–Anne Elizabeth Whiting
Recently, I was invited to the National Arts Club’s Medal of Honor ceremony honoring Cuban-American fashion illustrator Ruben Toledo and his late wife, Isabel Toledo. (You may remember her as designer of Michelle Obama’s Inauguration Day dress.) Ruben was joining Naeem Khan, Joseph Abboud, and Valerie Steele in the award’s roster, to name a few. Well deserved; I’m a longtime admirer of both Toledos, hence the invite from a good friend in the know—Ruben’s illustrations for Nordstrom were artistic inspiration throughout my youth, and Isabel’s work breathed life into my studies of Cuban art and fashion in college. The list of love for the duo goes on. It was a black tie event, so the REAL excitement at hand was: what to wear?!
What does a sustainable fashionista wear to a high profile A-list fashion event?
She could “shop her closet,” or—a rental, of course! At No Kill we’ve been excited about the launch of Tulerie, a new peer-to-peer rental app. This was my chance to try it out. Self-described as a “luxury closet sharing app with sustainability and sharing on the mind” for women who are “eager to expand their wardrobes in a way that is friendly for both the environment and their wallets,” it’s a more luxe, and nation-wide answer to other great borrowing apps like Shop on Pickle.
I opened the app, filtered my size, and browsed through the hundreds of amazing options, narrowing down to Leo Lin, Rachel Gilbert, Cult Gaia, and Alice and Olivia. As Jardin des Tuileries was home of Paris Fashion Week, Tulerie is a garden of shareable fashion options. FYI: there’s a vetting process to be accepted into the Tulerie network, to explain and agree to the fact that this is a nation-wide closet of REALLY NICE CLOTHES that you’re entering, and you promise to treat them with care and only lend out your best items too, accordingly. Once you’re in, it’s super easy to browse all types of designer clothes, and set your schedule—it’s best to order it ahead of time.
If there’s ever a time to take a fashion risk, it’s with a rental
Our mission is to change the way you think about your closet and deliver that desire for newness and variety in your wardrobe in a modern, ecofriendly way without sacrificing the joy of discovery that fashion serves.
-Tulerie
But then—enter Kika Vargas.
Bright tangerine silk (which, when it arrived, I learned was also stretchy) with a sheen. Huge shoulder action, like I wouldn’t be able to fit through a door. Loud, to say the least. A knock-out, as my grandmother probably would have dubbed it. Would it fit? (It did fit, thanks to the fact of Tulerie’s being peer-to-peer meaning the rentee can show photos of themselves in a dress, and you can compare body types and understand if something is going to fit you well or not. And if it hadn’t, I’d have had time to find a backup since the dress arrived a day or two early—these closet-lending girls are ON IT with the scheduling).
And would it be too much? Drawing attention to myself? Well, this was a fashion event. I went for it.
This is the fun part about rentals: you can select something FUN and a bit wild, but you don’t have to commit to it, making it possible for you to wear something you might hesitate to financially invest in.
Fun and wild it was. Stephen Kolb looked my way more than once. Joey Arias gave me a wink. I was then sought out by Tanya Melendez, a curator at The Museum at FIT, who in her recent exhibition ¡Moda Hoy! featured iconic designs by Latinx and Latin American designers, including the dress I was wearing –Kika being a native of Colombia.
I’m not saying the attention wouldn’t happen if I owned the dress—and buying these beautiful pieces does support women-owned, women-made businesses. But if there’s ever a time to take a fashion risk, it’s with a rental. And unless you’re planning to wear bright tangerine sateen sheen to every event for the next year, renting also just makes financial sense. Though on that note, a side note: I fully believe in rewearing striking pieces. It could be iconic to be known for a look—“Oh, there’s Anne in that fabulous orange dress again.”
The individual attention of the outfit aside, there’s a warm fuzzy feeling about sharing clothes (even sleeveless springy dresses). It’s fashion as community—shared joy, a chance to quite literally step into someone else’s shoes. Or dress. I love that someone else can wear this dress and have the same experience.
Borrowing Is the New Power Move
But renting—and the reason No Kill is featuring Tulerie—is about more than just switching out amazing clothing and sharing the experience of getting dressed fabulously with like minded fashionistas and friends. As Tulerie says, they’re a “community of women who adore fashion, but understand how damaging it can be to the environment,” explaining:
“With the rise of fast fashion and social media, the lifecycle of clothing items has drastically shortened. New styles are not launched seasonally anymore, they’re dropped weekly. As new trends come in, past trends fade away. Shoppers feel bored quickly and want something different frequently. This continuous demand has left us with clothing that is barely worn, stuffed in the backs of closets or tossed into landfills to make room for the new. But we now know that this cannot continue. That’s where Tulerie comes in. Tulerie allows you to experience a fresh look without purchasing another new item. We can make sure the clothes we do purchase are worn to their full potential, together. Buy less, borrow more.”
Gorgeous clothes in recirculation? Enough said. My look made the case—loud and clear.
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