Wear Wardrobe: Designer and Vintage Elements To Brighten Your Closet
Enjoy high fashion with a low budget.
If you’re anything like me, you constantly crave newness and inspiration when it comes to your wardrobe, and no matter how full your closet is, you often find yourself saying, “I have nothing to wear!” And, if your bank account looks anything like mine, a brand new Valentino bag one week and a Christian Dior blazer the next just isn’t in the cards… or is it? Here’s how to keep your fashion high when your budget is low.
There are lots of fashion rental and subscription services out there, but Wardrobe has recently caught my eye. Wardrobe is a designer and vintage rental company dedicated to making luxury fashion more accessible, affordable, and sustainable. Their site features thousands of pre-owned and vintage styles from brands like Gucci, Balenciaga, Acne Studios, Prada, and more, available for you to rent for a small fraction of the retail price. Once you’ve chosen the items you want to style, you can choose to rent for four, ten, or twenty days, and arrange your method of delivery. You can have your items delivered to your doorstep or, if you live in NYC, you can choose to pick up your rentals at dry-cleaners who are partnered with Wardrobe, known as Wardrobe Hubs and located all around Manhattan.
A few weekends ago, my friend Lauren and I decided to treat ourselves to a taste of vintage luxury fashion. My first (and one of my favorite) rentals was a green snakeskin Valentino bag, retailing for $2,400, which I rented for $30, and Lauren’s was a vintage white prairie dress which she rented for $20. I styled my rented bag with a Zara knit turtleneck I bought on Depop, a vintage denim trench I thrifted at L Train in Brooklyn, black leggings, and accessories. Lauren paired her rental with a black corset, graphic white turtleneck, and her signature ring collection. Renting items to temporarily add some spunk to our closet allowed us to rediscover newness in things we already owned and create new looks with things old to others, but new to us, without the devastation to our checking accounts.
The reality is, for myself and many others, when we buy retail fashion, we’re excited about our purchase for a month, maybe a season, and then the excitement attached to styling those items is lost. By always buying new, not only are we diminishing our bank accounts, but we’re supporting fast-fashion and giving into the unsustainable method of consumerism that has overtaken western societies. But, ethical and budget-friendly shopping doesn’t have to replace that rush of serotonin you feel from unboxing something new! Renting gives you this same rush of excitement, without the thousands of dollars in cost, and without the detriment to the environment.
After dropping off my weekend rental at a Wardrobe Hub, I placed orders for the upcoming weekends, giving myself something to look forward to and a feeling of inspiration in styling my daily looks. Up next: Gucci tee, Blackmilk faux leather pants, Moschino top, and Christian Dior blazer, total retail value: $2,280. I paid $80.
Happy renting!