A Close Look at the Rent the Runway Sale

The Rent the Runway sample sale is well underway at 260 Fifth Avenue.  The sale itself has gotten mixed reviews from our readers who complained about the clothing being damaged and pricing… Artsy Anna took a look this morning. Here’s her report:

The Rent the Runway Sale near the Flatiron has “gently used” retired dresses from their rental website that you can own for a discount of what it would cost to buy new elsewhere.

I waited for the sale to open this morning and was the third of five people in line behind the velvet rope entrance. Once I checked my bag, I made my way to the racks.  Most of the brands are pretty good and all sizes have plentiful stock.

The sale advertises “up to 95% off” but I didn’t really find too many discounts that high.  Here’s a selection of what I did find:

• A blue Tibi Melissa Mini Shift is $80 (retail $330)
• An Herve Leger Pink Palm Dress $534 (retail $1590)
• An Herve Leger Razzle Scoop Bandage Dress $245 (retail $750)
• A Halston Heritage Disco Party Dress $83 (retail $495)

I was happy to spot some gorgeous pieces from Lela Rose but sadly the now tattered Ivory Ombré Dream Dress had been previously loved too much to justify a $308 price tag even though it retails for $1695.

The accessories were unimpressive. A table of metallic Lauren Merkin Diana Clutches with the gold worn away from being carried ($48, retail $195) seemed to tell tales of long nights out and walks of shame home.  Diane von Furstenberg Jungle Dream clutches looked almost as tired as the Lauren Merkins.

There’s also a table of heavily discounted costume event jewelry from Badgely Mischka, Lee Angel, and Nicole Miller but personally I’d rather save up for the real thing.

All in all, this is a good bet if you have a party, a date, or an event coming up that you need a dress for and can’t pay full price or wait for a retail sale. That said, I didn’t find any super bargains or must haves.

-Artsy Anna

 Where/When:  260 Fifth Ave. (b/w 28^th & 29^th), Oct 1-6^th; Mon-Fri (10-7p), Sat (10-5p).