The last time I took a serious look into rental fashion was a couple of years ago, and in all honesty I found it wanting. The pickings were limited and one note, a few of the same brands dominated and more crucially, the sizing options were slim, literally. I ended up with a striped Balmain jumper and Chanel handbag for a weekend which was fine but not particularly thrilling.
Since my initial, unimpressed foray, the world of renting has exploded from something no one was quite sure about to a no-brainer for plenty. Harrods, Matches, John Lewis, Flannels, Selfridges and Rixo all offer rental arms for their collections; there’s Hurr Collective, By Rotation, Rites, My Wardrobe HQ, Cloan and Cocoon (solely for handbags). Friends pick up frocks for weddings, fashion-y types I know have a ticking over income from listing their hard-won sample sale pieces. This year you can even rent a Christmas jumper from Lidl, which is something in the face of novelty landfill I suppose.
