Dressing well shows a generosity of spirit, a friend of mine told me years ago. At the time I wasn't quite sure what she meant, but she explained that as a casual dresser she thought the world was made a better, brighter place by those who gave her such visual pleasure.
This was brought home to me on Saturday night at the Look Good Feel Better ball, which was both a rare chance to see New Zealand women dressed to the nines, but more importantly an opportunity to reflect on how appearance really can matter. The ball raises a fair whack of money for the charity which runs workshops for women undergoing cancer treatment. Each year more than 3000 women at 196 workshops in 24 location across the country are provided with free advice from trained volunteers, with the beauty industry chipping in with products.
Having seen my own mother have her confidence eroded by the harsh progression of breast cancer - back in the days when treatment was sadly much less successful - the "look good, feel better" message resonates.
But the workshops aren't just about teaching women to brighten themselves up with a little lippy, or even how to draw on eyebrows lost to chemotherapy, but rather about getting them together to gain confidence and strength in facing an uncertain future. Chairwoman Marie-Ann Billens said a future focus would be how to keep women connected.
At the ball, held in the glittering mirrored Grand Room of The Langham, plenty of connections were made and renewed, with corporate schmoozing part of the territory at these sorts of events. Money-making, though, is the primary purpose and around the eating and entertainment, the auctioneers worked hard to drum up sales. An early tally indicates more than $100,000 from the live and silent auctions and from ticket sales and donations.
