Guest post: rent designer apparel and accessories to save!

Awhile back, I read about the trend of websites that allow you to rent designer apparel and accessories for special occasions at a fraction of the cost of purchasing – especially if you’re only going to use it once or twice!  I mentioned it on Facebook, and Jill said she’d used one of these types of sites and would be willing to share about her experience.  So, here it is!

As a mom of one preschooler, one toddler, and one new baby on the way, you can guess what my “glamorous closet” must look like: t-shirts, jeans, flip flops, and the occasional comfy pair of sweat pants. But high dollar purses? No, those days are long gone, and I can’t say that it bothers me.

Okay, that last statement was very true for a very long time. I was quite content with my Skip Hop Dash Duo Diaper Bag, because it has proved ever faithful through any adventure motherhood can throw at me. But then these words changed everything: 10 Year High School Reunion.

I started looking through my closet in search of something to wear to the informal meet and greet on Friday night, and the more formal main event for Saturday night. I managed to find several workable dress options, but ultimately ran into the problem of “What kind of purse should I have?”

My search for a purse started by shopping department stores, looking online, and at TJ Maxx. Nothing quite had the look I was going for, and ultimately none were affordable options for just one weekend.

Then I remembered hearing about a website that let you borrow an extremely fantastic purse for just as long as you might need it. And that is how I discovered: BagBorrowOrSteal.com (now known as Avelle).   You can borrow a purse, (or jewelry, sunglasses, or watches) for as long as you want – one weekend or a whole season. Each bag has a different rental cost based on the purse’s value.

After becoming a member, I chose a metallic copper handbag by Michele Inez for Friday’s event, (for $17.00 a week,) and a small BE & D tie dye leather wristlet for Saturday’s event, (for $12.00 a week.) These purses would normally cost over $265.00 retail, each! Which is why I paid the insurance of a few bucks for both…

I ordered the purses one week before the reunion, just to make sure they would arrive in time. They arrived beautifully wrapped, and I was blown away by the quality! Each purse looked brand new. The handles were not worn, the zippers were not sticky, and the leather was extremely soft and supple.

I enjoyed them for the perfect amount of time. Returns are free, so that was easy too. Just print your shipping label from the website, and take it to a UPS store.  And, you can save $20 on the cost of the membership by using this deal: enter GET20 when applying for your membership!

What about the rest of Springs Bargains readers?  Ever rented an item for a special occasion? What did you rent, and what was the occasion?  Worth it, or not?