date night

Hard truth here: Husband and I don't get out much. I'm not really proud of this fact, but there you have it. I could go into the reasons why (guilt over making nanny stay late/ not having a regular babysitter/ cost of said babysitter on top of night out/ location in Upstate Manhattan/ etc) but that's a post for another day... and who wants to admit they're not out partying like rock stars anymore?*

* I did party like a rock star once or twice. But, that was a decade called my twenties, which seems like a realllllly long time ago now.

Needless to say, I was beyond thrilled when the chance at a night out presented itself. "Benji," a film Husband edited, was chosen to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, so obviously he was not going to miss it (and clearly, when there is a red carpet and opportunity to dress up, I must be present). After arranging with a lovely friend to babysit, I was excited for weeks beforehand... until I realized I HAD NOTHING TO WEAR. And not only that, I have zero time for shopping these days.

Enter Rent the Runway, a luxury dress rental website where you can, literally, rent a look right off the runway. This is such a genius idea, and quite frankly, perfect for moms who not only have precious little time to shop, but don't need a closet full of cocktail dresses, either. Jeans and a cute top are much more my "go to" wardrobe pieces anyway. After perusing their website, I must admit picking a dress was much harder than I thought it would be. There were so many gorgeous ones to choose from, but I did find the categories helpful... with everything from "pear" to "straight and narrow" to help narrow down the choices, in addition to length of dress, etc. I also found reading the reviews helpful. There's even a "bump-friendly" section for expectant mamas!  Worried about what size to choose, I was relieved to find that Rent the Runway will ship a second size to you for free.

Jenny Fleiss, Co-Founder of Rent the Runway (and a new mama herself!), was kind enough to talk to me, and expressed her agreement that her business is a great option for busy moms. I was also curious at how she was balancing work with new daughter, Daniella, at home.

From Jenny:

"There's definitely an adjustment period, but I find I am setting my own rules and standards for getting things done so that I can spend more time with my baby. Being a mother is definitely a motivating factor. I now spend even more time prioritizing my schedule, and I'm always finding ways to multi-task so I can maximize the time I get to spend with her, whether it's taking my blackberry on the treadmill with me or getting in early to work."

Jenny counts Bubby's and story time at Hudson Park Library as some of her favorite places to bring Daniella.

After choosing this dress by Theia (retails $595, rented for $75!) I was ready for the big night. We rubbed elbows with saw Robert DeNiro from a distance and the directors of the film made a point of calling out Husband's awesome skills in their introduction. The documentary itself is a touching and stirring portrait of a life lost too soon, and naturally, I am so proud of Husband's work on the film. Afterwards, we headed to an after-party at 404, which was so much fun. Our evening was truly a "New York" night, and a reminder that we all need one of those every once in a while.

Guess I'd better start scheduling a babysitter more often...

It's very Mad Men, no?

Disclaimer: Rent the Runway generously offered me credit on their website for the purposes of this review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.