Every girl loves to feel beautiful, that is a given. For most of us, the opportunity to get glammed up is a rare one. And I’m not just talking throwing on your 6-inch stilettos with those expensive jeans that make your butt look like J.Lo’s. I’m talking really glammed up; I’m talking blinged out cocktail dresses that bring out your inner diva and floor length gowns that make you feel like a princess.
The thing is, when investing in a real stand-out dress, it is highly unlikely that you are going to get any return on your fabulous investment. I mean, how many times are you going to wear a dress that you only bought so people would notice you? The first time, you feel like a million bucks and parade across the room peacocking your utter awesomeness and style brilliance. The second time is a different but equally rare event three months down the line and you figure there won’t be many of the same peeps attending. You were wrong. But even though this wear may not be quite as exciting, you are still getting enough smug-worthy comments from new faces so it’s all good. The 3rd, 4th, and 5th times pass and now you are the girl who always wears the same dress to every party, and let’s be honest… nobody wants to be that girl. And we ladies over at VTV tend to feel that exact fashion pressure around this time each year as we prepare to cover the Toronto International Film Festival. That’s alotta parties and red carpets in 10 days… how exactly is a girl expected to keep up?!
Enter Rent Frock Repeat. Lisa Delorme and Kristy Wieber are real Fairy Godmothers for the frock-loving kind. They saw a gap in the market and got straight to work to provide designer dresses as rentals for eager fashionistas everywhere. Vicki and I were fortunate enough to head down to their showroom to try on an array of dresses to wear while we’re covering TIFF… yup this is technically ‘work’. Bloody love my job.
I have never had a high-end designer dress on my body before. Ever. Jeans? Yes. Shirts and blouses? Maybe one or two. But I have never been able to warrant spending big bucks on something I’ll wear once or twice. I love fashion but a girl’s got to be savvy. So imagine my absolute wonderment when I finally felt the quality and weight of designer threads on my bare skin. I was in heaven. I found myself fighting an internal battle about whether or not to keep a dress on just a few minutes longer or eagerly rip it off so I could try a different version of paradise. Yeah, it was that good. Everything fit better, the fabric flowed more elegantly and my best features looked even better swaddled inside the exquisite designs. To say I was sad to put back on my H&M tank and my Top Shop trousers is an understatement.
Now I’m sure I’m not the first to say that going into a designer boutique in Yorkville can be pretty intimidating and sometimes humiliating depending on the snotty scale of the salesperson. But the team at Rent Frock Repeat remove all that tension and provide the most warm and attentive atmosphere as they guide you through the fitting, offering recommendations along the way. They even suggest how you should wear your hair to better accentuate any detailing in a dress and offer references for what kind of jewelry to opt for. These gals know their stuff.
Vicki and I tried on a multitude of dresses between the two of us and we had to endure the painstaking pressure of choosing just five from the bunch. It was tough, but we made it through together and now we have a lineup of to-die-for frocks just waiting to squeeze our butts in them when TIFF rolls around. So while Vicki and I practice our ‘Who are you wearing?’ responses, I suggest you get online and check out rentfrockrepeat.com for your next swanky event… Oh, did I forget to mention that you can do this whole process online? You don’t even have to make a trip to the showroom to find the frock of your dreams.
I for one will definitely be back to rent, frock and repeat. And repeat, and repeat, and repeat, and repeat…