Two MBAS, both consultants, and one universal problem - nothing to wear. Born of a conversation somewhere in between trying to decide what to wear to a friends wedding, two girls, Vedika Oberoi and Radhika Bansal, floated the idea of being able to rent designer clothing, and 8 months later made it happen. And may we just say, amen.
Every wedding season, {seems to be all year round now, god bless the late twenties}, we spend countless cash on designer wear, only to wear it once, because hello, #fashionkill when you're caught repeating. It takes a woman to understand another's predicament, and so they did.
Both girls came up with, conceptualized and put together Swishlist, thought by them as an extension of a girl's wardrobe. Picking up on current fashion climate, where people are becoming increasingly aware and conscious, they decided to spare you the trouble of having your friendly neighborhood boutique aunty copy a pair of Dhoti Pant, jacket combo, and instead allow you to rent the real thing. Evidently two business minds, they're all about selling a look and ownership of a style, rather than possession of the garment itself.
As for the actual process and garment, it works super simply. You log on to their website, pick an outfit, mention the date you need to wear it, and they'll have it home delivered two days prior. As for sizing concerns, detailed measurements are uploaded on the site, so you know what will fit. This is so you can try it on, and style it how you see fit. The morning after your event, they'll have it picked up.
As for care of the garment, all outfits are under ownership of Swish List, who work closely with Pressto {the dry cleaners}, and a crew of in house tailors, to ensure each outfit arrives in near perfect condition, and is well-maintained even after multiple wears. So, you can be sure every outfit is professionally managed, which doesn't mean you get to misuse it. You are to give a security deposit when you place an order, and as for damages, the ladies are super understanding. Any minor alterations, damages will be overlooked, and they'll take care of it free of charge, but if the damage is substantial, you can be sure you'll hear from them.
As for what you can look forward to, besides homegrown geniuses Anita Dongre, Manish Malhotra, Ridhi Mehra, Rohit Bal, Ridhima Bhasin, you can now also own looks by DVF, Monique Lhuillier, Jean Paul Gaultier, Halston Heritage and Herve Leger. Just imagine all the outfits we can parade around in, and to know our closets will still be empty enough for all them thrift buys. You also have the option of mixing and matching, or just renting one signature item of clothing. God bless them gals. They've got our backs.
Also an Anita Dongre outfit for 3250 for a night, that's too good to be true. But this is true.
Where: Start renting, and planning your wardrobes, here.
Price: Indian wear starts at INR 950/night for rental, and western starts at 1350/night/
Areas of delivery: Delhi, Gurgaon, Faridabad, Noida, Mumbai, Bangalore and Pune