Dress: Luxury Attire on Loan

So very sad to hear that Dress has closed. On several occasions my partner had the pleasure of renting from Dress and she looked more amazing than she already looks! Good luck to Johanna and her staff, whatever they will be doing. We will miss you!

Hands down the most amazing concept and most fabulous owner! If you have an event to go to run… don’t walk… to Dress. Not only will you get to wear movie star-​like clothes with a mere mortal price tag, but JaiHonna also has an impeccable eye and you will look amazing!
The first time I worked with JaiHonna and Dress I had an infant and my body was still… shall we say… curvier. Basically I had no idea what looked good on me and what didn’t. Here’s why I feel in love with J. I picked out some dresses and the first one I put on she flat out said «No». I mean in a loving and kind way, but basically she made me feel like she was not going to let me walk out of there looking anything less than amazing. She then took over and pulled dresses I never would have thought about and yes I felt fantastic, which is saying a lot when you are in a body you are not 100% comfortable with.
Over the years I’ve had other fancy pants events to go to and would not go to any of them with out Dress!

We were hosting an Oscar red carpet themed event and I needed to look my best. I checked usual department stores and was not impressed. Fortunately, my colleague knew Dress and recommended to check it. What a great suggestion. I found really gorgeous dramatic long red dress. I truly felt like a queen of the evening receiving numerous compliments. Great selection, great service, great excuse to spend time in Rockridge.

As a non-​shopper, but someone who loves personal attention and a pulled together look, the team at Dress was a perfect match for my temperament. In and out in an hour, I walked away with 2 dresses — one gown, one cocktail — and it couldn’t have been easier and more pleasant. Johanna nailed it, even with limited options for a girl my size, she was a great resource and figured out right based on a couple tidbits from me, what my style was! I highly recommend this spot if you want to look like a million, but only spend a few…
Thanks for having such a great store in the best town in the east bay — go Oakland!

I found Dress when researching online rentals for an office party. I loved the idea of renting a dress, but I’m not a consistent size, nor am I good at guessing what will be flattering on me, so I couldn’t commit to renting without trying it on.
Well, Dress solved that problem completely. Johanna provides impeccable service. She suggested several dresses, including the one that I ended up going with (which I’d never have thought to try on my own). I tried on pretty much every short dress in my size in the entire store and Johanna never made me feel rushed.
At the party, I got more compliments on my dress than I can remember ever getting before.
I have already recommended Dress to several friends and coworkers. I’ve already got my eye on a slinky gray dress for some upcoming weddings…

It couldnt be easier.
Had a gala to go to Saturday night. Was busy with kids all day. Sitter was coming at 5:30, so at 3pm I zoomed over to Dress to find *something* to wear. Was in and out in an hour with an elegant number that had once met the Queen of Jordan. I even had enough time to swing by Target to pickup a little something for my daughter to wear to an event the next day.
It couldnt be easier.

5 + stars for this great place! Johanna and her staff are friendly and helpful. I had rented a dress for a week – but after wearing it the first night – it did not work out (a little too long to move in and the ribbing poked me) – and without blinking an eye – she exchanged it for another dress that I could wear to my other event. No extra charge, no problem.
They have a wonderful selection of dresses in different sizes and will help you find *the dress* that will work for you. I’ll definitely be back!

Wow! My hair stylist recommended Dress when I needed to get glamorous, and fast. I was able to spend my lunch hour finding the perfect gown and accessories for a very special occasion. The evening went flawlessly, and I received so many compliments on my Dress. What a great idea. I love wearing a glamorous, high end gown without spending thousands of dollars!
TIP: Bring the shoes you intend to wear

Get your pretty little self over to Dress NOW!
I have rented absolutely GORGEOUS dresses here twice now, and each time I have received a zillion compliments on how amazing the dresses looked. Johanna is fantastic at helping you find the perfect frock — the dress I just rented last weekend was something I never would’ve picked out for myself and I’m sooooo glad she had me try it on. I am totally sold on this amazing business, and look forward to my next fun event to have an excuse to go rent again. Where else can you get a truly designer gown for the weekend at a fraction of the retail cost?
For those that are tempted by the Rent the Runway option: Beware, many of those dresses are low quality and very skankalicious. I rented two dresses from them, and although their customer service was impeccable, the dresses were flimsy, stretched out, and extremely short. It is so hard to pick a dress without trying it on, which is why I LOVE Dress.
Only complaint (if you can call it that!): Open up a location in the City, please! It’s a haul for me to get over to the East Bay to pick-​up & return. But, honestly, it is worth it :)

I am a stage performer and wear formal dresses quite often. I usually plan far in advance, so that I have ample time to put together my attire for upcoming concerts. However, I broke out into a massive, non-​contagious skin rash that stemmed from a nasty flu virus I caught in Australia. After the flu was done, the virus lay dormant until a week before my concert. Great, now my entire body is red and blotchy, and I need a new dress to cover up my unseemly skin.
After zero success at the usual places (Nordstrom, Macys, even both Jeremy’s locations), I found Dress on Unilocal.The concept was super appealing — renting designer dresses at a fraction of the price! Two days before my concert, I paid a visit and was warmly welcomed by the saleslady (and later, the owner). They were extremely nice and offered a lot of help, yet were hands-​off when I needed them to be. The minimum rental is 3-​days, but I found a perfect dress, took it home that day, sang in my concert while feeling beautiful, and returned my dress the morning after.
So that’s my story; here are a few quick comments:
— I am 5’2″ so most dresses are way too long for me. I needed a floor-​length gown and informed the owner, who proceeded to sweep through the entire boutique and pick out every gown in my size that was a «shorter» floor length than normal. Amazing. She said that people have been requesting petite sizes, so she is planning on adding them to the collection! I can’t wait.
— I went to their sample sale (where they sell off a portion of their inventory to make room for new styles) and picked up two gorgeous silk dresses at SUPER reasonable prices. They looked pretty much brand new, and now they are MINE! I think the sale is semi-​annual, but it’s a great way to score some beautiful, yet affordable, designer dresses.

What a great concept! The selection is tasteful and varied, the staff friendly and honest! My daughter needed a prom dress and left it until about 2 weeks to go. She found multiple dresses that fit her perfectly and reserved one. Even when she later found another dress on sale elsewhere that was (Aack! Amazing!!) & bought it, Dress was just as pleasant when we told them to cancel the reservation. Both of us are looking forward to the next formal event — so we can try them again!

Rented my wedding dress from here and had a fantastic experience from start to finish. I went with a friend and was allowed to try on lots of different styles, they really wanted to make sure I was happy with my choice. The one I chose had a problem with the zipper which was fixed by the time I picked it up.
Highly recommended!
Tips:
— Make sure to wear the underwear you’re planning on wearing for the event you need the dress for. I forgot to take my strapless bra and had trouble envisaging fit as a result. D’oh!
— They have evening sandals to wear as you try on so you can get a good idea of height/​dress length, so you don’t need to worry about taking those with you.

I spent months searching for the perfect prom dress & was unable to fall in love with any dresses as well as any prices of the dresses. On a fluke, I decided to visit Dress although the idea of renting a dress seemed strange to me at the time. I went into the little boutique & immediately saw walls lined with BEAUTIFUL dresses. The owner greeted my mom & I immediately and she started pulling dresses from the rack instantly just by looking at my body shape & skin tone. I ended up trying on 6 or 7 different dresses each absolutely stunning. It was so hard for me to pick, but I ended up choosing a watercolor dress that was extremely unique & unlike anything I had ever seen before. I got to rent the dress for 3 days for only $ 120. Keep in mind this is an originally $ 500+ dress.
I got soooo many compliments on the dress & all my friends wish that they too had rented a dress because they spent $ 300 + on their dresses, & they know that they’re only going to wear them once.
Please keep this place in mind when you’re dress shopping for a special event!

I had a fantastic experience here. After shopping for hours in search of a formal gown, I was about ready to give up. But then I saw this shop and figured I might as well give it a try even though I was a bit weary of renting a dress. The moment I walked in, I spotted dozens of beautiful dresses just waiting to be worn, divided into two racks. The owner informed me that the store has a sale twice a year to make room for new styles and I happened to come on one of those days. I sifted through both racks (one sale and one rental) and came up with a variety of dresses to try on.
In the end, I decided to purchase (not rent) a gorgeous purple Marchesa gown for $ 200, originally $ 990! It had never been rented and was a perfect fit.

You are wasting time reading reviews on Unilocal right now, when you could be driving to Dress!
I needed to find the perfect dress for a wedding this Sat night, I was there when Joihanna opened this morning at 11am, I was driving home with my perfect dress and my new spanx in the bag by 12:10. I will never go from store to store to aquire the almost-​but-​not-​quite perfect dress that I’ll wear again several times because it’s in my closet and I paid a bunch of money for it.
She had so many choices, and there were 3 others that also would’ve been great for this wedding, and so many that were beautiful and fit that I wished I had a ton of black tie events to attend.
If you are smart, you will go here. If not, it’s your loss. I’ll certainly look much better at the wedding than you will, sitting over there, holding your stomach in, in your safe little black dress.

This place is a real gem! I was looking for a dress for an upcoming wedding and didn’t want to shell out big bucks for something I would only wear a few times. Johanna let me have my own Pretty Woman fashion show shopping experience! I must have tried on a dozen gorgeous gowns! I ended up buying 2 great dresses since they were selling off some of their inventory to make room for new items.
I will without a doubt be back for my next big event. I tell everyone I know about this place, it is great.

Love Love Love. I am so pleased with my whole experience and definitely will be back! I go to a few Black Tie events every year, one of which was Saturday night. I was getting pretty desperate and really didn’t want to wear my old BCBG standby for the third time in a row.
I came in on a Wednesday afternoon and had a great time trying on dresses… Luxury Attire on Loan has a fantastic line up of dresses, Dolce and Gabbana, Marchesa, and many other luxury designers. The owner, Johanna was great, suggesting a lot of things I might not have tried on, giving helpful feedback, and critics. I chose a fantastic Vera Wang Gown and was giddy with excitement upon leaving. I would return on Friday to pick the gown up, and return it Tuesday.
Fast forward to Saturday night — black tie event at the Fairmont in SF. I had 6, yes 6, people off the street stop me and tell me how stunning the dress looked. My date loved it and it was one of the best dresses at the event if I do say so myself. Definitely well worth the rental fee of $ 100. Thank you guys!!!

Being in such high demand means I receive invitations to events all the time (wink, wink) and when I do Lawd knows I wouldn’t be caught dead being photographed in the same dress twice.
Well, although I like to think I am walking down the aisles of my closet like Mariah Carey, I’m actually looking at about 10 good dresses which are collecting dust or a few sizes too small.
We all know the well known Bay Area spots for dress/​gown shopping are starting to play out and now is the time to go off the beaten track to find that perfect dress/​gown. The one that makes you feel like the true Princess or Drag Queen you really are.
The proprietress at Dress is FABULOUS! Butterflies and glitter float around her, I swear. She greets each client at the door with her Ultra Brite smile, sizes you up (she said I was a size 6, I love her) asks your needs and like Glenda the Good Witch twirls away and picks out more than a few dresses to suit your needs.
My head was spinning with the selections and although my big rack, flat ass and lack of SPANX didn’t help me squeeze into a few of the selections, the others were gorgeous, just in colors that I couldn’t wear because I was going to a Black and White Ball.
With her unique knack for picking out and receiving just a few select dresses/​gowns in each size, you’ll also know you won’t show up at your event in the same dress as another chick and have to spill red wine on her so she’ll have to bow out.
Check out Dress and when you do don’t bring your boyfriend or partner because you want them to be totally shocked and surprised when you step out in your gorgeous dress.

I went to Dress because I just didn’t have the time to go shopping for an upcoming wedding and I liked the idea of renting a dress for a special occasion and not worrying about whether I’d wear it again.
I thought I’d find nice dresses there, but I was blown away by the selection of quality designer dresses available for rental. The friendly proprietress knew just how to pick out a few good dresses to match my body type and skin tone.
I am not usually into designer clothing because it’s simply out of my budget, but this service made this designer fashion experience accessible. I had fun trying on different dresses and I ended up with a dress that was not only nice but stunning. I’m very happy with my experience at Dress and would not hesitate to recommend it to others.

I hate shopping for dresses, namely because you go to 18 stores just to get an adequate selection.
This place was GREAT because all they carry are high end formal gowns (both short and long) geared towards adults as opposed to the prom crowd. They are all rentals/​not for sale.
I recently rented a dress for an awards show that fit me like a glove — had I purchased it, it would have been upwards of $ 400 – 500, AND given its bright and memorable color, I would have been reluctant to wear it again. Voila — perfect solution — rent it!
I tried on about ten dresses, about five of which made the cut. My husband was thrilled with my selection — instead of rewearing one of my ‘classic’ dresses, I got something ultra cutting edge and trendy.
I pray pray pray this place stays in business, because I go to at least two black tie events each year :)
The business owner is a delight to work with — be sure to check them out!