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Top of my favourite fashion fantasies? To wake up one morning with a Carrie Bradshaw-esque closet overflowing with designer accessories. What would I give to have at my fingertips a myriad of super-luxe finishing touches for every outfit imaginable?
A mean business tote for the office. A frothy, macaroon-hued fascinator for my best friend’s wedding. A rhinestone-studded, impractically tiny but impossibly chic clutch for a black tie charity dinner. A roomy, leather hold-all for impromptu weekends away. A pair of vintage double-c emblazoned earrings to add a shot of retro-glam to my daily uniform of jeans and a Breton tee. This season’s it-bag for cocktails with the girls. The perfect feather-trimmed fedora to pull down low over bad hair days…
The list goes on.
And on.
And on…
The slight flaw in that daydream? Well, my rabbit hutch-sized flat for starters. I’ve barely got room for the basics, let alone a full on treasure-trove of handbags, hats and jewels. Oh, and then there’s the normal person-sized salary to contend with, which is sadly more suited to H&M and Cotton On than Hermes and Chanel.
But, before we relegate that fantasy to the draw labeled fairytales and chocolate éclairs that make you skinny, perhaps it’s time I introduce you to our fashion fairy Godmother. Step up LuxTNT – the answer to all our perfect accessory prayers.
Luxury fashion accessories rental start-up, LuxTNT, gives each and every one of us access to the bags and baubles of our Bradshaw-shaped dreams for a fraction of the cost. Think of it as a sort of library for glam girls where instead of books, the shelves are stacked with accessories from Fendi, Judith Leiber, Lanvin and Alexander McQueen. The premise is simple, browse the catalogue of accessory amazingness, whittle it down to one and then rent your designer dreamboat from as little as $30 per night. Suddenly boarding the plane for your next mini-break with a baby blue Globetrotter in tow is well within your reach. That Chanel lego clutch that retails well over your total monthly pay check? It’s yours for the night, for less than the cost of a couple of dresses from Zara. As fashion genius goes, LuxTNT has got to rank up there with the invention of high heels.
I decided that in the interests of all the accessories addicts of Hong Kong, I’d have to give the service a whirl and fill you in on all the details. Cut to a few hours later curled up on the sofa with a large glass of wine drooling over the sort of handbag candy I usually only see splashed across the pages of Vogue – AKA heaven. After drawing up a shortlist featuring a couple of hundred thousand dollars’ worth of Dolce & Gabbana, Chanel and Bottega Veneta, I eventually narrowed it down to a little piece of sartorial perfection – the Saint Laurent Classic Logo bag – which retails at an eye-watering $14,650. Mine was going to cost me a mere $586 for the weekend! With a click of my mouse and a flutter across the keyboard, that Saint Laurent baby was being whisked off the shelf and winging its way towards my front door. Now, that’s magic!
Two days later, on my scheduled delivery day, I woke up with a distinct Christmas morning feeling. A glimmer of excitement that only rocketed into full-on out and out glee when a courier came bounding up my stairs moments later with a sleek black box. I tore off the lid and shredded through the beautifully wrapped tissue package to find a glossy bundle of Saint Laurent gleaming back at me. Love at first sight.
For the next 48 hours, we were barely parted for a moment. I flew around town flashing my new designer sidekick getting cooing comments from all directions. From a cocktail-fuelled DIY session at the A Pair & A Spare Studio with the Sassy Girls, to a cosy date night at 121BC and even through to a sunglasses mandatory hangover brunch the following day, my Saint Laurent accompanied me, giving every outfit some heavyweight fashion punch. But, when Monday morning rolled around, I had more than the usual end of weekend blues to contend with, it was time to bid a doleful farewell to my newfound love.
Drying my tears as the courier tucked the parcel under his arm, I settled in front of my laptop to start the week’s work but moments later somehow found myself logged back into my LuxTNT account… Was I going to cheat on my Saint Laurent before he’d even left the building? Too right I was. When there’s Givenchy to be hired for the equivalent of the cost of my usual team coffee run, it’s practically criminal not to start off Monday with a little high-end handbag hit. Brushing away the last crumb of doubt, I clicked my mouse and fluttered across the keyboard muttering to myself, ‘what would Carrie do?’…
LuxTNT currently only accepts Visa or Mastercard – see here for more info. They’re also offering a special Sassy discount! You’ll get 30% off your order by using the coupon code ‘SASSYLOVE‘. This offer is valid until 31 October, 2014.
