Albright Fashion Library

Prepare to fight with stylists like Patricia Field over the color-ordered Manolo Blahnik and Christian Louboutin pumps at this 7,000-square-foot studio, run by creative director Patricia Black. You could spend an entire afternoon drooling over the library’s beautifully preserved couture (Valentino, Balmain, Lanvin, etc.), but appointments are limited to one hour. A trend-focused attitude prevails, and the staff has little tolerance for cheapskates. Fortunately, the accessories come free with clothing rentals, and scoring a black-studded Balmain dress ($28,000 to buy) or Oscar de La Renta strapless sequined gown ($15,000 to buy) at roughly 10% of the purchase price—even if it’s only for a week—makes that Cinderella moment at the Met not entirely unobtainable. Pricing depends on the item and length of rental; there is a $250 browsing fee, which will be taken off your rental tab, and a minimum rental fee of—gulp—$1,000.