One of the most distressing things about attending a massive party is deciding what to wear. Many women who struggle with this concept attend several high-end parties every season. Between making sure the dress is in season, coordinating with any guests, and making sure you don’t repeat dresses too often, this frequently leads to expensive designer wear being left to sit in the closet for years. Sometimes, for certain functions, it’s simply better to rent than to buy.
Office Functions
Even if you don’t work at a very high-end office, any job you keep for a long amount of time will have several office parties. If you don’t want to run the risk of repeating your outfit a few times a year, this is a great opportunity to look fabulous and save a lot of cash. It’s also a great way to look fabulous and new each time you interact with your co-workers outside of the workplace.
Weddings (As a Guest)
Unfortunately, friends tend to overlap. The concept of the mutual friend is ubiquitous. In a small town or a closely-knit group of friends, every personal occasion tends to involve many of the same people. If you wear the same dress to every friend’s wedding, you’ll be in every picture in the very same outfit. Even if you only overlap a few, this can be a huge social faux pas; some friends may believe you don’t care enough about their wedding to find a new outfit. At times like this, it can be a much better idea to rent dresses instead of buying for each wedding.
Holiday Parties
Renting your formal dresses can cost hundreds, even thousands of dollars less than purchasing, even if you only attend a few parties per season. This is especially true with holiday parties, where glitz and glam are usually the order of the season. Much as with weddings, friends tend to overlap. Unless you want everyone to see you in the same few outfits over and over--or overspend when that money could be going to gifts instead--renting is a much better option.
All Parties (While Pregnant)
In general, for most women, maternity dresses get very little wear. No matter how full your social calendar is, the shape of your body changes so much with pregnancy that it can be impossible to find clothes that fit for more than a few weeks. Unless you plan on cycling through pregnancies every few years for the conceivable future, rent all expensive clothes during this time. Your wallet will thank you, and so will your maternity-stuffed closet.
Weddings (For the Bridesmaids)
Renting a wedding dress can seem very tacky. However, rending bridesmaid dresses can be practical and cost-effective. It is difficult enough to find dresses that fit every member of a bridal party, but being able to rent instead of buying means that as long as everyone treats a dress with respect, the cost to the likely over-paid wedding will be minimal.

















