I bought my favourite dress in a small, exclusive boutique in a village in England. It had a lightly boned bodice of black crêpe, shot through with gold thread. The neckline was made of pleated black satin worn off the shoulders with a large, black satin flower in the centre. It had a two-tiered satin flounced skirt which fell to just below my knees.

At the time, 1990, it was extremely fashionable and worn with a pair of high-heeled black suede shoes with diamante bows and a chiffon stole. I felt very elegant.

The reason this dress is so special to me is because it marked a profound turning point in my life. On my return from England I was greeted at the Toronto airport by John. At this time, our relationship was in its tentative early stages and we were spending two days together to get to know one another better.

As a surprise, John had bought tickets to see “Phantom of the Opera” at the Pantages Theatre. That evening we both dressed to the nines and rode down the elevator to the lobby of the Sheraton Hotel. As we proceeded through the lobby a sudden hush descended and all eyes to turned to us as the crowds fell back, rather like the parting of the Red Sea.

Now, I already knew how distinguished John looked when formally attired, so I assumed the admiring glances were aimed at him. Apparently though, John said he had fallen a pace behind and all eyes were upon me in my stunning dress.

From there, we took a cab to Centro. Unknown to us, this restaurant was frequented by actors, movie stars and the like, and the staff were accustomed to all sorts of glamorous personalities dining there.

As we entered the restaurant, the maître d’ came to greet us. Her reaction was quite spontaneous. “Oh my,” she exclaimed, “don’t you look beautiful this evening!” We were treated like VIPs the whole time and you could see the waiters trying to work out who we were. From the restaurant we went to the theatre where we received the same reaction as people made way for us wherever we went.

That evening was the most exciting, magical and glamorous that I have ever spent. I truly felt like a princess, something I had never before experienced.

From then on, that dress has held a special place in my heart as my “Cinderella dress,” the one I wore when I found my prince!

Elizabeth Illingworth, Thunder Bay, Ontario