I won’t be the first or the last person to ever panic about what to wear to a wedding. The truth is that it’s difficult because we’ve all been hard-wired into buying something new for the occasion. I imagine this is something to do with the psychology behind getting dressed–a new dress will make us feel and look better so we’re always striving for the next dress to give us that confidence boost. I get it because I’ve been there but there are two major problems with this thinking: One, it’s not ethical to continue buying a new dress every time there’s a fancy event on, only to never wear it again. Two, it’s not a financial option for most of us.
But what if I were to tell you that you can wear a new dress to every upcoming nuptial you’ve got coming up this year and beyond, that not only will cost you less but will, most likely, be more sustainable? Rental platforms have been growing in popularity especially over the past year and a half as we’ve examined how we consume clothing. Various apps and sites offer the option to borrow a dress (or other items) for whatever event you’ve got coming up. For me, finding my next wedding guest dress on a rental is at the top of my list.
According to some of the leading rental clothing sites, the appetite for borrowing is booming. Rotaro has seen “rental orders up [by] 800% since the latest phase of lockdown easing”. Tamsin Chislett, Co-founder and CEO for Onloan said similar: “We saw a 200% increase in enquiries for wedding guest rentals in June.” As for By Rotation, the app saw a +800% increase in views on their wedding guest collection too. If that’s not enough proof that there’s a high demand for rentals, then I don’t know what is. Below, I’ve curated some of the coolest wedding guest dresses you can rent for any upcoming nuptials you have.
Next up, the biggest autumn/winter 2021 fashion trends to know.