How to get the most out of renting

Carrie Symonds’s dedication to renting clothes reminded me to give this exciting new model a try, finally. I want to be a rentee not a renter though, because for the moment, there’s nothing missing from my wardrobe.

If anything it’s heaving. While I’m not bad at weeding through my everyday items, I can’t seem to get to grips with all my cocktail and party dresses. Some of them are 15 years old, but as good as new .

That’s probably because if you factor in how many times they’ve been worn, they are almost new. Yet I can’t imagine wearing some of them ever again. There’s the frothy white lace Timotei one, the strapless ball gown (really), the oneshoulder ruffled trimmed satin one (very Saint Laurent), the silk prom sleeveless ones (very Carrie Bradshaw), the gold beaded wrap dress (Helmut Newton?)… happy memories, which is why I can’t let them go absolutely. I just don’t want them clogging up my home.

I had been hoping my daughters would nab them – they’re in mint condition. But they don’t go to events that require that kind of wattage. Someone must do, though. Maybe these unworn beauties can bring them some pleasure, and me some revenue and space. According to Jane Shepherdson, the retail guru who last year joined Mywardrobehq.com, the new British rental service favoured by Symonds, “most people rent for a big party or event, or a wedding, so it does tend to be big-impact pieces such as our all over embroidered Gucci suit (RRP £3,000; rental £34 per day) which is constantly out”.

The other category seeing huge traction currently – at least until travel restrictions kicked in – is ski wear. Good to know for next year. My Wardrobe HQ has around 4,000 items on its site

(plus a few more once I’ve put in my contributions), which they’ve sourced from both individuals and directly from brands – everything from Chanel and

Gucci to Needle & Thread.

There’s no subscription – renters pay by the item.

Shepherdson, an industry veteran with an enviably stylish wardrobe of her own, says the strategy that works best for her – like Symonds – is having “a small considered wardrobe of pieces that are well made and will last and work with other pieces. Then, when I need something for an event, interview or a speaking engagement etc, I rent something.

“Recently I’ve worn the aforementioned Gucci suit, a beautiful Chloé blouse, a wonderful lilac fringed Sharon Wauchob dress and a featherskirted Huishan Zhang dress, all of which have brought me huge compliments and made the events even more fun.” The fact that after she left Whistles, Shepherdson took more than a year out to drive across the USA and live a slower, more pared-back life (she gave away most of her clothes to Mary Portas’s charities before leaving), makes her a compelling voice for a more thoughtful consumerism that doesn’t sap the joy out of life. As she says: “Because it’s rented, it makes me much more adventurous and rekindled my love for fashion. I’m convinced this is the future.” Visit the website or to see and try before you rent, visit Liberty on Regent Street where Mywardrobehq has a pop up space until the end of March.