You may roll your eyes at that sassy girlfriend of yours who keeps whining about never having anything to wear and how she would never ever wear the same outfit in public more than once unless the cows came home. There will always be that one friend who takes that pledge to the extreme, but admit it, the little social tumour that prefers to not be seen in the same outfit twice does exist in all of us.
Outfits are categorised by people who used to own them.
"Today, it's no longer a problem only dara [celebrities] are preoccupied with. With the increase of social media, whether it is Instagram or Facebook, ordinary people now don't want to wear the same outfit twice either," said model-actress Apitsada "Ice" Kruakongka.
She said that we could have gotten away with it back in the day, but that is no longer the case. "You could wear a dress to one wedding because guests were a particular group of friends and then wear the same one to another wedding because you'd be seeing a different group of friends. The thing is, there's so much social media these days and when one photograph is taken, it spreads so everyone can see it."
While this fixation may seem silly, the reason stars must keep updating their closets is not all about vanity. It is actually part of their job to be decked out in a different outfit every time they meet the media or get photographed.
"If there's a picture of me wearing a dress in one issue and I'm still wearing the same thing in the next issue, the content would seem repetitive and not very new," Apitsada explained. "Both the people who deliver and read news want the freshest and latest happening all the time."
Wedding outfit woe is actually one of the main motivations behind the mushrooming outfit rental business. And Apitsada herself is among those who have decided to start a dress rental store - hers is called Celeb's Closet.
"At first, I just felt like hey, I have so many weddings to attend this month. And I had to keep buying new outfits all the time because I didn't want to wear the same thing twice. I was pretty sure I wasn't the only one with this problem so I decided to rent out my old outfits."
But unlike the usual dress rental stores, the main attraction here is that dresses at Apitsada's store are ones that showbiz and celebrity luminaries have strutted around in at various events. Dresses worn by television's pretty faces like Pattaratida "Tangmo" Patcharaveerapong and Pitchanart "May" Sakakorn are but a few of the figures, while the worshipped queens of Thai showbiz Araya "Chompoo" A. Hargate and Patcharapa "Aum" Chaichue have shared their glamorous garb as well. Thai designers (Milin, Sretsis, etc.) are surely available, while some prized international names such as Roberto Cavalli are also there for your picking.
Rental fee for Aerin Yuktadatta’s dress is 3,000 baht plus 10,000 baht deposit. PHOTOS: PORNPROM SATRABHAYA
The outfits from Apitsada and other actresses are only for rent and not for sale, as she admits to still having emotional attachment to them.
There is, after all, only one dress exactly like that in the world (if tailored) and it also serves as a reminder of the gatherings the actresses have taken part in.
"A lot of people who model their dresses from a dara's at the tailor have to spend so much and sometimes it doesn't even come out the same. Here, they can rent that actual dress they have seen," she reasoned.
That's not the only advantage Celeb's Closet has, because with so much experience of her own and references from actress friends regarding what sort of hair and make-up would suit each outfit, the store can give tried-and-true advice so customers can get the fail-proof complete look.
"This is an advantage because, of course, every woman wants to look beautiful like a star," Apitsada said. There are countless rental stores like Apitsada's which are of differing price ranges. Another store, Red Carpet Dress, situated in Phahon Yothin Soi 30, offers myriad rental dresses for only 500 baht. The fine for late returns is a mere 50 baht per day, which makes Red Carpet Dress a popular go-to option for customers with a tight budget. At this range, dresses may be generic and far from extravagant, but the owner says: "At this price, other stores only offer smock fitting while our selections are fitted ready to wear. It also helps that my mum [who runs the store] is really friendly and patient with customers trying on dresses and they all love to come see her."
Of course, renting does have its advantages as opposed to buying. Instead of paying a five-digit figure for a tailored dress with lots of bedazzling embellishments, Hathaichanok "Bee" Sroisangwan, a contestant in Miss Universe Thailand 2013, paid 3,000 baht in rent and another 10,000 baht as a deposit for the dazzling gown Miss Thailand Universe 2004 Morakot "Aimee" Kittisara once wore.
"The price for that dress to get it tailored was actually six digits," said Hathaichanok. "Beauty contestants who don't place much hope [in winning] will just rent, unlike others who have no financial strain or have a sponsor." Hathaichanok was not so concerned with the dress's original owner overshadowing her. "It's definitely not as circulated as much as other dresses from the same-old stores other beauty contestants head to.
"But most importantly, you should simply pick a dress that you feel good in and gives you confidence."
While she had to worry about showing up in the same-old dresses from the same-old rentals, Hathaichanok was relieved with her choice, as many actually mistook her dress as brand-new and tailored, rather than rented.
"Regardless, I had to be extremely careful to not create any tears or stains on the dress and it was an even harder task because the dress was very heavy and hard to walk in. There would have been specific charges if it is returned with any damage," she said.
Renting right from the stars is not even a dara-crazy thing any more as Apitsada believes people today are much more savvy and make more financially sound choices.
"We have a wide range of customers but a lot of well-to-do rich ladies are also in that mix. A lot of rich people these days know how to spend their money, or else they probably wouldn't be so rich!" she laughed.
A customer tries out a dress to see if she can fit into the small sizes daras usually have.
Customers pay 4,000 baht and another 10,000 baht deposit and they get to wear actress Chermarn ‘‘Ploy’’ Boonyasak’s outfit.
Normal dresses are available for rent at 1,500 baht with 1,500 baht deposit.
Model-actress Apitsada ‘‘Ice’’ Kruakongka’s dress is for rent at 3,000 baht with 10,000 baht deposit.
Want to look a bit like Araya ‘‘Chompoo’’ A. Hargate? Just pay 3,000 baht with 1,000 baht deposit.
