Wear a Designer Gown to Your Formal Without The Designer Price Tag

I recently was invited to attend a ball. The thing is, I don’t own a ball gown. Nor do I want to – I’ll wear it once and it will cost a fortune. Then what? They go to the back of the cupboard and are very rarely worn again because your social group has already SEEN that dress!

Then I came across a few websites where you could RENT a ball gown. The dress of my dreams was only $89 to hire for four days. $89 FREAKING DOLLARS!

But Wait – There’s More!

Most of these places don’t just have ball gowns or designer formal dresses, they have gorgeous outfits for events…. Imaging the expense of going to say the races for a girls night out – think of what you would spend on an outfit, shoes, outerware etc. Now compare that to HIRING a designer outfit – it comes out so much cheaper. I’m thinking of doing this for my next event as I’m way to tight to spend cash I don’t have on clothing I’ll not wear out!

Events you should hire a dress rather than buy one:

Balls
Formals
Weddings
The Races
Engagement Parties or Special Occasions

Here is a list of all the boutiques in Australia that rent designer dresses, outfits, ball gowns, formal wear, cocktail dresses, shoes and even accessories.

Now I haven’t used all of these (obviously) – but I’ve done the research for you. Each does tend to cater to a slightly different market and style, so have a look, compare the prices and look at reviews!

The Volte

The Volte call themselves the ‘Airbnb of Fashion’. And not only can you hire a gown or designer outfit, you can also turn your own designer outfits into cash by offering them on the ‘market’ to be borrowed by others.

Designers: Alex Perry, Alexis, Alice McCall, Camilla, Elle Zeitoune, For Love and Lemons, Nicholas, Self Portrait, Thurley, Zimmerman

Dress for a Night

Based in Northern Sydney, Dress for a Night has a range of luxurious gowns perfect for any occasion. They carry designers such as Portia & Scarlett, Thurley, Camilla, Alice McCall and Jadore. You can also purchase ex-rental dresses at heavily reduced rates!

This Alex Perry Dress has a RRP of $1300, but you can rent it for only $219!

Rent a Dress Australia

Rent a Dress Australia have been around since 2014 and are based in Melbourne. You don’t rent the item directly from Rent a Dress, but through the owner, and the website puts the two and two together. Rent a Dress Australia have over 3,000 garments available for hire on their website.

Rentals start from $20
Specialises in Club-wear and race wear.

Designers include: Mossman, Zimmermann, Dion Lee, Thurley, Bec and Bridge, Camilla and Marc

Glam Corner

Glam Corner is perhaps my favourite of the bunch (and where I will be renting my gorgeous dress from). You rent directly from them, the website is easy to use and everything just ‘works’. I also love how you can book a styling session with them for those of us who have no idea when it comes to clothing (cough cough, me). GlamCorner is based in Sydney.

Caters to sizes up to 22
Shipping is $10.95 – $15

Designers: Alex Perry, Alice McCall, Fame & Partners, Diane Von Furstenberg, Thurley, Scanlan Theodore

Dress Hire AU

There isn’t a whole lot of information on the Dresshireau.com website about who they are and their story, but they have some beautiful gowns and outfits – and they even hire accessories! They do have a warehouse at Eltham where you can try on dresses if you organise a time first.

Niche: Party-wear

Designers: Alex Perry, For Love & Lemons, Louis Vuitton, Scanlan Theodore, Sir the Label, Zimmermann

Get Dressed Hire

Get Dressed Hire is a Luxury Designer Rental Outfit located in Wollongong. They don’t just have ball and formal gowns, they have gorgeous outfits for the races, jewellery, millinery and accessories.

Designers: Alex Perry, Bronx & Banco, Manning Cartell, Portia & Scarlett, Nicholas, Thurley

Style Theory

Style Theory offer designer outfits either online or from their Melbourne store which is open six days per week. They strive for customer service and making their customers feel as good as they look!

Designers: Alex Perry, Dion Lee, Jonathan Simkhai, Rachel Gilbert, Scanlan Theodore, Thurley, Yeojin GBae, Zimmerman, Grace & Heart, Misha Collection, Rebecca Vallance, By Johnny, Christie Nicolaides

Your Closet

Your Closet is a luxury online rental ‘destination’ for lucky girls all over Australia. They have a stylist on staff to give you a hand and they are located in New South Wales.

The niche is designer dresses and special event pieces.

Designers: Alex Perry, Bec and Bridge, Camilla, Camilla and Marc, Dress the Population, Rebecca Vallance, Talulah, Thurley, Valet

Her Wardrobe

Her Wardrobe is the dream of a girl obsessed with fashion and clothing but was always broke because of the price tag. Her Wardrobe is located in the fashion capital of Australia, Melbourne. They even have an ex-rental sale area where you could pick up a bargain designer dress at a cheap cheap price!

Best for race day wear, special occasion dresses and designer gowns.

Designers: Alexis, Bronx & Banco, Danica Erard Millinery, Nicholas the Label, Rebecca Vallance, Self Portrait, Thurley, Yeojin Bae, Viktoria Novak

All the Dresses

All the Dresses has over 6,500 items for rent, from designer gowns through to handbags, jewellery, jumpsuits and Winter wear.

Designers: Zimmermann, Nicola Finetti, Zimmermann, Alex Perry, Jill by Jill Stuart, Bec & Bridge, Sofia the Label, Talulah, Misha Collection, Portia & Scarlett

My Runway

My Runway is one of the newer garment hire sites founded in 2017. They believe that fashion can give a woman confidence and that all women deserve to both look and feel like a million dollars.

Designers: Aje, Alex Perry, Bec & Bridge, Camilla, Misha Collection, Nicola Finetti, Rebecca Vallance, Self Portrait, Thurley, Yeojin Bae, Zimmermann