Rent the Runway Review: Erin Fetherston Dress

Erin Fetherston gold strapless mini dress with ivory sash (0) // Aldo nude pumps (5) //
Makeup: Coastal Scents 88 Shimmer Palette (light yellow, gold, rusty bronze), ELF Natural false eyelashes, Stila stay all day eyeliner, NYX Lipstick in Snow White

Finally, my belated review of renting a beautiful gold designer dress from Rent the Runway for free (thanks to winning Jean's giveaway a year ago). Mind you, these pictures were taken after 4 hours of crazed dancing and sweating, so the dress is wrinkly and I'm surprised my makeup/hair even held up this well. Read about the magical evening here and see tons more photos of the food, fashion, and fun. Thanks to JJ for snapping these after the event and to Jeremy Lai for the official photos.

Remember my decision process for which fabulous dress to pick? Two sets of the Erin Fetherston Mikade Gold Dress with the beautiful ivory chiffon sash came in a USPS box, size 0 and 2 as I had requested - the second one is free, which I think is wonderful, making sure that your only worries before the event should be how to do your hair and makeup and not on squeezing into something that won't zip up or keeps falling off. The package was complete with a thin black Rent the Runway garment bag which to my pleasant surprise, was mine to keep, a sample of fashion tape that I didn't use, and clear plastic bags to protect the dresses. There was also a reminder on how to return and when - since my dress arrived on a Thursday and the standard rental period is 4 days, I had to return on Sunday, which was no problem. I just packaged the dresses only into the bag they provided, and JJ was so kind to run it to the blue mailbox nearby before noon.

This Erin Fetherston gold dress looked tiny when I opened the box - super short and kind of boxy. But when I put it on, it hit at just the right place on my thigh and the wiring in the bust and sweetheart neckline area helped keep the shape. The ivory chiffon sash turned out to be a lot shorter than I thought it would be, but figures ... my estimates were from a magazine page and the Rent the Runway model's length was accurate. It's still pretty and honestly the shorter length meant less tripping and possible horrid accidents. There are double hidden side zippers, helping to really seal everything in - something I've never seen before. Surprisingly the belly area didn't bulge unsightly after a stuffing dinner and the back also gave the illusion of having nice curves haha.

The Upsie Daisie clothing adhesive I ordered with the rental proved to work magic. I just adhered one side to my bra and stuck it to my skin, no irritation and it came off easily at the end of the day while staying relatively put through all the dancing and sweat. Not to mention, it helped to give a boost : ) I used 2 pieces, torn in half each. The double sided page full of these stickies costing $10 will last forever, probably becoming old and unsticky before I get through them all. They even included alcohol wipes to clean the skin of oil to keep it adhere better but I didn't use it.

I was a little worried, since late returns or missing items will be charged, but they sent an email saying "thanks for renting" when they received the package. They take care of all the dry cleaning and I got to enjoy my evening in a designer dress and not have to worry about it rotting away unworn in the corners of my closet. While I don't think I will shell out again just to wear a designer dress, Rent the Runway makes sense if you want a unique showstopper to make you feel extra glamorous on your special evening. This review concludes the 12 Days of Fabulous. Thanks for reading over the holidays!

Readers - have you rented a dress before?

This review is not sponsored and reflects my 100% honest opinion and I am in no way affiliated with this company.