wished I had. Much like other sites that allow you to rent looks from the runway, RFR allows you to rent a gown for a special event, be it a prom, wedding (as a guest), ball, or other event requiring an outfit you wouldn’t always stock. The nice thing about RFR is that it’s Canadian, so I know I’m looking at gowns already available in Canada and with shipping rates for Canada.
I could go on and on about the upside to using RFR, and I will below, but I honestly can’t say enough about their customer service. I had originally planned on one look, but when I got the dress it just didn’t suit me. This would have been completely avoided if I had been smart enough to actually DO the Skype consult (which they offer for those of us who can’t make it into their show-rooms for a consult in-person), but like a woman who thinks she knows better, I did not.
Btw, did you know that you can rent a second size for the same dress if you’re unsure, for like an extra 4$? If I wasn’t already at the top of the available sizes I would have totally done that to avoid this.
I had planned a pretty in pink look with this Badgley Mischka gown in soft pink with sequins. I was gonna rock the heck out of it with a fun combination of summery accessories. However, with the dress not really working for me I had a few days to switch it up.
I immediately called my contact at RFR, explained the situation and they sorted me out in a New York Minute, and sent my 2nd choice dress. The dark blue velvet dream arrived the morning of the ball, just in time! Thankfully I was able to pull a look together – which I call Deadly Nightshade – based on pieces I already owned, and rocked it just as hard as I would have rocked the Pretty in Pink look.
Now, those of you who saw my look on my Instagram stories will recognize that some of the pieces in Deadly Nightshade look aren’t exactly the accessories I had the night-of, but these are the accessories I would have chosen had I not already purchased another look. Oops!
When the night was all over, I just had to pack my dresses back into the box they came in, printed-out the pre-paid return shipping label and popped them in the mail.
When you rent a dress (for 4 or 8 days), you don’t have to worry about washing it or taking it to the dry-cleaner. All that is taken care of by RFR and the dress is even insured, so if something happens to it like a rip or a stain, you’re covered. Phew!
I want to mention these other pluses real quick:
- They cary a wide variety of sizes (so the bigger women like myself aren’t left-out)
- Their styles update seasonally
- They cary designer names and styles, so it’s not like you’re renting your baby sister’s closet. You can peep the entire list of designers // here //
- The prices range from $80 – $180 for a 4 day rental, so there’s some wiggle room in the budget depending on the dress code for your event.
- They offer a Skype consult (Or in person if you live near their showrooms) for your rental, and you should totally do it.
- If you’re curious about the whole process you can check that out // here //
If I’ve learned anything from this experience, my second rental with them, is that it’s amazing to not have to worry about finding a dress at the right price that you think you can justify or wear again later. I’m vain enough that I won’t be caught wearing the same gown twice at the same posting, and my size has fluctuated so much that I can’t safely wear it again next posting, so this is honestly the most perfect service ever created.
If you’re like me in that you’re hard to size, living in the middle of nowhere, or can’t justify the cost of a dress you won’t wear more than once – you need Rent Frock Repeat.com in your life.
