This gorgeous dress pictured above is no longer in my life. It was there for fleeting moment, in my hour of need. It loved my body, it made me love it, for it's colour, it's fit, it's glamour. And then it was gone.

But this story is not a tragedy, it's the beginning of a beautiful love story, but the love is not for this dress alone, the love is for Rent the Runway. Confused? I'll explain.

With the pressure on me for producing and hosting Fashion's Night Out at The Grove, there was no time to think about what I was going to wear, I knew the contents of my closet, however vast would just not do, there was no time to shop, and barely any budget to buy something fabulous anyway. It was at this point that I realised now was the time to take the plunge and use Rent the Runway, something I considered time and time again and never actually followed through.

Rent the Runway is an online service that allows you to rent a dress from their ginormous online catalogue of dresses sourced directly from the runway. Prices start at $50 + insurance + shipping for a four day rental.

The process was incredibly smooth. I selected a dress (with the help of Facebook fans!) reserved it in my size, reserved the date and just waited for it to arrive. I was definitely anxious as to whether it would suit or whether it would even fit, especially given that I had no time to find a suitable solution! Usually you can select an extra size for no extra cost but my alternative size was not available so that definitely added some anxiety (although if it didn't fit I would have been able to return it within 24 hours for a full refund)

The dress arrived in timely fashion (on the date I selected!) in it's own garment bag, which you're allowed to keep, complete with a fit kit including products from Hollywood Fashion Tape. Most importantly, the dress fit and looked quite fabulous!

My experience was overwhelmingly positive. It's relatively expensive however, once you're adding on the insurance price (I wish this were included in the rental) and the shipping cost, your $50 rental becomes a $70 rental. It is for this reason I recommend Rent the Runway for special occasions, where you want to wear something fabulous that you'll likely never wear again, or if you're pushed for time and money. Of course if money was no obstacle then I'd be using Rent the Runway everyday and keeping my home clutter free!!

For me I'm creative enough to put together an outfit for $70 using vintage and high street, but it does require time, if there's no time (or you lack my mad skills – ha!) it's hard to do this – which I why I'll be using Rent the Runway again – likely soon given my current schedule! I've even found myself scouring the Spring collections and saying "I hope Rent the Runway' picks up this dress so I get to wear it!" because honestly I couldn't afford it otherwise!

So there you have it – Rent the Runway – a love story!

Rent the Runway is a membership only site – to join just click this link and stay tuned for part two of my Rent the Runway experience..a very special dinner with the Rent the Runway founder Jenny Fleiss!

Kelsi Smith