Fashion Week Nola: Rent the Runway Tibi Snow Leopard Dress

Rent the Runway Tibi Snow Leopard Dress, Steve Madden Clutch, Audrey Brooke Perry Booties
Wet-N-Wild Megalast Lipstick in Cherry Bomb

My friends and I have always wanted to attend New York Fashion Week, but you gotta start somewhere right?  That's why when we heard about Fashion Week NOLA at the end of last year we made plans to be there.

Though I didn't expect the New Orleans version to be on par with what takes place in NYC, I still wanted to wear a cute dress. After a little online window shopping and a a few visits to the mall, I still didn't find anything inspiring so I decided to try Rent the Runway for the first time.





I signed up for Rent the Runway years ago when it first began, but I have never had an opportunity to actually use the service. If you haven't heard of it, Rent the Runway is a membership-based website that rents high-end designer  and accessories on a 4-day or 8-day basis. Armed with a $25 off coupon, I decided to try it out and find the perfect dress for the event.

Olivia Palermo for Tibi

I knew I wanted something black and white, and of course it had to have a bit of edge. After browsing the inventory available for my event date,  Tibi's Snow Leopard Dress seemed to be the choice for me. Leopard is my FAVORITE print, and the leather panels on the sides sounded like the perfect small  touch of edginess that I love my clothes to have.  I was sold when I saw a photo of one of my style inspirations, fashionista Olivia Palermo,  rocking it.

My event was on a Saturday so I placed a four day order to have the dress arrive on a Thursday (to give myself time to regroup and come up with something else if I didn't like it).  I ordered my normal size 4, but Rent the Runway allows you to choose a second size for free.  Based on reviews, and my pear shape, I opted to size up and order a size 6 as well. My order total with my $25 off coupon was $41.55.



The dresses arrived on time, packaged to perfection. What was even better was inside the box was a sachet filled with Neutrogena product samples, (some of them were full size!) and another sachet with Hollywood Fashion Tape, (my favorite brand!) and a shaving cream sample.  A prepaid return UPS envelope was included along with instructions that said I could keep the garment bag and hangers.

The size 4 was a perfect fit on my upper body but a tad snug in the hips while the size 6 was much more forgiving in the hip area but way too loose on my upper body. That's pretty normal for me so I would say the dresses were true to size; which is what the website said. My husband said the size 4 looked best so that's the size I went with. I paired the snow leopard dress with my Steve Madden clutch and Audrey Brooke Perry Booties.

As an artist I know what a labor of love creative expression can be. I'm sure a lot of hard work and sleepless nights went into Fashion Week Nola. The designers who participated should be proud of their efforts.

"Nica B" working the runway.

My sister-in-law working the runway.

Shout out to my sister-in-law "Nica B" who was a model in the Fashion Show. She did an amazing job of working the runway!












I had a great time with my friends, and it was fun getting to wear a designer dress to an event. I'm looking forward to using Rent the Runway for future occasions!

Rent the Runway Tibi Snow Leopard Dress at Fashion Week NOLA.