We get so many questions about hiring dresses!
Sooo, I've compiled the questions and come up with West Coast Dress Hire's top 3 tips to keep in mind when hiring a dress with us! xxx
Happy reading!!!
Tip #1
Know that you are HIRING a dress and not BUYING it.
We keep all of our dresses in the best condition that we possibly can provided how they come back from hires. Unfortunately, we have found that not everyone cares for our designer garments in the same way we do which makes it tricky for us when girls come in expecting a dress to be in a brand-new condition and it ends up having wear and tear!
When hiring, please keep in mind that you are not the first person nor the last person to be dying to wear that outfit!
This is easier to grasp when hiring instore as you can see the garments current condition at the time of hiring. When hiring online, it is harder as majority of the images are images from the dress in its newest state, therefore it is hard to remember the fact that there may be some marks or minor wear and tear that are not pictured.
To help mend this bridge between online hiring and receiving the garment, dresses that we know that have marks, stains, tears etc, we have put disclaimers on the website for your knowledge and have adjusted the prices of garments to reflect their damages!
It is simply impossible to keep dresses in a brand-new condition forever as much as we would love that to be the case. As I’m sure you are aware with your own clothes changing or damaging over time. If you are wanting to know the current condition of a dress and you cannot come into the shop, just message us on 0404 851 108 or Instagram (@westcoastdresshire)! We can send you real time photos of the dress to ease your mind before hiring x
Tip #2
The big one. Read Terms & Conditions…
Each company has their own personal version of what they see as fair terms and conditions of hire.
Please please please read them! (they’re not that long I promise and will save everyone a headache at the end of the day)
Our terms and conditions have been curated from years of once in a blue moon scenarios, figuring out what is fair for our customer base, people’s expectations and protecting us as a small business. As we are classed as a small business, it is unsustainable for us to have the same terms and conditions as big brands and companies because we don’t have the same foundations and cannot offer things like refunds for minor inconveniences and change of mind. There would be no west coast.
Terms and conditions aren’t there to scare you and to only protect us, they protect you too! We view our terms and conditions as a short and easy way to cut the BS, get all of the important stuff out of the way, ensure everyone is on the same page and get straight to the fun part... WEARING THE DRESS!
If you do have any questions about Ts &Cs, pop instore to 19/181 Oxford St, Leederville or give us a call on our mobile 0404 851 108 xxx
Tip #3
Do your own research on designer sizing!
It is no secret that the women’s fashion industry in terms of sizing, sucks. Not only are brands inconsistent with each other, they can be inconsistent within their own brand!
For example, personally, I have worn up to FOUR different sizes within the same brand pending the cut of the dress and to make things more confusing, many designers slightly change the cut or measurements of a garment when doing a second drop… of the same dress!
It is also important to note that the number that represents certain sizes changes between brands too.
For example, Natalie Rolt uses sizes 0, 1, 2, 3, 4. Bec and Bridge uses sizes 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16. Zimmermann uses 00, 0, 1, 2, 3 and Rat and Boa use XXS, XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL.
It can start to look like algebra, which is fun for no one!
When you come into our store, we always say don’t gravitate solely to the size you think you are, use it as a guide but not bible!
We always say “if you can eye-ball it, try it. The worst that’s going to happen is you don’t like the way it fit’s and we’ll grab you something else to try”. If you don’t try something on, you won’t know AND you might just surprise yourself!
Come in with the mindset that, the size on the label is simply a guide and be open to trying on different dresses. Currently we stock a size range of 4-16 (XXS-XXL).
With love,
Kels xxx