Freedom Wear: In this dress I thee divorce

30 July 2015 - 02:03 By Yolisa Mkele

A wedding is not the only occasion on which women can dress up and feel like a princess. Hopping onto the happy divorce bandwagon, London designer, therapist and astrologer Nicolas Aujula has created the perfect dress to signal the end of your nuptial strife.Speaking to the Huffington Post, he said his dress is for divorcees who ''feel ready to begin their new life with renewed optimism - all the while making a style statement".Crafted from Italian silk, the custom-fitted emerald dress combines a corset bodice and embroidered tulle to create a beacon of lusty freedom visible to anyone with a pulse.''Apart from looking and feeling like a glamour goddess in my creation, my real hope is that the wearer continues to grow in confidence and wisdom," he said.There is a slight drawback. Like everything else in a divorce, the dress, which is also available as a mini, costs an arm, a leg and half the furniture. The long version will set you back a shade under R70000 whereas its shorter sister will require about R60000 from the settlement proceeds.The dress is part of the trend of throwing a party at the end of a marriage instead of gloomily sliding into alcoholism or under the nearest 25-year-old.Rising divorce rates have taken the embarrassment out of the act and replaced it with everything from cakes to parties, and general relief at the end of what turned out to have been a poor life choice.''I've taken to naming them freedom fests, because you aren't celebrating the end of the marriage but the freedom you have chosen in your life," said New York event planner Richard O'Malley in the Huffington Post.Over the years, O'Malley has seen his coffers swelled by an influx of people wanting to create a divorce yin to match their marital yang.One such shindig ran up a bill of nearly R315000 and came with an eight-piece band, toasts, a cocktail reception and a white dress.Should you find yourself on the wrong side of a marriage to someone you can no longer stand, remember this: your divorce could end up being even more fun than the wedding reception and you don't have to invite the bloody in-laws...

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