Fashion & Beauty

Rent the Runway lends gems from its new NYC store

Rent the Runway, the designer dress and accessories rental service, opened its first freestanding New York store yesterday at 16 W. 18th St., leaving its former perch inside Henri Bendel.

With 10 stylists on staff and a tailor performing alterations on Thursdays and Fridays, the new Flatiron shop aims to deliver the full red carpet treatment for (temporary) trendsetters.

Nocturne “Aden” necklace ($233 retail), $40 for a four-day rental at Rent the Runway, 16 W. 18th St.Rent the Runway

For $25 (in addition to the cost of rental, a $5 insurance fee and optional alteration costs), shoppers can create a personal style profile online and book a 45-minute consulting session with a stylist who will scour the store’s inventory for perfect pieces. the shop can also be browsed without a stylist — it stocks a rotating selection of 850 dresses from more than 200 designers, including Vera Wang, Oscar de la Renta and Carolina Herrera. It also carries 200 accessories, from semiprecious stone statement necklaces to studded clutches ($5 to $400 for rental).

For sale are tools of the trade, such as Spanx and double-sided tape, crucial for avoiding wardrobe malfunctions. After the big event, items can be returned in person or mailed back in a prepaid envelope. And you won’t even turn into a pumpkin.