So apparently it’s wedding season (I rarely get wedding invites so not a season I’m hugely aware of), which means you may have one coming up soon. If you’re in need of an outfit for this, or any other big event, have you considered renting instead of buying? I know right, such a millennial idea to rent instead of buy… I was recently invited to be a guest at a friend’s wedding and knew I had nothing in my wardrobe that would be right.

For the past couple of years I haven’t bought any clothes for myself from fast fashion retailers (e.g. ASOS, Zara, Topshop, etc…), mainly because of their lack of concern for the welfare of the people who make the clothes and their impact on the environment, but also because I’m less interested in following fashion trends now than I used to be. I find that all these high street chains pedal out the same crap season after season, and everyone ends up looking the same. When faced with the issue of buying an outfit for a specific event, I knew I didn’t want to buy fast fashion or have something hanging in my wardrobe that I wouldn’t wear again.

I had heard about the idea of renting outfits online and sending them back after you’ve used them, so I asked for recommendations on an Instagram post to find out which website I should try. The lovely Marta Canga recommended I try Hirestreet (she also recommended Wear The Walk, now called My Wardrobe HQ, but most of the pieces were too expensive for what I needed). I went ahead and used Hirestreet and found the perfect dress for the wedding! It was such an easy experience so I wanted to share my experience with you all so that you might consider renting an outfit for an event rather than buying something you might not wear again.

Here are the steps I went through when ordering on Hirestreet…

1. Go to the website

2. Select the type of product you’re looking for (e.g. dress)

3. Filter your search by occasion, size, colour, etc…

4. Select your size and pick the dates you want the outfit for (you’ll want it to arrive at least a day before the event so you can try it on!)

5. Add item/s to your basket (you can rent more than one outfit at a time!)

6. When prompted, make an account with Hirestreet (can do this at the start instead)

7. Confirm the delivery details and pay (check if there’s a discount code you can use)

8. After use, package in the return bag they provide and send back (pre-paid postage stamp)

I absolutely loved my dress from Hirestreet and was so glad that I’d had the perfect dress for the wedding without the guilt of buying fast fashion or buying an outfit I’d only wear once. I would definitely use Hirestreet again for a wedding or big event; it was such an easy process and loved wearing such a gorgeous dress!