Rent The Runway founder and CEO Jenn Hyman started her groundbreaking e-tail site in order to provide every woman with her own "Cinderella moment." Now, Rent the Runway has finally launched a plus-size division, allowing shoppers of all sizes to feel like a princess.
"Every woman deserves to feel beautiful before the most important occasions in her life," Hyman said in a statement released on Tuesday. "Until now, we have only been able to follow through on this undertaking for virtually half of the female population." In today's image-driven culture, it's easy to forget that the average American woman wears a size 14, so expanding its size range is a logical way for RTR to grow.
The website, which allows customers to rent and return high-end designer dresses at discounted prices, now offers styles ranging from sizes 14 to 22. Designers Badgley Mischka, Carmen Marc Valvo and Theia have crafted RTR exclusives, and the site will continue to offer existing plus-size styles by Kay Unger and Adrianna Papell.
According to our friends at Fashionista, when Hyman originally proposed her site incorporate a larger size range, she was "literally laughed out of the room." We're glad e-commerce is helping to improve on the styles that make Tim Gunn want to throw himself out the window.
Since the plus-size dress pattern isn't always a reliable indicator of fit ("Our curves are in all different places," plus-size lingerie designer Chrystal Bougon told us earlier this year), Rent the Runway's two-size rental policy will help plus-size shoppers find the perfect fit at no extra cost.
Now, you can look like these ladies:
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