Men
and
women
who
find
themselves
in
need
of
a
ball
gown,
but
who
don’t
want
to
pay
high
prices
for
a
dress
they’ll
wear
only
once,
now
have
a
new
alternative:
Atlanta
Cotillion’s
Running
of
the
Belles,
coming
to
Amsterdam
Café
on
July
13.
The
Atlanta
Cotillion
ball,
which
annually
asks
men
who
never
do
drag
to
doll
up
for
charity,
takes
place
each
September.
But
for
most
of
the
year,
pre-events
raise
money
for
the
overall
donation
as
well
as
for
individual
“debutantes.”
The
new
“Belles”
event
is
inspired
by
the
annual
Running
of
the
Brides
at
Filene’s
Basement
in
Buckhead.
It
offers
participants
the
opportunity
to
pay
a
minimum
donation
for
access
to
ball
gowns
donated
by
previous
Cotillion
participants
—
and
a
sideshow
for
anyone
who
wants
to
watch
the
clash
over
dresses.
“People
have
come
to
us
and
said,
‘I
wish
we
could
do
some
kind
of
dress
exchange,’
and
we’ve
been
doing
Cotillion
for
long
enough
that
I
knew
everybody’s
got
an
inventory,”
says
Edward
Holifield,
Cotillion
co-founder.
“So
we
are
asking
for
past
participants
to
donate
dresses
that
are
slightly-worn
but
that
they
don’t
want
to
be
seen
in
again.”
Holifield
says
Running
of
the
Belles
participants
don’t
have
to
attend
Atlanta
Cotillion
to
participate,
or
even
be
men.
Anyone
in
search
of
an
affordable
ball
gown
is
welcome.
Holifield
credits
Jay
Dempsey,
one
of
last
year’s
debutantes,
with
making
the
Running
of
the
Belles
possible.
“I’m
glad
Jay
is
taking
it
on,”
he
says.
“Part
of
the
reason
we
haven’t
done
it
before
is
nobody
wanted
to
take
it
on,
and
he
offered
to
head
it
up,
and
he
is
taking
it
and
running
with
it.”
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