Chapter 381 A New Dressmaker
The showcase of new dresses had only a dozen or so mannequins displayed in the venue, surrounded by women wearing similar dresses. The women enjoyed tea and snacks while calling over those wearing dresses they liked, asking them to pose in various ways.
Sophia was a little disappointed because she thought it would be like a fashion show from her past life, with models walking in the dresses. But when she talked to the models, she realized that the women wearing the dresses were actually seamstresses working for Jasmine Dress. Thinking about it that way, Jasmine must be a respected business owner for being able to hire so many beautiful seamstresses.
Jasmine's dresses still had a lot of volume in the skirts. The autumn and winter designs announced in the summer had petticoats that made the skirts puff out sideways, but this time, the skirts were not just wide; they were huge. They looked like they were drawing a big circle from above.
'With skirts this voluminous, I wonder if it gets in the way.'
It seemed Chloe was thinking the same thing.
"Hey, Jasmine. Will wearing this dress make it hard for a gentleman to escort me? Dancing at a ball seems impossible, right?"
"Don't worry. You can still dance."
Jasmine called over a nearby model and a male servant to pose together. However, the man was a bit short, and just holding hands was a struggle. When he tried to get closer, he was blocked by the crinoline under the skirt.
"At this distance, it's impossible unless it's a tall man with long arms and legs. If you don't keep things modest in the front, it seems hard to get an invitation from a gentleman."
Victoria frowned slightly, and the women nearby nodded in agreement.
"I understand you want to emphasize your slim waist with a voluminous skirt, but isn't this a bit too much? Besides, how are the ladies-in-waiting supposed to help you wear this dress?"
"Yes, and we might need a special ladder for this."
"This is a problem. My stairs aren't very wide. It seems difficult to stand next to the gentleman to escort me."
Even with the negative comments continuing, Jasmine didn't panic or feel down. She was used to hearing negative things from noblewomen.
"Of course, when we make dresses for our customers, we tailor them to fit their body shape and purpose. Today, I have prepared a dress that emphasizes the design features for the presentation. The concept is 'a blooming large flower'. It's still winter now, but by the time you wear this design, spring will have arrived. I hope to have the honor of making a dress for the one who will be the queen of spring."
'Oh, so this is the sales talk for noblewomen. I need to learn this.'
Sophia watched Jasmine with great interest, but then something caught her attention.
"Lady Jasmine, I'm not sure if it's okay to ask this in front of the gentlemen, but this dress's crinoline is custom-made, right?"
"Yes, Lady Sophia, that's correct."
"Is it okay if I ask about the size and material?"
"I'm happy to share the size, but please let me keep the material a secret. It's a new material that's stretchy and hard to break."
"That's interesting. Of course, I won't force you to reveal your secret."
Jasmine and Sophia were smiling and chatting, while nearby noblewomen listened with great interest.
"We decided to use traditional fabric petticoats to add volume to our skirts. It's a shame we can't use a groundbreaking material like Lady Jasmine."
"What are you saying? The material of Lady Sophia's dress is also a new material, isn't it? My eyes can't be fooled."
"Well, your eyes can't be fooled, Lady Jasmine. This is a new material developed by textile and dye craftsmen in the Grandchester territory. However, we can only import silk threads, so the price tends to be quite high~desuwa."
Sophia tilted her head slightly, resting her hand on her cheek, and let out a small sigh.
"That's true. I'm always worried about what to do about silk as well."
'Oh, I might not dislike this type of woman. I want us to have a good relationship where we inspire each other.'
Jasmine, who didn't hide her ambitions in front of the nobles but also didn't become too humble, was someone Sophia found likable.
'That said, whether the surrounding nobles will allow that is another question.'
It seems that the queen of this venue is Victoria, the Lady of Duke Arbal. The surrounding women are curious about what she will say. To be more precise, they are waiting to see if Victoria will like Jasmine's dress.
"Well, I think I'll ask for a few dresses with a bit less volume. Please come to the mansion again. You can discuss the schedule with my Lady-in-Waiting."
Victoria elegantly pointed to her Lady-in-Waiting, who was managing the schedule with a fan. The noblewomen watching were being very careful to order dresses with a similar vibe, so that their colors wouldn't clash with what Victoria ordered.
Then, Victoria turned to Sophia and spoke.
"Hey Sophia, could I ask you to make my day dress and my daughter's dress at the Sophia Merchant Guild, if possible?"
"That would be a great honor. However, our merchant guild doesn't even have a store in the royal capital yet. Because of that, our designer is still in Grandchester, and we can't even secure enough seamstresses. We do plan to start a clothing department, but could you please wait a little longer?"
Sophia deeply bowed her head to Victoria. It seems that Victoria offered this to repay a favor from Grandchester, but they are still not ready. For now, they can only provide 'a little unusual but lovely dresses' that are exclusive to those connected to Grandchester.
"Oh, that's really too bad. Today, I wanted to dress My Eugenie in a dress like the one Sara is wearing."
When the Duchess spoke to her like this, Sophia, who was just a simple merchant, couldn't refuse. Since they were part of the merchant guild based in the Grandchester territory, Chloe had to order several dresses to be made for her, prioritizing them over her own dress.
'Wow, does she really like the dresses from Sophia Merchant Guild that much?'
"If you like them that much, then please make a dress for the Duke Arbal's daughter, Sophia. Mine can come after."
Chloe smiled sweetly as she quietly gave her order to Sophia.
From that moment on, Sophia Merchant Guild became recognized as one of the dressmakers by all the noblewomen in Avalon. It was quite unusual for a merchant guild that didn't even have a main store in the royal capital and hadn't even started a clothing department.
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