A “clothing crush” is like any other crush, it’s just that the object of desire is an article of clothing rather than a person. They can be obsessive (as in “I can’t sleep until I own those Burberry sandals”) or a casual fling (“I’ll just nip in to H&M and pick up a cheap top”), and sometimes it’s just one of those unattainable infatuations, not dissimilar from those we tend to develop over celebrities. You may appreciate the chiseled beauty of Daniel Craig, for example, but you don’t ever expect to take him home. The clothing crush equivalent would be the couture dress. You lust after it when you see it on the red carpet or the runway, but…well, there isn’t any couture in my closet. How about yours?

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Enter Dress du Jour – a glamorous little boutique tucked away in Crosstown specialising in setting you up for a one night stand with a dream dress. Owner Klay Kaulbach and his partner Johan Lotz have a flare for fashion, expertly gathering a collection of dresses from top designers available for you to try out for a night (or three). Think of them not as dress pimps, but fashion matchmakers (the really good professional kind that charge a fee for what they do – not the weird relatives with too much time on their hands). These boys are pro.

At Dress du Jour garments are for sale and for rent. If you aren’t quite ready to commit to a purchase and you just want a quick fling, you can choose from selection local and international designs (that might otherwise fall in the ‘unattainable’ category). Every time a dress comes back it’s professionally dry-cleaned and returned to the collection for someone else to rent. Once you’ve returned the rental dress, Dress Du Jour adjusts the sale price of the dress. Once a dress has been borrowed a handful of times, the purchase price becomes much more reasonable. How awesome is that?

I first went to Dress Du Jour just to poke my head in and be on my way. But Klay and Johan were so engaging that five minutes in they had me in the changing room trying on a black Ralph Lauren evening gown. Sadly, we weren’t a good fit, Ralph and I. Unfazed, Klay and Johan snuck me in to a red chiffon strapless number before I had a chance to think. The red dress didn’t work either. So next came a cute (but, not quite “me”) Betsy Johnson. Nope. But then it happened. Klay passed me the “Audrey Hepburn” with the open back.

On the hanger, I thought it looked kind of matronly, but with some encouragement I tried it on. I loved it. I felt sexy. I moved differently. I looked taller, thinner – everythinger. I didn’t need to try on anything else.

As with any love there is heartbreak, and this story is no exception. The night before the event I wanted to wear the dress to, I showed up to rent it and it was gone. Not just out at another function with another woman – bitch – it was purchased. Gone. Forever in someone else’s closet.

Still, the boys fixed me up with a beautiful navy silk Cynthia Rowley ($70 to rent, $432.17 to purchase). It was nice, but it wasn’t the same. The “Audrey Hepburn” will forever be ‘the one that got away’.

Dress Du Jour carries sizes 0-24 in a wide range of styles and prices. Check for their spring collection, which should be on the racks soon. You can find them at 628 Abbott St., Mon – Fri, 11-7, Sat 11-6 and Sun 12-5, or call for an appointment 604.688.3524.

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Michelle Sproule grew up in Kitsilano and attended Bond University in Australia and the University of Victoria before receiving her graduate degree in Library Sciences from The University of Toronto. She lives by the beach in Vancouver and enjoys wandering aimlessly through the city’s shops and streets with her best friend – a beat up, sticky, grimy, and uncooperative camera.

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