Brown Thomas launches rental service for special-occasion clothing

“Fashion has a taste for flesh this year,” comments Shelly Corkery on the spring collections for 2022. The womenswear director of Brown Thomas points to “a focus on the legs and the body – and bandeau, bra and racerback tops show a lot of torso”.

The noticeable trend is for shorter lengths particularly in 1960s-type skirt sets with mini, micro mini or to the knee lengths in A-line shapes that flatter the legs. The shorter bandeau tops add a sporty modern touch to a this familiar retro combination, but for those who want an instant wardrobe update, Corkery suggests that a 1990s biker jacket shrugged over a flouncy dress or 1970s flares adds a hard edge. “I love fashion when it is contradictory like that,” she says.

The new season vibrates with bold colour – “there is an explosion of colour because it makes us feel good post-pandemic and is so optimistic after a period when everybody has been living in active wear and denim,” she says.

This is well illustrated in the store’s latest video by Perry Ogden which was shot in windy Fuerteventura in January with its seashore line-up of sharply tailored pink trouser suits (Alexander McQueen), clingy green and yellow gowns (Etro and Victoria Beckham) or billowing colour blocked kaftans from Dries van Noten, Roksanda Ilincic and Balmain, which makes even functional khakis look glamorous.

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What may quicken the heart’s desire are the summer dresses, too many to mention. They stretched from Erdem’s floral-printed coat dresses (with matching flamboyant headwear), zesty green and white puff-sleeved, drop-waisted numbers from Alessandra Rich to Alaia’s black sheers and Chloe and Alberta Ferretti’s fresh bohemian whites.

If there was one dress that summed up carefree sunny days to come, it was Zimmermann’s tonal print “Postcard” linen mini dress with a sweetheart neckline and pearl tassels.

Those heading to previously postponed weddings, race meetings, Communions and other social events in the forthcoming season will be spoilt for choice, though many will be debating the cost of shelling out for a once-off buy and will be considering rental alternatives. Now for the first time in its newly opened store in Dundrum, Brown Thomas will offer such a service for customers who want something special at a rental price.

Corkery explains that the offer will be a diverse range of occasion wear, some 65 pieces in all in sizes, from eight to 16, a mix of contemporary and designer brands in an offer she reckons that will grow over time. Cost of rental will be based on a percentage of the retail price and customers can rent for three to four days, eight to 10 days or even for a two-week holiday. Purchase will also be an option.

The move is in keeping with the burgeoning taste for renting. In 2019, the global clothing rental industry was worth a total of $3.9 billion (€3.4 billion), with Europe and the Americas holding 80 per cent of the market, according to a study by data firm Statista quoted by London-based Courier magazine. Both those markets are forecast to more than double in size by 2025.

“It is very exciting,” says Corkery. “You are reading about it everywhere. So it is important for us, about how we can be more sustainable, to see how circular fashion can grow. It’s great to try it – we must explore it. Let’s see how it works.”

Photography: Perry Ogden, assisted by Catherine Walsh. Stylist: Darren Feeney, assisted by Roisin Haines. Hair: Dani Rull. Makeup: Ria Cardosi for Charlotte Tilbury. Models: Aria Lilith and Levi Achthoven from The Hive Models, and Judy Kinuthia and Josephine Adam from The Monster Management.