Shopping for a party dress can be painful. That’s why I try to buy a great one when I see it vs. the last minute panic (rule #4 in my 10 Rules of Shopping).  While I’ve accumulated a collection of mainly simple, mostly black, and slightly boring dresses, (although I do have a fantastic red Lida Baday number that gets trotted out when I’m feeling skinny) every now and then I need a new one. My friend, Julia, told me about Rent the Runway, an online resource that rents designer dresses (and accessories) at a fraction of the cost of buying one. That $1000 Zac Posen can be rented for $75 or a Helmut Lang for $100. Tons of designers and styles to choose from, and they’ll ship you (overnight) two sizes of your choice so you can rest easy about fit. While I haven’t tried it yet, it’s tempting, and quite possibly could shake me out of my little black dress rut. Read the fine print and sizing instructions before you place your order and please, if you give it a go, let me know how it went! www.renthterunway.com