Time for another peek into the world of the red carpet. This photo was taken earlier this year: The 2013 Streamy Awards in February.
Its a favorite photo of mine but as usual it came with lessons. The red carpet was in the blinding afternoon sun with a long wait–so a word to the wise–always bring some blotters with you, as the organizers often don’t care about shiny, sweaty faces.
In this photo, I’m with pals & coleagues Kristen Nedopack (actress and geek guru) & PR genius Brian Rodda.
Kristen Nedopak (pictured left) found this bright pink stunner from BCBGMAXARIA on Amazon for $110. To complete her modern Greek Goddess look she paired it with a vintage belt ($10) and purse ($5) with Michael Antonio strappy heels ($50). Kristen’s earrings ($10) & necklace ($15) came from the goldmine of accessories that is Forever 21.
Brian Rodda’s jeans (yes–those are jeans!) are the real gem here: he scored a sample pair of Lucky Brand Cashmere Denim jeans ($2,500!) for free! Rocking out the rest out his ensemble are shoes from Douglas Fir, a vest from Armani Exchange, jacket care of Why Not Boutique and a dress shirt from the Gap.
Stephanie Thorpe (aka. me – pictured right). I borrowed my nude peek toe Kate Spade pumps from a dear friend (Ladies! Find friends that share your shoe size!). My earrings and bracelet are from my favorite jewelry designer Alexis Bittar, and my emerald dress with a crystal cluster at the hip? Badgley Mischka. GASP! Wait, what???
The Badgley Mischka dress I’m pictured in here retails at almost $400 yet it only cost me $65! Seems like magic, right? Pretty close.RCR TIP: This Site Will Change Your (Shopping) Life!
Behold the secret to the magic trick! I’ll share one of my absolute favorite solutions for red carpets (or really any formal event) that I’ve been using for years. Some of you may already know about it; it’s a fabulous site & service called Rent the Runway (renttherunway.com). It’s a magical place where anyone can rent designer dresses for a fraction of the cost of buying the dress (which, let’s face it: how many of us end up only wearing a dress once–especially if we are photographed in it?!).
So, how does this work? On rentherunway.com you browse the 100s of dresses (favoriting the ones you like along the way) and order a dress in your size (they even give you the same dress in an additional size of your choosing size no extra charge in an effort to guarantee fit!). Post event you just pop them in the mail (no cleaning required & shipping fees are included). And if you want to accessorize your look–they even offer jewelry suggestions for your dress that you can rent too!
I’d had the site recommended to me by several other actresses–all singing its no muss, no fuss, no commitment praises. And I’ve never looked back.
A caveat: I must admit the first time I used it I ordered a dress that looked GREAT on the toothpick model pictured but it was a disaster on me. So, know your body type and what flatters YOU (I foolishly picked a sheath dress with a high collar when I always prefer dresses that accent my waist and neck). But thankfully, they even give store credit to returns in 24hrs, and they also have photos of real women in their dresses which is very helpful. Their customer service is fantastic and they really try to make their clients happy. And one of the best things is you can browse the site, then have a great excuse to run to the high-end stores and try on the dresses IRL! Hey, this is LA–we have acess to everything–might as well take advantage. Then you KNOW exactly how it’s gonna look before you rent it! And you can stare at the price tag and smile.See you on the Red Carpet!
Stephanie Thorpe