Labels have designs on the rental market

PARIS - Fancy hitting the town in the latest Dior dress with an outrageously expensive Louis Vuitton bag on your arm - but haven't the cash to afford even the clasp?

The fantasy is no longer a pipe dream for thousands of women in Paris, the world's fashion capital, where hiring luxury clothes and handbags is beginning to catch on.

A new service has started which allows fashionistas to rent Dior, Gucci, Saint Laurent and other luxury brand handbags for as little as 10 euros ($11) a day.