Total pages in book: 144
Estimated words: 133138 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 666(@200wpm)___ 533(@250wpm)___ 444(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133138 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 666(@200wpm)___ 533(@250wpm)___ 444(@300wpm)
Yori is up first, and gentle piano music plays. A model appears, posing at the back of the runway. But not in just any pose. Her legs are wide, her hands on her hips, and her face looking murderous. It’s aggressive, and the dichotomy with the soft music makes my spine twitchy. Her outfit is interesting—black baggy pants tucked into knee-high, lug-soled boots, a sleeveless button-up shirt done to her neck, a kilt-like skirt thing wrapped around her waist, and a thick leather strap tied around her waist several times. I think back to Yori standing nearly nude with delicate chains for clothes at the meet-and-greet and can definitely see how it was the opposite of this. This outfit makes me think her style is gentleman pirate-meets-Highlander, the gender-neutral version.
As the rest of Yori’s collection walks the runway, I’m not sure how it would fit in with House Corbin. While matronly seems a bit harsh, we are known for feminine elegance, and Yori’s work is razor-sharp and hard-edged. And the only thing summery about it was the lack of sleeves, which makes me wonder whether she can work within prescribed guidelines.
During the quick break, I listen to the whispers around me, hearing words like ‘strong and powerful’, but also ‘hard and unapproachable’. Like always, there are split opinions about a collection. Personally, I find it interesting and new, but I guess time will tell. As will Jacqueline, whose opinion is going to matter more than anyone’s.
Up next is Molly’s collection, which I find surprising, having met the woman. In person, she is exuberant and unfiltered to the point of seeming wild, but her clothing is refined, crafted of exquisite fabrics. It’s summery but focused on what a woman would wear on a summer night. There are touches of youthfulness, the dresses a bit short and flirty, but all in all, quite lovely.
“How . . . bourgeois,” one of the VIPs, a photo editor, says. It’s a common dismissal, as if being from the middle class is an insult. “I wouldn’t wear any of those pieces to dinner, much less somewhere important.”
“It is meant for daily wear, so I doubt Swarovski crystals would be fitting in such a situation,” I point out. “Some customers like to wear clothes that are fun and make them feel good. Things they can actually dance, drink, and live in, not only be photographed in.” The dig is a bit harsh, but given the sneer on the woman’s face, quite warranted.
“It’s simply so . . . American,” another woman says, obviously taking the photo editor’s side. I’m not surprised. She hasn’t liked me since I turned down her offer to be my Mrs. Robinson and would likely oppose anything I say.
I chuckle, looking her up and down pointedly. “Madame Bernard, I presume you think only French fashion is de rigueur?”
Frankly, the woman who’s insulting Molly’s collection has zero sense of fashion, jamming her body into whatever high-cost label is currently trending. Like today, she’s wearing a full-skirted dress with puff sleeves made from a printed fabric that vaguely looks like a fruit bowl. It’s heavy, horrendous . . . and is possibly choking off the blood supply to her brain because her only response is a sniff of derision.
“The point of this competition is to tap into a younger audience, those who don’t mind a sense of freedom, who prefer to not be bound by tradition, and who are confident in blazing new paths,” I reply. “For a lot of people, it’s a tremendous positive.”
“Doubtful,” she says.
Before I can comment further, the next collection begins. But I’m still thinking about what Madame Bernard said.
How dare she have the nerve to down-talk fashion when hers is horrible? And the photo editor’s dismissal as well . . . is this the type of feedback Jacqueline is going to receive? If so, perhaps we are doomed to a future of repeating the same little black dress every year.
Katarina’s group of models look as though they’ve walked straight out of the ’80s and I can see Jacqueline’s approval from here. The tops are tastefully cropped, the shorts squared and loose-legged, and the shoulder pads generous. But there are touches of freshness in the details, like the pleating and styling. The pieces are something I think Jacqueline would’ve worn herself once upon a time, but of course, now she only wears her own designs.
And then it’s Autumn’s turn.
The first outfit is a flowy caftan dress, something I’ve seen dozens of times before, but Autumn has done something new with it. The belt gives the model’s waist definition and the slit up the side of the legs is nearly scandalous. The bold, wide trim along the deep neckline is stunning, looking hand-done but not overly delicate. The model flicks the skirt, and it pops dramatically as she turns.