How to justify wearing a £695 dress this party season

how to, how to justify wearing a £695 dress this party season

Emily Cronin

how to, how to justify wearing a £695 dress this party season

Emily wearing Saloni’s Camille dress, which she rented for £85 on Hurr – John Nguyen/JNVisuals

As soon as I opened the invitation to a drinks party and saw the “festive cocktail” dress code, I knew what I wanted to wear: Saloni’s Camille dress.

You may recognise it – the long-sleeved velvet midi dress with crystal-embellished bows down the bodice has become a new festive-season classic since Saloni launched it a few winters ago. Now it comes in multiple iterations, from black velvet with beaded and pearl-adorned bows, to a floor-length burgundy version, to a jumpsuit.

The only trouble is that I don’t actually own this dress. Versions of it have lingered in my Net-a-porter and Matches wishlists for what seems like forever. But I’ve hesitated to commit – first, because of the price: at £695, this is no casual purchase. Second, because I’ve wondered if it might be too specific a piece to justify splashing out on. It’s not the sort of thing you can justify on a “you’ll wear it constantly” basis when most days revolve around writing at home and the school run, as mine do.

The easy but irresponsible decision would have been to buy it anyway and worry about my credit card bill later. Instead, I remembered hearing that this dress was one of the most in-demand party dresses on a number of fashion rental platforms. And quickly found it in my size on Hurr.

how to, how to justify wearing a £695 dress this party season

The dress features crystal-embellished bows down the bodice – John Nguyen/JNVisuals

I’ve tapped into rentals for events in the past, finding fantasy dresses to wear to weddings and Royal Ascot. While renting rather than buying saves wardrobe space and money, there’s still a cost. For the dress I found, that cost was around £85 for four days – the minimum rental period – and I would have to send it back at the end.

I got over it. And rented the dress.

It arrived on Tuesday morning, I tried it on, did a twirl in front of the mirror – and decided that I couldn’t bear to wait until Thursday night. Why delay, when I could wear it to a dinner party that very evening? Possibly to a Christmas lunch on Wednesday, too, and then to the party on Thursday that inspired the rental in the first place.

Doing so would maximise my enjoyment of a dress I had for a limited time only, while also reducing cost-per-wear to less than the price of my Uber home at the end of the night – £28.30, to be precise. The beauty is that none of the events in my diary seemed likely to feature overlapping guest lists, so (as long as I didn’t write about the experience for a national newspaper) no one would notice the rewear (ahem).

On Tuesday night, I donned red tights, black platform sandals and clip-on crystal earrings and made my way to dinner at chef and cookery writer Clodagh McKenna’s house in Chelsea. Burgundy taper candles flickered from the beautifully set dining table while guests complimented each other’s looks. “Thanks, it’s rented,” I answered, and before long everyone knew about my plan.

Emily wearing the Saloni dress for the first time on Tuesday night

Of course, I’d have to keep the dress clean for the plan to work. The high-stakes nature of the enterprise became clear when McKenna brought out the main course: boeuf bourguignon. “Here, you’d better wear this,” she said, untying her dahlia-print apron and handing it over.

On Wednesday, I wondered if the black velvet might be too strong for a festive lunch in Notting Hill. Screw it, it’s Christmas, I thought, and zipped into the dress again – this time swapping out the red tights and platforms for lace tights and flat patent Mary Janes. The black velvet proved just strong enough when I found myself sharing a lift with goth fashion icon Michele Lamy, who also wore head-to-toe black. (I may have imagined it, but I think she shot me an approving glance.)

The festive period is one of the most popular times of year for rentals, along with summer wedding season. Demand is up across the platforms. At By Rotation, the fashion rental app, demand for festive rentals is up 230 per cent compared to 2022. My Wardrobe HQ’s rental orders are up 400 per cent on last year “as rental is now becoming the default option for many shoppers,” says founder Sacha Newall. And Hurr has logged a 160 per cent increase in average weekly bookings over the past four weeks.

“It’s hugely encouraging to see how well rental performs are at peak times,” says Victoria Prew, Hurr founder and CEO. “Rental is a great fashion discovery tool; you can access an incredible amount of styles and brands for a fraction of the price – people can have fun with it, which is why party season is the best time to try rental if you haven’t before.”

She says the Saloni dress is the platform’s top rental right now – a size 10 listed on the site will have been booked for 32 rentals in 2023 alone by New Year’s Eve.

The dress on its final outing to Winfield House, the US Ambassador’s residence

Mine held up nicely. On Thursday evening, spills successfully evaded, all it took was a quick steam to prepare the dress for its third outing, and the main event: drinks at Winfield House, the US Ambassador’s residence.

The beaded bows twinkled in the candlelight as servers circulated with trays of champagne and Shake Shack burgers. Across the Green Room, I spotted another guest wearing a different version of the dress – hers had silver bows. Before I could compliment her, it was time for carols.

On Friday morning, I was ready to return the dress to its owner. No one could say I hadn’t made the most of it. You might think I’d be tired of it after wearing it to events three days in a row. In fact, as I folded the dress into a parcel bag, I kept thinking of other contexts that could be livened up with a bit of sparkle and silk velvet: next year’s Thanksgiving dinner. The school carol concert. The Nutcracker… Maybe it’s not too specific, after all. Did I mention that it comes in green?

The top 5 party dresses to rent this season

how to, how to justify wearing a £695 dress this party season

dresses

Rotate Birger Christensen Puff sleeve dress, rent from £55, Rites; Self Portrait Sequin dress, rent from £10, By Rotation; The Vampire’s Wife Silk dress, rent from £153, Matches Fashion Rental

how to, how to justify wearing a £695 dress this party season

dresses

Galvan One shoulder dress, rent from £12, My Wardrobe HQ; Queens of Archive Starling dress, rent from £59.16 for 4 days, Hurr

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