Red and Black Snakeskin Pants Possibly Part of the Origin Story of Rent the Runway

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Welcome to Buyer's Remorse, a feature we copped from our pals at Racked. Mistakes were made -- frequently by us, possibly by you, and most definitely by the high-profile subject who reveals his or her most ill-advised purchase.

Who better to start the series with than Jenn Hyman, one of the founders of Rent the Runway. Ill-advised purchases are part of RTR's raison d'etre: why pay $600 for a fancy dress with limited real-life applications that you're only going to wear once, when you can rent it instead?

Have you made a lot of bad purchases in your life?
Well, one of the main reasons I started Rent the Runway was because one day I was looking at my closet and over half of the stuff in it was stuff I wouldn't be caught dead in, wearing again. I had a lot of dresses that were so specific from a moment in time?fun, but I couldn't wear them. I hadn't invested in building a wardrobe; I just had a lot random, fun pieces.

Like what?
A few things that come to mind?a very short, sequined mini-dress, so many bridesmaid dresses?

Think hard. What's the worst thing?
Oh, I know. A pair of red and black snakeskin pants. That cost $1,000. And this is back in 2002, maybe 2003.

Wow.
They weren't even in style for a whole season, maybe just two or three months.

How many times did you wear them?
Twice. The second time, I forced myself to wear them because I just couldn't believe how much money I spent on them -- at the time, that was pretty much a month's rent. So I sucked it up and wore them, for the most inappropriate occasion.

What was it?
To my work. At a non-fashion job. I was working for Starwood Hotels, and I thought, "Oh, I'll do a day-to-night look. I wore what I thought was a conservative-looking black top with them.
· Rent the Runway [Official Site]
· All Buyer's Remorse [Racked]