by Carrie Monroe

Created on: May 30, 2011

If you are designing costumes for a theater production you may find that you need to rent some items for your production.  Here are some tips for renting costumes.

The first step in renting costumes is finding a place to rent from.  If you live in a place with regional theaters, college theaters and community theaters these may be a good place to start.  There are many places that rent to theaters all over the world like

CostumeRentals or Norcostco

The next step is to know your budget.  Most places that rent costumes do so as a business.  Many people looking to rent costumes have a limited budget.  Asking for free costumes or a donation isn’t the best way to start the transaction.  Knowing your budget and discussing your budget with the person helping you rent can help you get the most for your money.  Keep in mind that you will most likely be responsible for cleaning the costumes as well so be sure to keep that in mind when budgeting.

If you are renting from a distance you may get a box of costumes from a rental house or theater that have been picked out for your by the employees of the rental house.  If you are renting locally you may be free to search the theater or rental store’s stock to find what you need.  If you are pulling the costumes for yourself be sure to have done your research and know what you are looking for.  Be familiar with the show you are designing but also with shows set in the same time period.  

When you go to rent costumes be armed with a list of items you need and sizes.  If you are on a budget you may want to rent important items but fill in other items like suits and men’s shirts by shopping at thrift stores. 

Inspect costumes you are renting.  It is easier to point out a damaged costume before you’ve rented the costume than to pay for damage you may not have done.  Some theaters will give a reduced rate for a damaged costume knowing that it will get repaired.

Make a list of all the items rented.  If the costumes have been rented from a distance make sure that your list matches the list from the rental house.  Keep a list about where they are rented from and any cleaning instructions.  This will make returning the items easier.

Read all contracts carefully.  Every contract is different.  Know what the replacement cost of costumes is, the cleaning policy, and the alteration policy.

When it is time to return the items clean them as directed and return them in a timely manner to the proper place.  This is especially important if you’ve rented from multiple places.  Make sure payment is made on time and check in with the rental house or theater that the transaction is complete. 

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