My Daughter’s First Formal Dress

March 15, 2015 by Jennifer Donovan

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Jennifer D. and her daughter enjoyed trying out this formal and party dress rental service for this sponsored post.

My teen daughter loves to dress up. Yes, in fancy clothes, but also sometimes in a themed costume for a party she and her friends put together, whether it’s Halloween or not. So when we were given the opportunity to select a dress from Charlotte’s Closet, we jumped at it. After browsing the site–which is well organized to shop by occasion, like Bar or Bat Mitvah, Sweet 16, Prom, Homecoming, Holiday–we chose this dress. It was even more gorgeous in person than it was in the online store.

Something about putting on a formal dress transformed my 16-year-old girl into a beautiful young woman. We did it up right, having a friend come over to do her hair, putting on formal makeup and sparkly earrings, but it really is all about the dress.

Here in Texas, homecoming is almost as big a deal as prom. I’ve heard tales of the amount of money spent on a dress, shoes, hair. Of course, none of the girls would ever wear the same dress again. I know of several young ladies who attended several homecoming dances (at her own high school, plus one or two other local schools with different dates), and they even bought different dresses for a completely different audience.

Why Buy When You Can Borrow?

Think of us as your celebrity BFF whose closet you can raid…whenever you want.

Charlotte’s Closet, a new site that lets tweens/teens borrow designer dresses for up to 75% off their original price hits just in time for party season. Girls everywhere can log on and find special occasion dresses (purchased directly from top designers) for every event including Prom, Bat Mitzvah’s, school dances, Sweet 16’s and everything in-between! We also book private appointments at our NYC showroom so girls can find their dream dress and reserve up to five months in advance.

How Does it Work?

It was so easy. My daughter and I browsed the site, found a dress she loved, and placed an order. When you are searching, you include the date of your event and the size you want, and only the dresses which are available come up in the listings.

I love the policy of sending a backup size — yes two dresses — so that you can be sure that it fits, since it arrives the week of your event. The dresses arrived in two separate boxes, beautifully wrapped in tissue paper and preserved in plastic. They were pristine.

Now that we are finished with them, we just put them back in the original box, stick on the postage-paid return label, and drop it off at UPS.

Charlotte’s Closet takes care of cleaning and everything else.

I am glad I was introduced to this site and have a feeling I will use it often. I signed up for their newsletter list to stay in the loop on new items and promotions. If a formal dress isn’t on your radar this month, signing up for the newsletter, or following them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest is a great way to remember this great service.

Enter to Win

One of you (U.S.) will win a $100 voucher for use at the store. Many dresses rent for under $40!

Follow the instructions below to earn one or more entries.

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About Jennifer Donovan

Jennifer Donovan has been a part of the 5 Minutes for Mom team since 2007. She writes product reviews, covers events, and manages the 5 Minutes for Books weekly column and website. She lives in Houston and blogs at Snapshot about life with her family.