The Good Life.(rental fashion)

Byline: Tara Pepper (Konnie Lemay Mike Elkin N'gai Croal Sana Butler)

Fashion: Not Just For Tuxes Anymore

Stars have always relied on borrowed frocks to give them the edge on the red carpet. Now a new breed of high-end rental showrooms is making it easier for the rest of us to dress up in style without making a long-term commitment to a gown or shelling out thousands for a bag that's out of fashion by its second outing. "Let's face it: most women don't want to wear the same thing to an event more than once," says Joanna Doniger of the London-based evening-wear-rental company One Night Stand. And today's rentals can be straight off the catwalks or hard-to-find vintage pieces. Some showrooms offer a consultancy service to ensure your outfit will work perfectly, whether it's for a wedding, awards ceremony or fund-raiser.

Founded by former New York Times stylist Irene Albright, Albright Inc. has catered to stylists and celebrities for more than a decade. This spring, Albright opens the doors of her vast collection to the public, by appointment only. Take your pick from a wide range of blue-chip designers including Chanel, Dior, Christian Louboutin and "probably every shoe made by Manolo Blahnik," says showroom director Patricia Black. Prices start at $500 per week for a dress, wrap, shoes and a handbag (albrightnyc.com ). In Paris, Quidam de Revel specializes in similarly high-end vintage designer clothing, bags and jewelry, by appointment only (24 rue de Poitou).

One Night Stand--which carries everything from exquisite French corsets to the best of Italian designer fashion--prides itself on ensuring that every woman who crosses the threshold leaves with a flattering outfit. If nothing in a season's designer eveningwear collection is suitable for her customers, many of whom are businesswomen, says Doniger, she will commission a new design, guaranteeing at least 35 percent of her stock each year is fresh. "Lots of women don't know exactly what suits them; they don't have the confidence," she says. "We'll help out, style it and get it right." A floor-length evening gown is about $260 (onenight stand.co.uk ).

The trend is spreading to a wider range of luxury goods. Bag Borrow or Steal's designer-handbag rentals, which let you borrow a bag for as long as you like for $19.95 a month, have been so successful it's expanding its subscription service this spring to include smart timepieces by Movado and Marc Jacobs and jewelry from sought-after designers such as Tiffany and David Yurman (bagborroworsteal.com ). But be careful: though the company offers insurance against wear and tear, if the bag gets lost or broken you'll be charged a replacement fee.

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