Life in Toronto means countless opportunities to dress to impress– whether attending one of the city’s countless fundraisers or fashion shows, or sipping cocktails in a luxury hotel lobby.
Naturally, maintaining a wardrobe full of never-been-Instagrammed clothing costs money, considering that your social calendar is usually jam-packed and money is something most Toronto millennials lack thanks to crazy high living costs. Dishing out so many dollars just to keep a roof above your head usually means small spaces and closets that are practically bursting at the seams.
In our age of minimalism, however (and helping the small condo cause), we increasingly value experiences – like concerts, festivals, and travel – over the accumulation of things. Here’s where renting clothes comes in to play and why it’s become so popular.
In addition to bricks and mortar shops and showrooms, the online clothing rental industry has particularly gained quick traction.
South of the border, subscription-based clothing rental has taken off in a major way in recent years, with Rent the Runway raising $210-million since 2009. The company allows women to rent up to four pieces at a time for $159 per month.
In the past few years, the clothing rental scene has also taken off in Toronto. While renting suits has obviously been commonplace for decades, people are now renting everything from ball gowns and designer purses, to fascinators, sunglasses, and even office attire.
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Rent, Frock, and Repeat – the pioneer in Toronto’s dress and accessory rental scene, recently took a cue from the U.S. by increasing its offerings to include everyday wear and adopting a subscription-based business model starting July 2019.
Members will be able to rent workwear, weekend wear, and outerwear, and will receive a monthly box of clothing delivered to their home. The pieces can be selected by customers, or curated by an in-house stylist. The company has just closed the doors to its physical showroom, and regular dress rentals are currently on hold, but will resume renting online in the summer as part of the subscription service.
Meanwhile, Studio Fitzroy has become a quick to go of Toronto’s society page regulars in recent years. The spot – which compares itself to your best friend’s closet, only “with better stuff” – recently outgrew its original location, moving to a much bigger spot in the city’s west end. Their sprawling showroom is open seven days a week, with no appointment necessary. In addition to dresses, you can also rent an assortment of handbags and fascinators of all colours.
Instagram/@fitzroyrentals
Most recently, startup KukaMelon launched in Toronto to offer sunglass and handbag rental on a subscription basis.
For $39 per month, subscribers can expect a prettily packaged designer purse delivered to their homes each month. They can also opt for sunglasses for $29 per month. Users ship their borrowed goods back after 30 days, unless they opt to extend the rental on a monthly basis.
Whereas it may cost, say, $500 (or more) for a designer dress in-store, rentals at Studio Fitzroy, for example, range from around $60 to $110 – a way more affordable alternative, especially for a frock you’re only going to wear once. Particularly if it’s an attention-grabbing dress – and most are – odds are it’s going to sit neglected in your closet for a good three years until the social media snap of you wearing it for the first time is buried far enough down.
Instagram/ @fitzroyrentals
If a showstopper is what you’re in the market for, renting may then be the smartest bet.
On the other hand, my closet is also full of timeless go-to black cocktail dresses that have each been worn multiple times – essential staples that can be faithfully pulled on a whim. When I purchase dresses in particular, I often base my decision on an estimated cost-per-wear breakdown.
Aside from saving money and closet space on clothing, renting clothes may also be seen as an ethical choice, as recycling clothing means less waste.
The move away from a wardrobe full of “fast fashion” or “disposable fashion” – A.K.A. the H&M and Forever 21s of the world – means that a growing number of people are also renting clothing in the interest of sustainability and keeping discarded clothes from piling up in landfills. With disposable fashion, both the style and the quality tend to have a short shelf life. According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Textiles Economy Report, the average number of times a garment is worn has decreased by 36 per cent in the last 15 years.
When it comes to designers, renting also gets the brand in front of new customers who may not otherwise wear it – something particularly important for Canadian designers. Rent, Frock, and Repeat has always housed a huge selection of Canadian designers, including favourites like Narces.
When we live in a city of shared cars, homes, and lives (via social media), sharing clothing and accessories seems to make perfect sense.
Featured image: Instagram/ @fitzroyrentals
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Looking back on the past couple of years, I can’t help but notice the impact that The Fitzroy Dress Rentals has had on the scene. A look into the hashtag #FitzroyFoxes shows women across Toronto wearing designer dresses (for all shapes and sizes) to the most noteworthy events.
I sat down with Angela Pastor, co-owner of The Fitzroy, for a Q & A to see how the studio became what it was, and why her company’s name is on the lips of little ladies across the city:
1. You originally started as an online and pop-up store. When did you decide to make the switch to renting dresses and accessories?
We launched the pop-up back in 2011 and the online store followed in 2012. Initially, the pop-up was just to test the market, try out different neighbourhoods and get to know our “girl,” what she wanted and didn’t want while we searched for the right location to put down roots. What ended up happening was that we saw a change over the years, particularly due to Instagram and social media, where women didn’t want to repeat an “event” outfit.
We heard customers in the store complaining about having to buy yet another dress, they saw it as an expensive and stressful hassle rather than a fun, feel-good experience. Because they knew that ultimately once that event was over, they weren’t going to wear that dress again, and they’d be stuck with it in their closet full of ghosts of parties past.
We didn’t know of any other dress rental place offering our style of trendy, boho-glam rental dresses so we decided to test it at our longer pop-up throughout the summer of 2016. We started with one rack, then added a second, then a third, and so on as we saw that demand and enthusiasm was way more then we expected.
“People are downsizing their wardrobes, simplifying their lives, and no one needs a closet full of gowns or a dress they wore to a wedding 2 years ago. We have too much clutter in our lives already.”
– Angela Pastor
2. When did you decide to get rid of your pop-up and move to a location to solely provide dress rentals?
By the end of the summer, we had six rental racks and found it was what most people were coming to us for. Women LOVED the fact that they could use the dresses and have that experience of looking and feeling amazing without having to commit to buying it. We’ve become very non-committal as a culture of late and that’s ok, we just decided to switch our business model to reflect that. It simply made more sense. Think about Uber, Netflix, Airbnb; the sharing economy. Experience over ownership. It saves you money and is more environmentally sustainable as well. It’s a win-win.
Once we saw it was working for us and how fast word was spreading we decided to end the retail side of our business and focus entirely on rentals. We wanted to stay in the neighbourhood where people knew us already, and we opened our rental studio at Dundas and Ossington in October 2016. As demand grew, we later moved to a larger studio space, where we currently reside, on Sterling Road.
3. How do you think that renting is shapeshifting the market?
As I said before, we strongly believe rentals are the future. People are downsizing their wardrobes, simplifying their lives, and no one needs a closet full of gowns or a dress they wore to a wedding two years ago. We have too much clutter in our lives already. men have been renting suits and tuxes for years, so I’m not sure why it’s taken so long for women to notice that party dresses are one-time-use items. Renting has become a huge global trend over the past five years or so, I think we’re just now starting to catch up here in Canada but more and more people are coming to us every day saying how much they love the concept, and telling us they’re never buying another dress again, so it’s an exciting time to be in the rental game for sure.
“We all get bored so quickly these days as we’ve been so trained to covet what’s new, what’s next. Renting allows you to do that without feeling guilty about it.”
4. Do you think people will be renting their wardrobes in the future? What do you see coming from this?
We definitely see rentals expanding and being much more commonplace in the future, including wardrobe swapping and sharing. It just makes more sense than buying, with dresses in particular. Some things you still want to invest in, like a leather jacket that you’ll wear every day for years until it becomes a part of you. But a dress? Wear it once then throw it back into the ring and pick another one! You want to feel excited when you pull out a dress for an event, not “Meh, I’ve worn this one before.”
5. Anything else you want to add about the future of rentals and how/why people flock to you and why you’re finding it such a success would be great.
I think we’re finding it a success because women are loving our selection and the styling service we provide. You walk into a dream closet, have your pick of the dresses, and have a personal stylist to help you choose the perfect one for your event! Our goal is to take the stress out of the whole “I need a dress” situation and to make it as easy as possible for you. You can see all of our dresses online and reserve them there, or just come in at any time (which we encourage) and try them all on so you have lots of options for all your future events. And because we don’t take appointments, just drop-ins, you can come grab a dress whenever is convenient for you.
Often plans change, weather changes, your body changes and what you thought you were going to wear doesn’t work anymore. Or maybe you got a last min invite but don’t have the right piece in your closet. And who wants to go walk the mall yet again? It can be really overwhelming, stressful and expensive. Come see us instead, even if your event is starting in an hour we got you!! We’ll hook you up and send you out the door feeling confident and fantastic. That’s why we love what we do.
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‘Tis the season to be jolly! While we watch our December calendars get busy with festivities, fun, and gift-giving, the expenses sure do add up. So before you drop half your rent on a party outfit, we suggest you take a look at our list of the best places to find affordable party dresses so you don’t go broke over the Holidays. And just because you’re on a budget doesn’t mean you can’t make an entrance. These stores have styles that will guarantee you’re the Queen of the party. #IwokeUpLikeThis
Zara
https://www.instagram.com/p/BbpYvz-A7cm/?hl=en&taken-by=zara
Surprise, surprise; Zara makes our list. The fast fashion retailer is known for pushing out runway styles for way, way less and when it comes to partywear, dresses are no exception. They have a ton of sequins styles for under $150 right now.
M Boutique
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bb-VWd5A7-J/?taken-by=shop_mboutique
If you’re looking to sport a fun, sexy look at your next Holiday party, M Boutique has got you covered. Shop a variety of fitted wrap dresses and pantsuits from $29 to $88. Check out their Instagram for some party inspo.
Fitzroy Boutique
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bb9hjVJhb5F/?taken-by=studiofitzroy
Haven’t been to Fitzroy Boutique yet? The studio boasts otherwise expensive dresses you can rent for $65 to $100. They’ve got covetable brands like For Love and Lemons, Elle Zeitoune, Narces, Shakuhatchi, Alice and Olivia and more. Swoon!
Topshop
https://www.instagram.com/p/BcIPIJQFfn3/?taken-by=topshop
Topshop is another good place to find a trendy party dress for less. They’ve got something for everyone – form-fitting short and flirty, maxi, and more – starting at $70. Whatever the party vibe, you’ll walk into the room feeling good.
Rent Frock Repeat
https://www.instagram.com/p/BbA0bkyDCon/?taken-by=rentfrockrepeat
Rent Frock Repeat is another awesome rental company to help get you through the Holidays with more money in your pocket #bless. They’ve got a ton of beauties from designers like Cynthia Rowley, Badgley Mischka, Nicole Miller, Narces, Pink Tartan and more for under $200.
Nordstrom
The department store never fails! Nordstrom always has a variety of mid-price designers to choose from plus if you shop online you can usually always find dresses on sale. They also have amazing customer service; book a personal stylist for free when you shop in-store.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bbw2dA2l0Kg/?taken-by=plrgboutique
Despite the title, you don’t have to be rich to afford a dress here. Poor Little Rich Girl has a number of chic and simple styles for under $200. You’ll definitely get a lot a wear out of a party dress from here as the silhouettes remain classic.
Where are you planning to get your party dress for the holidays? Let us know in the comments!
Featured image: Instagram/ @topshop
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