Over the past year, staff at the Sunflower Hospice Shop in Bathurst Street have kept aside the most special vintage and evening wear donated by the public for a special fundraising event.
Over the past year, staff at the Sunflower Hospice Shop in Bathurst Street have kept aside the most special vintage and evening wear donated by the public for a special fundraising event.
On Saturday evening the vision became reality as the gorgeous outfits were revealed at a fun and funky fashion show at Victoria Girls’ High School.
From a luxurious fox fur coat to a silky evening dress for that special occasion or a floral shirt for summer, the Charity Cases show catered for all tastes and reminded the enthusiastic audience that the 60s are definitely back in fashion.
Dressed in the elegant wear of days gone by, the models added some colour to their routine by blowing a kiss or, in the case of one gentleman in a tweed cap, winking at lady in the audience.
The choreography was impeccably smooth and very professional, with director Saint-Francis Tohlang stepping out on stage afterwards to congratulate the models for their hard work. During the interval, the guests could sign up to bid for the auction.
To complement the theme, Lucy Kruger sang a few songs to acoustic guitar in the troubadour style. Also adding more than just a spark was a fire poi performance and a contemporary dance with scintillating choreography.
Anna-Karien Otto volunteered to handle the auction, giving the guests an opportunity to purchase some of the key items at affordable prices. She auctioned off a little black dress, a la Coco Chanel, from the 40s, a camel hair coat from the 60s, a peach chiffon pleated evening gown, a black fake fur coat and a blue satin cocktail dress.
Some of audience members got up close to admire and touch the clothing before bidding on it. Local businessman Pierre Ranchhod, was eager, pushed the bid up and was rewarded with winning the bid for the cream camel hair coat.
He says that the show was good exposure for Hospice, "as citizens, we need to support such initiatives to those who are ill."
Petra Pretorius, the manager of the Sunflower Hospice Shop says that the audience responded very well because they loved the clothes. She also said "the fashion show advertised the Hospice Shop" where some of the clothes that were displayed are on sale.
The proceeds from the show will be used to provide free assistance and care to patients and their families coping with terminal illnesses.
After getting in the mood to party, some members of the audience joined the organisers and the models for Cushioned Caf, an after-party at Slip Stream Sportsbar.
