On Tuesday night, through the slushy rain/snow mix that was Manhattan, I trekked down to NoLiTa for the Fashion 2.0 Party which was held at Ilus Boutique–and it was love at first sight.

Ilus (introduced to me by “My It Things” and officially my obsession du jour) is a GENIUS creation. It is a boutique featuring women’s apparel (primarily dresses) founded by Linda Pratka and designed to meet the needs of party-going Manhattanites who can’t afford a brand new ensemble for each & every affair. Ilus gives professional young women the opportunity to look like a million bucks without breaking the bank.

How does it work? You can browse either online or in-store for your dress of choice up to a month & a half in advance, and then reserve your favorite for your next big event. Upon rental, the dress is yours for a fraction of the actual cost, for 3 days total (approx $100 per rental + $10 cleaning fee).

I cant count the number of times I have stumbled upon a charming SoHo boutique, and “accidentally” tried on a dress, that offered the perfect fit for the perfect occasion–but couldn’t justify a $800, or $500, or even $300 outfit that I know I’ll only wear once, maybe twice or three times tops. Now – you can wear fresh designer looks that you could never normally afford, without the guilt!

They also have purses, wraps and jewelry available for rent and/or sale to complete the look.

Upon first glance, here are a few of my favs:

*Prim Lace and Grey Wool Dress by Alice Sanders (perfect for a conservo-professional affair)

*Moss Chiffon V-neck by Carmen Marc Valvo (My fav cocktail dress, and probably my next rental)

*Ladylike Black Cocktail Dress by Jill Stuart (The ultimate LBD-Little Black Dress)

*Kiera Silk Dress by Abaete (Simple but Colorful for an evening soiree)

*Betsy Organza Dress by Jill Stuart (Another contender for my next rental)

*Ball Gown by Nicole Miller (You know, in case you happen to be going to the Oscars this year)

Ilus Boutique is located at 248 Elizabeth Street (between Houston & Prince). Go and play dress up–it’s fun!

[Alyson Campbell for It's All Very PR]

Tags: Alyson Campbell, AMP3 pr, AMP3 Public Relations, Fashion 2.0, Ilus Boutique, It's All Very PR

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 18th, 2008 at 1:10 pm and is filed under special events. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.