Wrote by Tristane on Thursday, November 22nd 2007 at 6:43 pm

This story started out simply enough… The invitation stated that the “Princesses & Créateurs” auction, organised by Disneyland Paris with proceeds going to UNICEF, would take place on Monday, 19 November 2007 at 7 p.m.
This is how it started out. Dresses, creations and designers, all for charity. Artists and seamstresses who worked hours on end to reinterpret modern versions of the Disney Princesses. We knew the names of the designers. And we knew the lot number: 23. The people present included many potential buyers, sometimes with their families, models to wear the dresses, cocktail waiters, Lionel Gosset, the auctioneer with his gavel, Isabelle Giordano as the mistress of ceremonies and me, sitting in the room with a friend of mine.
This, as I say, is how it started out.

The lots went by, all beautiful, finely worked and one-of-a-kind. The men raised their bids for their wives or daughters, or maybe just to show off, and certainly to help UNICEF. And for “all of the children that you can help”, as the beautiful Isabelle pointed out. A little girl raised a bid for her mother. Two men fought over a dress, with higher and higher bids… Lot 18, Lot 19, Lot 20…

At one moment, during the first lots, the President of the Disneyland Resort Paris himself bid on and won the famous Snow White dress by Vivienne Westwood.

The bids ended, but the magic wasn’t over yet. The auctioneer declared: “Just a minute, the President of the Disneyland Resort Paris, who purchased the Vivienne Westwood dress, has just announced that he will
return his lot to the bidding to raise more money for UNICEF and the children.”

The room was awestruck and quickly broke out into applause.

And then the bidding started again, with the tension rising in the room.

And then… And then without thinking, and with a knowing look between us and a completely unreasonable idea in our heads, my friend and I whispered, “Why don’t we both buy it? We have to be generous from time
to time, right? Even with money we don’t really have…”

A few seconds went by, but only a few.

I raised my hand, my number, our number.

“Going once, going twice, going three times… Sold to the young blonde woman in the first row”. That young blonde woman was me!

We needed a glass of champagne to celebrate our victory! “To us!”

We thought about it. We would be going to parties together: her, our friends and me. So who would wear the top? Who would wear the bottom?
The dress was in several pieces. We could mix and match. And we saw each other so often that we could switch…

First floor on the right to collect the lots.

We still didn’t realise what had just happened, but suddenly, we had the best reason of all for this crazy purchase: it was for the children!

We left singing: “One day, our prince will come…”

And here is our beautiful dress… What do you think?