Until recently, the land of dress hire reeked of dusty dowagers renting mothballed taffeta gowns for charity balls. Yet, now that cash flow is low and acquisition is considered déclassé, dress hire has had a thoroughly modern makeover. These days, you can borrow current labels you’d actually want to wear. It can cost, sure, but nothing like what it would be to buy — those four-figure red-carpet dresses are finally in reach.
The new wave includes fashion stylists making use of their prodigious wardrobes. Gayle Rinkoff, stylist to presenters such as Zoë Ball and Claudia Winkleman, now hires out the gowns (by Matthew Williamson, Chloé, Prada and more) that her clients can’t be seen in again (£120-£150 for a “long weekend”; 07801 754756, gaylerinkoff.com). With them comes Rinkoff’s styling tips, plus bags and jewellery. Meanwhile, French fashion stylist Fanny Ghis has opened up Fanny and the Cave, a by-appointment London showroom of more than 300 pieces by, among others, Alexander McQueen, Bless, YSL and Hervé Léger (£20-£120 for three days; 07813 275496, fannyandthecave.com).
For vintage with a talking point, get to a theatre near you. The National’s costume-hire store in Kennington, London, has more than 50,000 pieces, including dresses worn by Helen Mirren, Zoë Wanamaker, Vanessa Redgrave and Judi Dench (yours for a week, with accessories, for £115; 020 7735 4774). Also try Manchester’s Royal Exchange, York’s Theatre Royal or Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum. And just for this summer, Peter Jones is hiring out its hats (£20 for two days; 020 7730 3434).
But it’s online shops that are really bringing the movement bang up to date. Fashionhire.co.uk has about 350 styles of high-fashion handbags — including Mulberry’s Mitzy tote and Balenciaga’s bowling bag (membership £10-£135 a month, plus £13 delivery). Want the feeling of real diamonds around your neck? Rentyourrocks.com loans fine jewellery for £50-£750 a week (delivery £10, insurance included). And girlmeetsdress.com — rental’s answer to Net-a-porter — stocks more than 140 dress styles, many current season, from the likes of 3.1 Phillip Lim, Basso & Brooke and Thakoon, in sizes 6 to 14 (£24-£215 for two nights, delivery £10). There’s new stock every week, and dresses can be exchanged if they don’t fit, free of charge.
The most modern point of all is the eco one — using fewer things to their full potential is infinitely cooler than fessing up to splurging a grand on a one-wear wonder.
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