

“Every woman has the feeling of opening up her closet and seeing the dozens of dead dresses that she’s worn only once,” she told me recently. Even so, the weeds are starting to choke the garden.Īccording to Jennifer Hyman, the C.E.O. The return window closed long ago that’s seventy-nine dollars added to my open tab of sartorial bets made and lost, joining the expensive brocade palazzo pants I wore to a fancy function and then forgot about, and the mom jeans that I got on a trip to Stockholm, where they seemed safely on the hip side of hideous. At home, my unsparing mirror told the truth: I was Big Bird with pockets. In the dressing room, I thought that it made me look cheerful, like a modest yet sexy daffodil. It is also bright yellow, somewhere between ripe banana and free-range egg yolk. The dress is a hundred per cent cotton, midi length, and belted at the waist. I bought it at Zara last April, in a flush of springtime optimism. Got a big event coming up? Book an appointment with a stylist for $25 at /stores.At the back of my narrow New York City closet, squished between a thick sweater that has gone ignored since last winter and a long-retired pair of floral-print jeans, is a dress that I have never worn. Stop by the new Rent the Runway store at 710 North Wabash Avenue from 11 a.m. “Chicagoans follow suit,” she says, “but also gravitate toward designers such as ML Monique Lhuillier and nha khanh."

However, she says that their customers generally go for “elegant” looks and “classic” designers, such as Badgley Mischka, Nicole Miller, Shoshanna, and Halston Heritage. Hyman says that each store’s merchandise is tailored to “the needs of the women in the area,” but doesn’t give specifics. Four-day apparel rentals start at $30 and run up to $800, while accessories rent at price points from $5 to $400. And of course, the biggest perk is actually trying on the dresses in person instead of crossing your fingers and clicking “rent” online.
RENT THE RUNWAY CHICAGO FULL
The store is done up in shades of gold, silver, and champagne-it has to match the gowns, after all-and is full of perks such as seating enclaves, in-store styling appointments, and same-day rentals for those who, like Cinderella, are never quite sure they’re going to make it to the ball until the last minute. In fact, as part of our retail launch in Chicago, we have partnered with a variety of local, smart, entrepreneurial women to create content that highlights their passions, pursuits, and the inspirations behind them.” “Chicago is already home to some of our most loyal customers,” says Jennifer Hyman, CEO and co-founder. “We wanted to bring them the option to rent, see, and try on beautiful designer dresses in person. This will be the brand’s third freestanding store to date, and its first in the Windy City. On April 30, Rent the Runway will unveil its most fashionable look yet: a 2,940-square-foot store in the Gold Coast.
