Have you been craving new dresses for no reason at all? Don’t worry, this is just a natural effect of summer’s proximity.

The solution to occasion shopping

Rent The Runway is a company that allows you to rent designer dresses, handbags, and jewelry for special events or to add to your daily wardrobe rotation. The concept expands into a monthly subscription to get one dress every month and an unlimited membership that lets you rent three items at a time, keep them for as long as you want and swap them for new ones anytime. You also have the option to buy the clothes at a discount. The “entry level” option is just renting one item at a time, but no shipping or dry cleaning fees are charged, which makes it even easier. The one-time rentals have 4 and 8 day period options, and you get two sizes (just in case).

As a minimalist, I struggle to switch away from my go-to basics, but I’m sure a time is coming where I’ll have an “important” event (because friends weddings are not important?), when I’ll have to look more “business woman who likes to have fun at a cocktail party -but not too much fun- plus dresses super well”, and for when that time comes, I’ll know where to find that dress.

Not for millennials?

Looking at the prices to rent one dress, I imagine Rent The Runway is not a concept that particularly appeals to millennials: we are used to extremely cheap clothes in abundance, so the prospect of a special event is only another excuse to go buy something new, isn’t it? We are not used to spending $200 to buy a dress, so paying that price for renting it could seem excessive to those living in their parent’s basements.  At this point, I would like to clarify that I do not live in my parents’ basement.

Although some must-have designers are missing (Alexander Wang, Alexander McQueen, insert another indie designer named Alexander as well), you can find timeless dresses that you would only wear at the Oscars, that’s why it makes sense to rent them and not buy some lower quality dress that other people could be wearing at the same party. The more I think about it, the more I want to do it, I just haven’t received my Oscars invitation yet.

Me: Do you have that dress Cher wore to the Oscars in 1988 in a size zero?

Rent The Runway: No

Me: (sobbing in despair)