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As soon as I opened the invitation to the drinks party and saw the dress code “festive cocktail”, I knew what I wanted to wear: a Camille Saloni dress.
You might recognize it – the long-sleeved velvet midi dress with crystal-embellished bows down the bodice has been a new Festive season classic since Saloni launched it a few winters ago. Now it’s in multiple iterations, from black velvet with beaded bows and pearls, to a floor-length burgundy version, to a sweater dress.
The only problem is that I don’t really own this dress. Versions of it live in my Net-a-porter and Matches wishlists to look like forever. But I hesitate to commit – firstly, because of the price: at £695, this is not a casual purchase. Second, because I’m wondering if it might be too specific a piece to warrant flashing out. It’s not the kind of thing you can justify on “you have to always” basically when most days are spent writing at home and the school run, as I do.
It was the easy but irresponsible decision to buy it anyway and worry about my credit card bill later. Instead, I remembered hearing that this dress was one of the most popular party dresses on several fashion rental platforms. And I quickly found it in my size on Hurr.
I’ve used event rentals in the past, finding fancy dresses to wear to weddings and Royal Ascot. Although renting rather than buying saves wardrobe space and money, there is still a cost. For the dress I found, that cost was around £85 for four days – the minimum rental period – and I would have to send it back at the end.
I got over it. And the dress for rent.
It arrived on Tuesday morning, I tried it on, did a twirl in front of the mirror – and decided I couldn’t wait until Thursday night. Why delay, when I could wear it to a dinner party that evening? Maybe to Christmas lunch on Wednesday, too, and then to the party on Thursday that prompted the rent in the first place.
Doing so would allow me to get the most out of my dress for a limited time only, and reduce the cost per wear to less than the price of my Uber home at the end of the night – £28.30, with be precise. The beauty is that none of the events in my diary seemed to have overlapping guest lists, so (as long as I didn’t write about the experience for a national newspaper) no one would give the t -Repeat (ahem) cause.
On Tuesday night, I wore red tights, black platform sandals and clip-on crystal earrings and made my way to dinner at chef and cookery writer Clodagh McKenna’s Chelsea home. Tapered burgundy candles stood from the beautifully set dining table and the guests complimented each other’s looks. “Thank you, it’s for rent,” I replied, and soon everyone knew about my plan.
Emily wearing the Saloni dress for the first time on Tuesday night
Of course, I would have to keep the dress clean for the plan to work. It was clear that the venture had great promise when McKenna brought out the main course: boeuf bourguignon. “Here, you’d better wear this,” she said, untying her dahlia-print apron and handing it over.
On Wednesday, I wondered if the black velvet would be too strong for a festive lunch in Notting Hill. Screw it, it’s Christmas, I thought, and zipped into the dress again – this time swapping the red tights and platforms for lace tights and patent flat Mary Janes. The black velvet was strong enough when I found myself sharing a lift with goth fashion icon, Michele Lamy, who was also wearing head-to-toe black. (I may have imagined it, but I think she shot me an approving glance.)
The festive period is one of the most popular times for rentals, along with the summer wedding season. Demand is up across platforms. At By Rotation, the fashion rental app, demand for festival rentals is up 230 percent compared to 2022. My Wardrobe HQ rental orders are up 400 percent on last year “because rental is becoming the now a default choice for many shoppers,” he says. founder Sacha Newall. And Hurr has logged a 160 percent increase in average weekly bookings over the past four weeks.
“It’s encouraging to see how well rentals perform at peak times,” says Victoria Prew, founder and CEO of Hurr. “Rentals are a great fashion discovery tool; you can find an incredible number of styles and brands at a fraction of the price – people can have fun with it, which is why party season is the best time to try renting if not you already have it.”
She says Saloni’s dress rental platform is currently the best – a size 10 listed on the site will be booked for 32 rentals in 2023 alone before New Year’s Eve.
The dress on her last trip to Winfield House, the residence of the US Ambassador
My head held up nicely. Thursday evening, a spill managed to evade, only a quick steam to prepare the dress for its third trip, and the main event: drinks at Winfield House, the residence of the US Ambassador.
The beaded bows twinkled in the candlelight and waiters spread trays of champagne and Shake Shack burgers. Across the Green Room, I saw another guest wearing a different version of the dress – hers had silver bows. Before I could compliment her, it was time to carol.
On Friday morning, I was ready to return the dress to its owner. No one could say I didn’t make the most of it. You might think I’d be tired of it after wearing it to events three days in a row. In fact, as I wrapped the dress in a parcel bag, I kept thinking of other contexts that could be enlivened with a little velvet and silk: next year’s Thanksgiving dinner. The carol school concert. The Nutcracker… Maybe it’s not too specific, after all. Did I mention it comes in green?
The 5 best party dresses for rent this season
Birger Christensen Puff sleeve dress, rent from £55, Rituals; Self Portrait Sequin Dress, hire from £10, By Rotation; The Vampire’s Wife silk dress, hire from £153, Fashion Rental Matches
Galvan One shoulder dress, rent from £12, My Wardrobe HQ; Queens of Archive Starling dress, hire from £59.16 for 4 days, Hurray
