Dresses as Renewable Resources?

Renewable resources are all the rage, how can your closet become one of them? Patricia Harr, the founder of Dress Vault has come up with an excellent solution. She created the online lending, borrowing, and buying site for dresses. With dresses for Prom, Formals, Fundraisers, and other formal events popping up on our calendars, how can a girl keep up and still be in style? Harr's site has the solution for those concerned about fashion, money, and/or the environment in her effort to "decrease the trend of disposable luxury."

For the fashionistas out there, how does a revolving closet sound? The Dress Vault is designed to be 'mutually beneficial' for both the shoppers and the lenders. You create a profile and then start shopping! You can borrow dresses, paying 15% or less of the dress's original retail value for it to be shipped straight to you. The dress is yours to flaunt for a week, then clean it and send it back. You can also create your own 'closet' where other viewers can choose from your dresses to borrow or buy. The site is for dresses only though, so skirts, pants, and blouses will need to stay home. Payment is through PayPal, and damage and theft terms are in place as well.

Who knew your closet could become a renewable resource for your wardrobe, pocketbook, and reduce your impact on the environment? Dresses can cost anywhere between $40 - $4,000 dollars, and all too often we only wear them a few times. So why not borrow the latest looks from top designers at a fraction of the cost. You won't need to clear out closet space; you can actually save on space and clear out some by selling your old dresses.

There are several country-wide sites across the world including Great Britain, Australia, Austria, and France. Dress Vault is one example of this web-expansion of clothes swaps growing worldwide. Maternity clothes swaps are also on the rise, as stylish and eco-friendly moms-to-be discover the renewable resource of clothes sharing. You can also arrange a swap at your workplace, school, or in your community to fundraise and spice up your wardrobe. Consignment shops, Goodwill, the Red Cross, and Buffalo Exchange all offer other options for re-using not only clothes but also a variety of other household goods.

Of course there are the Project Runway designers within all of us, that can take apart our old clothes and upcycle them into something new and innovative. So dust off that sewing machine, find some patterns online and design away. For the pocketbook conscious, this can also save you a lot of money. Here are also some tips for keeping your wardrobe in shape.

So discover the renewable resource that is your closet!

Picture from Dress Vault