Going Green: Designer Party Frocks and Their Wallet-Friendly Alternatives

Retail stores and fellow stylists alike are getting ready for the holiday season and all the fashionable events that come with it.  I don't know about your inbox, by mine is inundated with emails covering all the best party frocks in town.  If you don't feel like renting that designer special occasion dress, here are some designer suggestions and their wallet-friendly alternatives:

Kermit had it all wrong- it is easy being green!

1) WhoWhatWear suggested this Elizabeth and James Penelope Dress ($365) from Saks. The color is bright, fresh, and youthful.  The strapless dress is always a party pleaser.  The great part about this dress is the black tie waist, which will emphasize the waistline and give you more of an hourglass figure.  You could eat a steak in this dress and still feel comfortable!

2) For the frugalista, Bloomingdale's Aqua line has a strapless satin tube dress ($88) in a similar jade green color.  Stylist Tip: You can belt a shapeless dress to give you the same curves.  I prefer to use a stretch belt (as pictured) versus one with belt holes to adjust the size.

3) The Aqua silk taffeta bow dress from Bloomingdale's ($220) has a sweet ballet feel to it.  Stylist Tip: Want to take it up a notch?  Belt this one as well!  Just make sure you lay the belt across the already defined waist line (hide the seam).

4) One shoulder dresses are all the rage right now.  Try BCBG's one-shoulder cocktail dress ($148) from Saks with the drop wait.

5) If you want to go with something a little more funky this holiday season, the Phoebe Couture Strapless silk dress with zipper (ON SALE $246.50) is the way to go.

Look Like a Million Bucks for Cheap- Rent the Runway Instead

What a great idea!  You can give your already smoking credit card a rest this holiday season by simply renting your party frocks.  Rent the Runway allows you to looks like a million bucks without having to spend a million bucks.

What if your closet was big enough to hold all the latest runway trends? What if, just for a night, you could experiment a little - say, try a one-shoulder dress in a deep, sexy red? What if that dress you saw in Vogue, the one with the stratospheric price tag, was suddenly affordable? What if you had an entire rack lined with styles that were perfect for any special occasion, another filled with cheeky ’80s redux?

 

 

All you have to do is browse the site to find something you like, tell them when you want it delivered, the voila, it's on your doorstep for the rental price of 10% of the MSRP.  And just to make the deal even sweeter, they will send you two different sizes to ensure one of them will fit!  Then when you're done, just re-pack it in their pre-paid envelope and drop it in the mailbox.

Word of caution to my curvier ladies, right now they only carry sizes 0-10.  On the plus side (no pun intended), they are expected to have a greater selection of sizes (up to 14), as well as accessories, in the months coming up.

Alice + Olivia dress only $50 to rent!

Images and quote courtesy of Rent The Runway