How It Works

 

 

RENT

Choose your dress. Dress rental periods are 4 or 7 days. We ship it to you.

 

 

 

WEAR

Look fabulous at your event!

 

 

 

RETURN

Drop your dress in any blue mailbox (we take care of the dry cleaning). We even provide a pre-paid mailing envelope for you!

 

 

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

 

HOW DO I RENT A DRESS?

 

1. RENT - Choose your dress. You can search for a dress by a number of criteria including wear date, size or occasion.
2. WEAR - We ship your dress so that is can arrive on the date you select. We recommend reserving your dress so that it car arrive at least 2 days before your event date. Wear your dress and look fabulous at your event. Don’t forget to send us pictures!
3. RETURN - Place your dress in the pre-paid envelope that we have provided for you. Drop your envelope in any blue mailbox/local post office or UPS box (will vary depending on which return envelope we send you). We take care of the dry cleaning!

 

PRICES

How much does it cost to rent a dress? Cocktail and evening gown rental prices range from $40 - $150. Wedding dress rental prices range from $125 - $300.

What does the rental price include? The rental price includes the cost of the dress rental, dry cleaning and "accident insurance". Shipping and taxes will be added to your order (standard tax rates apply to all orders placed within the state of Illinois only).

When is my credit card charged? In order for us to reserve the dress for your requested date, we charge your credit card at the time your order is placed.

 

RENTAL TIME PERIOD

How long can I rent a dress? Dresses can be rented for 4 or 7 days (the price for a 7 day rental is slightly higher).

What if I need a dress for more than 7 days? Dress rentals beyond 7 days are available for wedding dresses only. Please e-mail us at info@frockshopchicago.com and we will provide a specific price for renting a wedding dress beyond 7 days.

I want to rent a dress for next year. How far ahead can I rent a dress? You can reserve a dress as far as 6 months in advance.

 

DRESS RETURN

How do I return my dress? Simply place your dress in the pre-paid envelope that has been provided for you. Your return will either be by UPS or USPS, so check your label before you mail. Yes, it's that easy!

I live in Chicago. Can I drop off my dress at your dress storage facility? At this time, we do NOT allow in-person dress drop offs. Please mail your dress back in the pre-paid envelope that has been provided for you.

What if the dress I'm renting becomes dirty or damaged?  We like to think of our members as an extended group of friends with access to our closet. Therefore, we ask you to make every effort to treat the dress as if it were on loan from a dear friend and return it to us in the same condition as received.  We expect the dresses to have some natural wear. That is why every dress is professionally cleaned and repaired upon return. No additional fee will be assessed for instances of everyday wear and tear or for removable stains as dirt, food or make-up. These things are covered by our "accident insurance", which are included in the price of your dress rental. In cases where dresses are not returned, or returned severely abused, permanently stained or damaged beyond everyday wear, you will be charged a reasonable repair or replacement fee, determined by The Frock Shop. Some items, however, are not easily replaceable and the full retail value may be charged.

What happens if I return my dress late? We ask that you make every effort to return your dress in a timely manner, as someone else may have reserved the dress for another special occasion. In the event of a late return, you will automatically be charged a $25/day late fee.  Timely returns are vital to our dress rental community, so we ask that you return your dresses on time.

I have lost my pre-paid return envelope. How do I return my dress? Just e-mail us at info@frockshopchicago.com with your order number and we will e-mail you another return mail label.

 

SHIPPING

How long will it take for my dress to arrive? We ship all of our dresses so that they arrive on the date that you requested. You will receive a tracking number so that you can track your package.

I need a dress ASAP! Can you ship my dress today? The processing time for all online orders is 48 hours. For example, if you place your order on a Monday before 12 noon CST, it will be shipped on Wednesday. If you need your dress to be shipped in less than 48 hours, please call us at (773) 243-9433 Monday - Friday between 9 AM - 5 PM and we will see if we can fulfill your order. After 5 PM, please send us a text message and be sure to include the designer, item name and dress size. Please note that we need at least 24 hours to process telephone orders. Additional shipping charges will apply for all expedited orders.

I live outside of the United States. Can you ship to me? At this time, we only ship to the continental United States, Hawaii and Puerto Rico.

I live in Chicago. Can I pick up my dress? At this time, the only day that local Chicago members can pick up dresses is during our weekly "Chicago Try-On" (see PRODUCT AND SIZE AVAILABILITY section below). If you do not pick-up your dress during one of our weekly try-on's, we will ship your dress to you. We are in the process of developing Monday - Friday rental pick-ups for Chicago area members only. Once this is in effect, we will send an e-mail to our Chicago membership base and update our website with a local pick-up option on the check-out page.

I am going out of town and would like for my dress to be shipped to my hotel or a friend/family member's house. Is this possible? Of course! Just provide the shipping address in the check-out page. It is also a good idea to let your hotel, friend or family know that a package will be arriving for you. Keep in mind that sometimes credit card companies require extra verification for orders that are shipped to addresses other than your billing address. This verification can take up to 48 hours, so please place your order in enough time for this process to take place.

What shipping carrier do you use? We ship most of our dresses by UPS (www.ups.com).

My dress has not arrived and my event is coming up! What should I do? Keep in mind that UPS delivers up to 8 PM in some locations. When we ship your package, we will provide you with a UPS tracking number so that you can track the status. If you have tracked the status of your package and you still have questions regarding delivery, please e-mail us at info@frockshopchicago.com with DELIVERY STATUS in the subject line and your order number and we will assist you. As with ordering anything online, there is a slight chance of shipping delays. This is why we recommend that you choose a dress arrival date that is at least 2 days before your event.

Do I need to be at home to accept my package delivery? UPS does not require a signature for deliveries to secure locations. Please be sure to provide a phone number where you can be reached during the day because if your location is not secure, UPS will often call you to see if it is OK to drop off your package.

I need my dress on a Saturday. Are dresses delivered on Saturdays? Yes. UPS delivers packages Monday - Saturday.

 

PRODUCT & SIZE AVAILABILITY

Do you offer plus sizes? Yes! We offer cocktail and evening gown dresses in sizes 0 - 22.

I see a dress that I love on your site, but you do not have it in my size. Is it possible for you to get this dress in my size? At this time, we are not able to get any additional sizes in the dresses that are seen on our website. But, we do monitor customer requests for additional sizes. If there is a dress that you really love, feel free to let us know by sending an e-mail to info@frockshopchicago.com with SIZE REQUEST in the subject line. We will add it to our "size request" list and try our best to locate it for you. If we can find the dress, the size will be added to our website.

I see a dress in a store or at another website that I want to rent. Is it possible for you to order a dress for me to rent? At this time, we do not place special orders. But, our business is built around providing the dresses that you want, so we definitely want to know which dresses and designers you love. Feel free to let us know by sending an e-mail to info@frockshopchicago.com with DRESS REQUEST in the subject line. We will add it to our "most wanted" list and try our best to locate it for you. If we can find the dress, it will be added to our website and an e-mail will be sent to our membership base with a notification of new arrivals.

Are all of your dresses listed on your website? At any given time, 90% of our dresses are listed on our website. We get new cocktail and evening gowns every other week and take pictures of them monthly. We are in the process of taking pictures of all of our wedding dresses. Therefore, we do NOT have pictures of all of our weddings dresses listed on our website. Because wedding dresses vary by size, we recommend scheduling a Saturday appointment to view and try on our wedding dresses. You many also e-mail us at info@frockshopshicago.com to inquire about the wedding dresses that are not listed on our website.

I live in Chicago. Is there any way I can try on a dress before I rent it? Yes. Most Thursdays and Satrudays, we allow Chicago clients to try on dresses at our showroom located at 2150 S. Canalport Avenue, #4A-4, Chicago, IL 60608. No appointment is required. PLEASE NOTE: our "Chicago Try On" days and times vary from week to week, so please check the Chicago Try-On page of our website to confirm the day and time of the next Chicago Try On.

What condition are the dresses in? At the Frock Shop, you will never sacrifice style or quality just because you are renting a dress. All of our items are either "new" or in "like new" condition. Some will be worn for the first time by you.  We hold very high standards and offer our members nothing less than the best. After dresses are no longer up to the Frock Shop's high standards of "rentable condition" they are sold. Trust us - if we would not wear it, we do not rent it!

 

RETURN POLICY

What if I get my dress and it does not fit (or I do not like it)? If your dress does not fit (or you choose not to wear it), simply return it within 24 hours for a full merchandise credit (less shipping). We will allow you to apply the credit towards a future dress rental and credits are good for 6 months. With ordering any article of clothing online, there is always a risk that you may not like your item or it does not fit when it arrives. We highly encourage you to e-mail us at info@frockshopchicago.com and ask questions about the dresses that you are interested in. We have seen ALL of our dresses on real bodies. So by asking just a few questions, we can give you an excellent idea of whether or not a dress will work for your body type or if it is appropriate for your event. In addition, we allow you to rent a second dress for only $25 each, just in case there is a problem with your first choice.

 

CUSTOMER SERVICE

What are your customer service hours? Our customer service hours are Monday - Friday, 9 AM - 6 PM. CST

What is the best way to contact you for the QUICKEST response? Simply put, e-mail! As a small company, our staff is limited. Our (800) number is a message system and is only checked once per day, Mondays - Friday only. If you need an immediate response, please e-mail us at info@frockshopchicago.com. We will respond to all e-mail messages sent Sunday - Friday within 24 hours. E-mail messages sent on Saturday will be returned on Monday.

 

DRESS PURCHASE

Do you buy dresses from customers? Yes. Please note that we buy dresses based on current inventory needs, which means that we may only be looking for certain sizes and designers. If you are interested in selling your dress to The Frock Shop, e-mail us at info@frockshopchicago.com with DRESS TO SELL in the subject line, along with the picture of the dress, size, designer and color. We will respond within 48 hours. All dresses must be new or dry cleaned and in excellent condition. We take requests to buy dresses via e-mail only.

 

ALTERATIONS

What if my dress needs alterations? We allow certain alterations for wedding dresses only and work with an excellent seamstress that specializes in alterations for rental dresses. All alterations prices are quoted on site at our seamstress and are paid directly to our seamstress. More details regarding wedding dress alterations will be provided at your dress rental appointment. We do not allow alterations of cocktail and evening gowns.

 

FROCK SHOP SALES

I love the dress that I rented and want to buy it! Can I buy dresses from The Frock Shop? We have sales twice a year. When a sale starts, we send an e-mail to our membership base and post a special sale section of our website. If you cannot wait for one of our sales, feel free to e-mail us at info@frockshopchicago.com and we will try our best to locate a retailer that sells the dress you are looking for.

 

BENEFITS OF RENTING A DRESS

I can find a wedding dress to purchase for the same price as your rentals. Wouldn't it be wiser to buy? This is a great question. The average cost of a wedding dress is several times our rental price, but if you do find a dress for $300 or less to purchase, you will still need to add the price of the veil and cleaning, which The Frock Shop includes in its price.  Also, when you rent your dress, you simply return it when you are done. You do not have to pay to preserve the dress and the dress will not take up space in your closet. Also, consider the quality of our wedding dresses. Many of our wedding dresses are designer dresses have retail prices that start from $500 - $3000. It is difficult to find a $3000 dress on sale for $300.

Can't I save just as much money by buying the dress that I want and then re-selling it? Wedding dress resale is often LESS than 50% of the retail price and takes 3 - 6 months, sometimes longer. So if your wedding dress costs $1,000, you can expect to sell it for $500, which means that your financial outlay is $500. But if you rent your dress from The Frock Shop for $300, you will have an extra $200 in your pocket. This money can be used toward other wedding expenses, your honeymoon or simply saved.

 

DISCOUNTS

What types of discounts are available? The following discounts are available to members only: $15 birthday discount, Frock Star (VIP access to free rentals for select frequent members), paid monthly membership (access to up to 4 dress rentals per month for $125/month), e-mail notifications regarding new arrivals, discounts from our jewelry and beauty partners and much more!

 

GENERAL QUESTIONS

What is your mailing address? 2361 S. State Street, #1044, Chicago, IL 60616. This is also the address for the weeklty "Chicago Try-On's"

Do I have to get my dress cleaned? Nope - we take care of the dry cleaning!

Do you offer dress rental for photo shoots and fashion shows? All of our dresses are available for INDOOR photo shoot rental. Due to the delicate nature of our designer gowns and the frenzy often takes place behind stage at fashion shows, we do not rent any of our dresses for fashion shows.

Is any type of hold placed on my credit card? Please note that while we require a credit card for all dress rentals, we do not place any type of hold on your credit card while you are renting the dress.

Do you rent jewelry to match my dress? Right now, we do not rent wedding jewelry. We refer clients to www.adorn.com for special occasion jewelry rental.

Do you have a retail store or plan to open a retail store? In order to keep our rental prices low, the Frock Shop currently operates online only and operates a small Chicago showroom for dress storage and try-ons. We do not have a bricks and mortar location.

Are you hiring? At this time, we are hiring non-paid interns and a paid seamstress (part-time). Interns assist in the areas of customer service, logistics, inventory control and graphic design. Seamstress must have experience in special occasion dress alterations. If you live in the Chicago area and are interested in one of these positions, please send your resume and cover letter to info@frockshopchicago.com with the position title in the subject line.

Why is The Frock Shop a membership only site? When we started The Frock Shop, we felt that it was very important to create a community of members who love high fashion and want to share their special moments with us. This includes sharing pictures and the experience of wearing a beautiful designer dress for their wedding, party, prom or special occasion. Being a member gives you access to birthday discounts, VIP rewards, notification of new items, a customer account where you can keep track of your dress rentals, the ability to provide feedback on the dresses that you rent and much, much more. These are wonderful perks that we felt should be given to members only instead of the general public. Also, due to our limited inventory, it is very important that we control the number of members so that we have enough dresses in stock for you to choose from when you view our site.

Who can I talk to regarding investor or press inquiries? If you are interested in receiving an investor package or interviewing The Frock Shop, please visit our contact page.