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“You just beam in that dress. It’s perfect.”
With those words of encouragement from fairy godmother Hope Ace, and after working her way through a rack of 20 gowns for an hour Saturday afternoon, 18-year-old Sarah Doucet had made her choice for her May 20 prom.
Jewel-toned and ruby red, the gown swirled when she twirled and framed the delicate bird tattoos that fly across Doucet’s shoulders. Its silver beading perfectly complemented her silver-beaded heels.
Doucet, a Grade 12 student at Béatrice-Desloges high school, was one of 80 students who registered for the 15th annual Fairy Godmother Ottawa’s boutique. The volunteer organization pairs girls with a “fairy godmother” to help them choose a prom outfit from the nearly 1,500 gowns in its collection.
The organization was founded by friends and former models Melissa Shabinsky and Catherine Whitla in 2002.
“For us it’s such a fun experience. We get to play dress-up with these young girls,” Shabinsky said. “It’s always a big moment when they come out of the change room and everyone goes, ‘Wow! It’s stunning.’ ”
The gowns are all donated and are cleaned for free by Brown’s Cleaners, which is owned by Whitla’s parents. Brown’s accepts donations at any of its two dozen locations across the region. The gowns are stored at the Confederation Education Centre on Woodroffe Avenue, which is where Saturday’s boutique was held.
Seventeen fairy godmothers were on hand to help with Saturday’s fittings.
“They’re all women who love fashion, have a great sense of style and truly understand that what you wear really does have an impact on how you feel,” Shabinsky said.
“They want to share their expertise with young girls who really are just looking for a little guidance.”
Erica Impundu, 18, of St. Francis Xavier High School, went home with a slim-fitting black velvet gown. She added a little bling to her wrist with a silver bracelet she chose from a table of accessories.
“I think it’s a great idea,” Impundu said. “The thing is, I didn’t want to buy a dress for $400 just for one day.”
Her fairy godmother, Leah Harel, said she loves to see the girls leave happy.
“They’re so appreciative. We’ll bend over backwards to help them.
“Their prom is a milestone in their life. It only comes once a year, and if you miss it, you can’t go back.”
Sarah Doucet chose this red gown for her May 20 prom.
Though the gowns are all donated, Whitla and Shabinsky say that doesn’t mean they are low quality or out of style. Far from it. In fact, dresses that are too worn or too old won’t make the cut. Some extra dresses are shared with other similar gown programs at individual schools in Ottawa and Gatineau.
“The main goal for us is to dress the girls so that they don’t stand out as if they were dressed by Fairy Godmother,” Shabinsky said. “If it’s not something your daughter would wear, we suggest you find someplace else to take it.”
Not all the young women who come to the boutique are there because they can’t afford a prom dress, said Wendy Morrell of the women’s group Beta Sigma Phi, which recruits the volunteer fairy godmothers.
Some have body image issues and are too intimidated to go into a gown shop. Some have lost their mothers and have no one to help them shop. Morrell remembers one girl who had never been taken dress shopping in her life, even though her family was wealthy.
“I said, ‘OK. Today is going to be your day. You’re going to try them on for us,’ ” Morrell said.
“People sometimes ask me, ‘How do you know they really need help?’ and I say, ‘If they’re here, they must be here for a reason.’
“For some, just being told, ‘You look gorgeous,’ is the reason they’re here.”
bcrawford@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/getBAC
查看原文...
With those words of encouragement from fairy godmother Hope Ace, and after working her way through a rack of 20 gowns for an hour Saturday afternoon, 18-year-old Sarah Doucet had made her choice for her May 20 prom.
Jewel-toned and ruby red, the gown swirled when she twirled and framed the delicate bird tattoos that fly across Doucet’s shoulders. Its silver beading perfectly complemented her silver-beaded heels.
Doucet, a Grade 12 student at Béatrice-Desloges high school, was one of 80 students who registered for the 15th annual Fairy Godmother Ottawa’s boutique. The volunteer organization pairs girls with a “fairy godmother” to help them choose a prom outfit from the nearly 1,500 gowns in its collection.
The organization was founded by friends and former models Melissa Shabinsky and Catherine Whitla in 2002.
“For us it’s such a fun experience. We get to play dress-up with these young girls,” Shabinsky said. “It’s always a big moment when they come out of the change room and everyone goes, ‘Wow! It’s stunning.’ ”
The gowns are all donated and are cleaned for free by Brown’s Cleaners, which is owned by Whitla’s parents. Brown’s accepts donations at any of its two dozen locations across the region. The gowns are stored at the Confederation Education Centre on Woodroffe Avenue, which is where Saturday’s boutique was held.
Seventeen fairy godmothers were on hand to help with Saturday’s fittings.
“They’re all women who love fashion, have a great sense of style and truly understand that what you wear really does have an impact on how you feel,” Shabinsky said.
“They want to share their expertise with young girls who really are just looking for a little guidance.”
Erica Impundu, 18, of St. Francis Xavier High School, went home with a slim-fitting black velvet gown. She added a little bling to her wrist with a silver bracelet she chose from a table of accessories.
“I think it’s a great idea,” Impundu said. “The thing is, I didn’t want to buy a dress for $400 just for one day.”
Her fairy godmother, Leah Harel, said she loves to see the girls leave happy.
“They’re so appreciative. We’ll bend over backwards to help them.
“Their prom is a milestone in their life. It only comes once a year, and if you miss it, you can’t go back.”
Sarah Doucet chose this red gown for her May 20 prom.
Though the gowns are all donated, Whitla and Shabinsky say that doesn’t mean they are low quality or out of style. Far from it. In fact, dresses that are too worn or too old won’t make the cut. Some extra dresses are shared with other similar gown programs at individual schools in Ottawa and Gatineau.
“The main goal for us is to dress the girls so that they don’t stand out as if they were dressed by Fairy Godmother,” Shabinsky said. “If it’s not something your daughter would wear, we suggest you find someplace else to take it.”
Not all the young women who come to the boutique are there because they can’t afford a prom dress, said Wendy Morrell of the women’s group Beta Sigma Phi, which recruits the volunteer fairy godmothers.
Some have body image issues and are too intimidated to go into a gown shop. Some have lost their mothers and have no one to help them shop. Morrell remembers one girl who had never been taken dress shopping in her life, even though her family was wealthy.
“I said, ‘OK. Today is going to be your day. You’re going to try them on for us,’ ” Morrell said.
“People sometimes ask me, ‘How do you know they really need help?’ and I say, ‘If they’re here, they must be here for a reason.’
“For some, just being told, ‘You look gorgeous,’ is the reason they’re here.”
bcrawford@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/getBAC
查看原文...
