Chicago’s new Rent the Runway store bustled Wednesday with women shopping for weekend Kentucky Derby parties, the James Beard Awards and the start of summer wedding season.
“This is a procrastinator’s dream,” said Carly LeTourneau as she tried on a long watercolor print Hunter dress for a wedding she was attending Sunday in Palm Beach.
“I went to six different stores yesterday and was freaking out,” LeTourneau said. “A girlfriend in D.C. said, ‘We have a Rent the Runway; is there one in Chicago?'”
The Gold Coast store, at 710 N. Wabash Ave., opened its doors just in time for LeTourneau to walk in and get help from a stylist who adjusted the fit of the dress as LeTourneau stood before the Selfie Mirror (so-named because it snaps photos from different angles and e-mails them to the shopper for future reference).
“I probably never would have picked this out,” LeTourneau said, debating between the Hunter dress and a tangerine Halston Heritage dress as her fiance sat on one of the tufted sofas, glancing up periodically from his smart phone. “I think I like this one!” she said.
Founded in 2009, Rent the Runway began online, renting designer gowns and special-occasion dresses to women across the country, saving them hundreds or even thousands of dollars on a purchase that they likely would wear once or twice.
Since then, CEO Jennifer Hyman and Head of Business Development Jennifer Fleiss have expanded their mission to de-stigmatize rental fashion, adding day dresses and accessories and, just Thursday, sportswear from brands such as Derek Lam, Giambattista Valli and Opening Ceremony.
In just over a year, they’ve opened two storefronts in New York and one each in Las Vegas; Washington, D.C.; and Chicago. They hope to add 15 more, including in Los Angeles, Houston and Boston.
The 2,490-square-foot Chicago storefront had its grand opening Thursday, introducing its rotating inventory of dresses, jumpsuits, rompers, jewelry and handbags from more than 300 designers, including Nicole Miller, Diane von Furstenberg, Valentino, Tibi, Marchesa Notte, Marina Rinaldi, Clover Canyon and Vera Wang. Four-day apparel rentals are $30 to $800 and are available in sizes 0-22, and accessory rentals are $5 to $400.
For a $25 fee, shoppers can book 45-minute appointments with a stylist who pulls looks based on the customer’s style profile. A shopper who wants to line up several looks can book a 90-minute styling session for $40.
Shopping in advance maximizes the available selection and enables the store to ship the desired style and size from its 160,000-square-foot warehouse in New Jersey, which packs more than 65,000 designer dresses and 15,000 accessories.
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But walk-in shoppers and same-day rentals are welcome. Fresh inventory will be shipped to the Gold Coast store several times a week via UPS.
As shoppers enter, the evening/black-tie salon is to the right and the day-dress salon is to the left, with pieces grouped by color and sleeve length. In the middle is the fitting area, what staff call the “the inner sanctum.” Dressing room mirrors can be set to evening, office or outdoor lighting. iPad minis outside the door allow stylists to upload each dress the guest tries on and to add comments. Guests can access this information on the Rent the Runway website.
Like Netflix for fashion, a new subscription option, Unlimited, allows shoppers to rent as many items as desired (up to three at a time) for $99 a month; the first month is $49.
Chicago-area women who order online can pick up their order in person for free, or swap one item for another if they’re not 100 percent happy with it. Following a four- or eight-day rental, customers can either return their items to the Gold Coast location or send them back via the provided pre-paid envelope.
Rent the Runway handles the dry-cleaning; insurance coverage is included in the rental fee.
It’s a low-risk, low-pressure way to try out a new designer, which is why the founders have succeeded in recruiting designers to their model. Rather than cannibalize business, it’s a way for designers to reach new customers. And hook them (which may be the biggest risk to shoppers).
The Chicago store is the first to feature local entrepreneurs in its Real Runway program. They include Elaina Vazquez, founder and CEO of Boutique Bites, and Coco Meers, founder and CEO of Pretty Quick; among others.
The space is available for private events; packages include renting the space for two hours or a full day of personal styling services.
Rent the Runway is at 710 N. Wabash Ave., (312-288-7570, http://www.RenttheRunway.com/stores)