The Look for Less

Every girl on campus wants to have all eyes on her at spring formal. However, finding the perfect dress can be a bit of a challenge in Greencastle, Indiana. The problem is that there are no dress shops within an hour of campus, designer dresses are too expensive for a college budget, and you’ve probably already raided your friends’ closets and worn all of their dresses. The solutions are: Buying a cheap new dress online, restyling a dress you already own, or renting from Rent the Runway.

Get the look for less online:

There are many ways to find designer replicas for cheap. Blogs such as thebudgetbabe.com and thelook4less.net are great resources to help you find the look you want for a fraction of the cost. Many of those blogs will direct you to retail stores such as Forever 21 or Target.

Pros: Nobody will even know that your fabulous find from Forever 21 wasn’t picked up from a designer boutique. You will save hundreds of dollars and look just as great!

Cons: Buying a cheap new dress will give you something to wear but it may not be of great quality. You run many risks such as having the dress tear or a zipper not working. Cheap dresses are not always reliable, so you may want to have a backup in mind. Also, ordering off the internet poses some challenges in itself. Without being able to try on the dress in person, you run the risk of it not fitting when it arrives on your doorstep the day of formal.  

Restyling a dress you already own:

There are so many other simple ways to get the latest trends for cheap. One way is to make use of Pinterest. Searching the DIY category will provide you with so many ways to put together cute outfits from what you already have in your closet. Renovating your look does not mean you have to pull from your wallet. 

Pros: It literally costs you nothing. Restyling allows you be creative and customize you look exactly the way you imagined it. By doing so, you guarantee that nobody else will be wearing the same thing! Nothing is worse than showing up to an event and seeing others in the same outfit. This way, no one will have to decide who wore it best.

Cons: You may have to ruin something you already own in the altering process.

Renting from Rent the Runway:

Rent the Runway is the ultimate fashion secret. This site allows you to rent designer dresses and accessories – everything you need to look fabulous for rent at 90% off retail prices! There’s no better way to keep your wardrobe absolutely fresh on a college budget.

The campus reps for Rent the Runway at DePauw want to help you get the looks you love this formal season, so they are hosting a trunk show on April 24th from 7:00-9:00pm in the Hub UB room 231/232. Make sure you stop by to gain access to designer dresses available to try on, get personal styling advice, and rent on the spot for a flat rate of $50. Any girl who purchases a dress at the Trunk Show will receive a complementary free gift too!

Pros: Rent the Runway offers the quality you cannot get with the other two options. The dresses are dependable. You do not have to worry about them ripping or breaking during your big event.

You get a free backup size with your order, just in case the first one doesn’t fit. You can still have the designer label you want without breaking the bank. Why spend a fortune on a dress you will only wear once?

Cons: You cannot keep this dress. It is only yours for 4-8 days depending on the length of time that you rent it.

Doesn’t everyone deserve to look fabulous, even on a budget?