UPDATE 6/17/2011: Read about my experience with Newly Maid here.
Deciding what to do with a bridesmaid dress after you've worn it to a wedding has been a conundrum that women have faced for eons. You could donate it, try to sell it or pass it on to a friend. Now, The Dessy Group - one of the leading makers of bridesmaid dresses (including the Lela Rose and Cynthia Rowley collections) - is offering a new solution: Simply send them your unwanted bridesmaid dress, from ANY brand, and they'll either donate it to charity (Clothes4Souls.org) or recycle it with the help of UNIFI, a global textile company. In exchange for donating your dress, you'll receive a special 30 – 50% credit value towards the purchase of a new, totally chic, totally wearable "any occasion" dress.
I think it's a savvy way to swap "something old for something new" with environmental benefits and charitable incentives to boot. I may send a couple dresses to them just so they can find a new home or get recycled, rather than hang in my closet collecting dust. Visit NEWLYMAID.com, where you can request a complimentary return mailer and learn more about the program. Think this is something you'd actually use?
How it works:
Photos courtesy of NewlyMaid.com
How it works:
Photos courtesy of NewlyMaid.com