Rent your holiday party look for less
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- As if shopping for everybody on your holiday list isn't already an expense, dressing up for holiday parties can really break the bank, which is why renting might be a good idea. Renting dresses isn't a new concept, but two women here in Houston saw a flaw in the renting business and decided to make it more accessible.
Zhanna Babchuk tried shopping the big dress rental websites, but she couldn't find her size. She preferred shopping at boutiques and knew the rental dress websites were taking a toll on their businesses, so she decided to combine the two and create Poshare.com.
"I work with local boutiques across the United States," says Babchuk.
Poshare is a dress and accessory rental website using boutiques as the clothing source.
"Dress rental starts at about $25 for four days of rental," Babchuk explains.
Paola Kustra loves luxury handbags. She wanted to rent a handbag weekly rather than monthly - which isn't typical on bag rental sites - and she wanted a less expensive price.
"It's very hard to spend the whole salary on a handbag, right?" says Kustra.
Kustra founded the luxury handbag rental website BagRomance.com.
"You can rent handbags for $50 and up, depending on the bag and MSRP of the bag you are renting," explains Kustra.
Kustra and Babchuk say renting is the perfect option for holiday parties. For a conservative corporate party, try a royal blue, lace dress by Adrianna Papell. It retails for $200, but you can rent it for $40. The YSL clutch costs $1550, but you can rent for $120 a week.
This $600 David Meister cocktail dress rents on Poshare.com for $50. The Chanel handbag runs for $2,000, and you can rent from BagRomance.com for $150.
For a black tie event, how about a figure-flattering evening gown? A black and silver-detailed fit and flare gown usually costs $400 but can be rented for $100. Even the jewelry is rented from Poshare. The fresh water pearl and rose gold earrings rent for $12.
To finish off the look, an Edie Parker clutch typically costs $1195 but rents on BagRomance.com for $75.
"It works really well with this dress because of that silver color. We love it for a really dressy cocktail party," says Kustra.
