Seeking Designer Duds? Try Renting.

18.05.12

Jennifer Hyman knows that a fashionable wedding can mean financial pains.

Nuptials are the No. 1 occasion that prompt women – both brides and guests – to visit Rent the Runway, the online shop she and business partner Jennifer Fleiss started started in 2009 that lets women borrow expensive designer clothing for a more modest price.

Now, they’ve launched a new Weddings Boutique section on the website that helps brides, bridesmaids and guests rent all the garments and accessories needed for a wedding – save for the bridal gown.

“There’s nothing a woman hates more than buying a bridesmaid dress,” Hyman says. “A woman can buy eight or 10 bridesmaids dresses that she may never wear again.”

Instead of asking friends to shell out hundreds of dollars for one-time formalwear, she says, brides-to-be can choose styles for their bridesmaids by designers such as Nina Ricci, Issa and Diane Von Furstenberg for about $75 a dress. They can also search through a variety of curated styles for all the events that lead up to the wedding.

Source: Charlotte Observer

Bridal dress boutique opens uptown

18.05.12

Lineage Bridal, a consignment boutique for designer wedding dresses, has opened a store in uptown Charlotte after years of operating as an online business.

"We’re very excited that our new boutique is designed with the needs of today’s brides in mind,” said co-owner Natasha Duff-Cole, in a statement. She founded the business in 2009, connecting brides-to-be with brides-who-were who wanted to sell their designer gowns.

The business also partners with other stores to offers dresses that are samples or from last season. Duff-Cole and Jodene Pooler also have "Finder's Service," in which they meet with brides, discuss their time frame and budget, and locate a dress to suit them.

“Our online presence has connected us to clients living in cities ranging from Seattle, Los Angeles and Houston to West Palm Beach, Chicago, New York City and Canada,” said Duff-Cole. The business will continue to operate the same online, in addition to the Charlotte store.

Source: Charlotte Observer

best of the best • Goodwill Hunting:

18.05.12

My obsession with thrift shopping may have started with my maternal grandmother, Helen, a yard sale aficionado. Whether it was staging her sale or the thrill of the hunt, all five foot five inches of her enjoyed it. She liked sale hopping to “see what’s there.” Today, like Helen’s era, yard sales are going strong and thrift stores and consignment shops are on the rise. Recent reports suggest growth in thrift shopping is due to the economy down-turn, but it may have as much to do with a greener mentality to recycle and repurpose. A thrifty bride and her mother recently took recycling to the next level when they scoured thrift stores for months buying china, glassware, flatware and linens for the vintage themed wedding reception staged in the family garden. The mismatched array of place-settings added a charm and uniqueness to the day. The bonuses are, they purchased the items for equal or less than rental fees, all items were donated back and tax deductible and mother-daughter had a wonderful time on the hunt.

Source: Morgan County Citizen