Award season is in full swing. For fashion fanatics like me, it’s a wonderous time of endless Instagram scrolling to see the red carpet gowns from every single angle, and weighing in on the contentious best and worst dressed lists.
Yet while it’s fun to watch, sometimes it can feel a little disheartening spending hours pouring over beautiful gowns and dresses that I’ll never have the opportunity to wear, never mind even come close to being able to afford.
Or so I thought. Then I stumbled upon the growing number of dress hire sites that are popping up all over the place. Offering women like me the chance to wear the latest designer pieces at a fraction of the cost, it’s an increasingly popular choice for weddings, formals and other fancy functions.
One such site is RunwayDream. Stocking dresses from a range of highly coveted Australian designers included Aurelio Costarella and BY JOHNNY, it’s clear why it’s quickly becoming a port of call for girls who want that glamorous red carpet feeling but don’t have the necessary budget to own it forever.
When the opportunity came up to trial the service and with a black tie function looming (and nothing I owned feeling quite right!) I decided to give it a go.
My first problem was deciding which dress to choose, although it was made easier by the refining options available on the website based on dress length, designer or occasion. Wanting to stand out from the monochrome crowd, I decided to look for something in a bold colour– and ended up stuck between a scarlet red Aelkemi one sleeved gown and an elegant cobalt blue Aurelio Costarella number.
Although it ships to cities across Australia, if you’re in Melbourne there is the option to try the dresses on before you decide which I highly recommend.
Even without proper hair and makeup done, I instantly felt a million dollars as soon as I put both dresses on. The sense of occasion they represented made me stand up instantly straighter, and the luxurious fabrics and incredible cut of both only made it even more difficult to decide which one to take out for a spin.
After much deliberation and voting from friends and family via pictures, I opted for the red Aelkemi number. Its flattering colour and slightly quirky design perfectly represented my style, as well as being the perfect length and hugging all the right places!
If how the dress made me feel wasn’t enough, the reaction of people when they saw me made the service even more worth it. Although I turned out to be slightly overdressed (clearly a lot of people have a more casual take of “Black Tie” than I do!) I felt good and confident enough not to care. Never have I received that many compliments (including from a random man who stopped me in the street!) and even my boyfriend commented on the number of people who went up to him during the night to say what a good catch I was.
The whole night was a surreal princess moment that all girls dream of and usually only achieve on your wedding day. If it was possible to be in love with a dress and a service, I’d fallen hard. Five stars from me!
While I still hope to one day purchase a designer piece I can call my own, for every princess moment until then Runway Dream is the perfect fairy godmother.
Want to know more about RunwayDream and how it works? We asked the founder Lauren to tell us how the whole thing started and how she decides which dresses to stock.
How did RunwayDream come to be?
RunwayDream was born from a love of fashion, and the age-old dilemma of having a wardrobe full of clothes and yet nothing to wear! I was tired of spending hundreds of dollars on dresses that I would only wear once and figured there must be other girls out there who feel the same.
Our mission is to give women the opportunity to wear a gorgeous designer dress that they may otherwise have never considered for themselves, and to help them feel like a million dollars when they walk out the door and into a room full of people.
Can you explain how the service works?
Quite simply, customers browse our collection of designer dresses via our online boutique. When they find the one they love they can reserve it for the date of their event using our online reservation system. The dress will then be primped, preened and packaged before being shipped to them in time for their occasion. We include a return postage satchel for each client so that once they are done with the dress all they need to do is post it back to us. We take care of all the dry cleaning, which makes the process so simple for our customers.
Why do you think dress hire is becoming such a popular solution?
I think as more and more girls are coming to know of the designer dress hire concept it is definitely growing in popularity. It’s always so nice to have something new to wear for each occasion but unfortunately not all of us have an endless supply of money to invest in piece after piece. We give women access to their dream closet by offering them designer dresses at a fraction of the retail price. This leaves them with more money for accessories, a spray tan, or even drinks at the bar! And after all, who wants to be snapped in the same dress twice!
What do you look for in dresses to buy/stock on RunwayDream?
When buying for RunwayDream, I look for dresses that will appeal to a wide range of customers and those which will suit a variety of occasions, such as formals, cocktail parties, weddings, the races, etc. I also try to select pieces that are popular with bloggers and celebrities as they are a great source of wardrobe inspiration for our clients.
What kind of feedback do you get from girls who have used the service?
So far, the feedback we have received from our customers has been incredible. One of the most rewarding things for me as the owner of the business, is hearing of how amazing my customers have felt wearing a gorgeous designer dress to their event, and how many compliments they received. Knowing that I have helped them feel this way makes it all worthwhile.
What are your tips/recommendations for choosing the perfect dress from RunwayDream?
Always adhere to dress codes, particularly for weddings.
Choose something that you are comfortable wearing, this includes high heels! RunwayDream offer a try on service in Melbourne which means you can try before you hire. Always a good idea!
Apply fake tan 48 hours before your event. This will ensure you avoid those embarrassing underarm tan marks on your outfit.