first things first.

have you heard of rent the runway? if not...here's a brief explanation...

rent the runway is a website where you can browse clothing, and in my case, dresses and jewelry and then rent these designer duds for a fraction of the price for the particular event you're needed it for. 

simple as that. 
last summer i rented a great nicole miller sheath dress for a wedding my farmer and i attended in santa barbara, california. it was short and glorious and i felt like a million bucks. i mean...don't mind the sun in my face. i couldn't open my eyes. anyway...

i was so happy with my seamless experience from last summer i knew i wanted to do it again this summer with another wedding we would be attending. 

in browsing, i think the part i love the most is when you click on a dress you get to see a ton of pictures of girls of all shapes and sizes wearing that particular dress. you get to see their bust size and body shape and really determine if that particular dress would be flattering on your body type. 

this is great for me since i have a super awkward shape - large bust, narrow hips, broad shoulders. 

hey hey upside down triangle. i'm built like a linebacker. 

so after clicking on about a trillion dresses i knew i was really attracted to the elizabeth and james dresses. all the reviewers said the fabric was of great quality and and they were super happy with their rental. 

i was sold. i ended up selecting the above teal dress with this super cute, scalloped, kate spade necklace. i already own similar looking shoes...so my look was complete! i loved the color of the dress and loooove the cut outs and racerback. my sister thought it looked a bit sophomoric, but i thought it made the whole look a little special. i was so excited to get my dress and try the look on together. 

fast forward to the wednesday before the wedding. i received an e-mail from rent the runway expressing how sorry they were, but that my dress wouldn't be arriving. the dress i chose was either damaged or unwearable, but not to worry...they sent me another dress they hoped i would like. 

i was like...this is bad. very very bad. i don't have the body type that can just accept any dress and it'll probably look good. nope! 

i was also told that if i didn't like the dress they sent i could select a different one and they would overnight it. this is great...had we not been on vacation in mccall! i couldn't get to a computer with internet to select my emergency backup! eff-word. 

alas, the dress they selected arrived the day before the wedding in two sizes...as did my necklace! the dress was also an elizabeth and james of a similar shape. the only downfall was that it was navy and didn't have a racerback. oh yeah - and the cutout was in the stomach! people...my stomach is not the highlight of my body. not even close. in fact...it's the worst part of my body. 

oh...and that scalloped, kate spade necklace? correct box...WRONG NECKLACE! they sent a completely wrong necklace. 
the necklace was shiny and sparkly and so far from anything i would ever wear...ever. not my style at all. i was so disappointed. you can totally see what happened in the picture. the wrong necklace was put in the correct box. the person that packed my package obviously didn't check to see that what was inside the box was what i had ordered. 

i do have some good news - the dress ended up working. i received quite a few compliments after i stopped being self conscious and hiding the cutout with my purse. seriously...i was holding my purse at the center of my body just below my boobs. i felt so awkward. 
as i gathered from the reviews the dress was of super nice quality, clean, didn't need steamed or ironed and a great length. it twirled and was perfect for dancing...unless you plan on spinning a lot. then you're definitely going to show your rear to all the guests...which is exactly what happened to me. 

rent the runway gave me a refund on the necklace, and had i not worn the replacement dress, they also offered a refund on the original dress. 

the end result - rent the runway wins again. not only was their customer service out of this world (seriously...it was WONDERFUL and they were super accommodating with quick replies), but i ended up being okay with the dress i was sent. i would have LOVED to wear the teal dress...and i'll definitely be renting it for a future event. 

the only thing you have to be aware of - you might have some hiccups, so if you plan on using rent the runway...it could go perfectly like my first experience or you could end up with a different dress and no necklace.

either way, i recommend. it's fun wearing a $400 dress for a fraction of the cost.