Recycling a dress fit for a Princess

An innovative fundraiser sets the scene for a stylish fairy-tale ending.

As every South African girl knows, the matric dress is second only to her wedding dress as a style milestone in her life, so hunting down and deciding on the dress is an undertaking approached with the same intense determination as the hunt for bin Laden.

Once upon a time, long, long ago (in 1997, actually) Deseree Knowles’ mother splurged out at Saint Laurent boutique in Pretoria to buy a fairy-tale dress for her daughter’s matric farewell.

Deseree and her mother are very close and the selection process was tremendous fun as Deseree tried on dress after dress.

 

The black and burnt orange halter neck dress with layers of chiffon and tulle glowed copper as it came off the rail.   Every pot reputedly has its own lid and seemingly every dress has its unique owner – this dress called out a siren song to Deseree; it was love at first sight.

The second she put it on, Deseree felt like a princess.  Eighteen years later, the dress still evokes powerful recollections of the wonderful day she and her mother had, and reminds her of how magical she felt wearing it to her matric farewell.

Deseree rocking the Princess dress

The years passed and Kiran Coetzee’s CANSA Deb fundraiser in White River, Mpumalanga, was the perfect way to say goodbye to a dress that was so much more than a swirl of fabric to Deseree.   Kiran, an entrepreneurial fifteen year old CANSA Debutante at Uplands College saw an opportunity to recycle the once sparkling evening wear women store in the museum section of their wardrobes and simultaneously raise funds towards his ambitious target.  With great charm, he implored and wheedled 26 dresses and 25 tuxedo’s out of their owner’s cupboards and persuaded an intrigued audience to raise their hands for a good cause (CANSA) while upping their green credentials through buying lightly used eveningwear. 

Deseree thought that by donating her special dress to the auction, she was passing on and sharing the magic, but bidding fever caught hold of her when her dress appeared on stage – the fairy-tale gown remained irresistible and her hand shot up!

All the best enchanted tales include a prince and princess, and this one is no exception.  Prince Manqoba Dlamini of Swaziland lives in White River, and through his environmental leadership training programme, Ecolink, he has become friends with Kiran’s mother Kirsten.  She knew his philanthropic soul was an easy touch to buy a ticket for the fund raising dress auction, although he had no intention of buying a dress.  Much to his own surprise, when Deseree’s dress appeared on stage swishing around the model’s feet, he found his hand in the air.

Prince Manqoba had set his sights on winning this dress as a gift for a princess in Mbabane, his niece Princess Hlengiwe.  But it wasn’t an easy task – watching him bid on her fairytale, Deseree’s heart lurched and she bid energetically, determined to get her dress back.  Alas, the enchanting story ended happily for the Prince while Deseree watched her dress swish away.

Like Cinderella’s slipper, it fitted perfectly and the Princess adored it on sight.  Deseree’s sadness dissolved when she heard of the happily-ever-after ending, acknowledging that it couldn’t have passed on to a more perfect owner. 

Princess Hlengiwe gives a Royal touch to the dress

As for Kiran, his auction raised an impressive R11 430 after expenses, and brought out the best in the community audience.  Several dresses and suits were bought and donated to a rural debutante programme run by local resident Brenda Archdeacon, enabling fairy-tale dances for these matriculants as well. 

Meanwhile, Princess Hlengiwe is seen at functions in Swaziland wearing the dress that began its life off the rack as a garment befitting a princess and many years later was recycled into a gown adorning a real Princess. 

Who would have believed that an innovative fundraiser in a small Lowveld town could act as a match maker for a dress from Pretoria and a Swazi Princess?

A romantic and truly African spin on the classic Cinderella tale.