New Year Party ~ Story Time

I can't believe 2017 is almost gone!! It went out so fast, that it is unbelievable. But oh well, there is still time for a new post. I want to share a last chapter (for this year) of Coco and Venezia's story. This time, they are going to a New Year party! This is just my poor excuse to just fit period dresses on their story because you know me: I have a weakness for period dresses and huby gave me a book for pattern-making!

So I thought... why not share the process, as well? I was originally going to post everything here but I... eh... ended up with more than 200 photos (twice), so I decided to go ahead and make a separate blogspost with a video of the process, all my rambles, and so many photos xD You can read it here: http://bit.ly/RegencyOutfitsJourney

Oh well, hope you'll enjoy! And special thanks to Daggry Sagga and KarlaChan for beta reading this for me. I was a little insecure about some of the topics addressed.

New Year Party

How could she explain it? To say she was excited was to say the least. One could start wording it as enthusiasm, happiness, pure joy. She could even go beyond that, and call it pleasure, everything she expected and so much more. Coco had waited over two years for this to happen, and it was finally going to. How could she put that sensation into words, or form cohesive thoughts around it? Her mind wandered on the wildest ideas of what could be, what would be…

She smiled, and pushed those thoughts aside, to make sure it was real. And it was. Between her hands, she was holding a formal invitation to MOMO’s Annual New Year Party. The brand usually made their salons and events with themes, and this time it was Coco’s favorite, the one she had been waiting for two years: period clothing. The last one with that recurring theme had been a Steampunk theme, and she had worn a Late Victorian-inspired piece designed and sewn by Lily, exclusively prepared for her. But now, it was evening period attires.

The thrill of having to wear one of those amazing dresses could not be put into words, and only materialized in a wide and happy smile. What would be better that high couture, period clothing, huge gowns and expensive fabrics? The only downfalls were the shoes and the underwear, as Coco was not keen to any of those in period clothing. But Lily insisted on the fact that it was an essential part on obtaining a proper and realistic shape, so she preferred to keep the talented seamstress on her side.

Coco moved her thumb softly over the silky and slightly shiny finishing of the card, and smiled at it once again. What dress would Lily prepare this time? Will Venezia join her, again? Their last appearance together in the red carpet of the Halloween party had been a success, not only for Venezia, but they got to do a couple shoots together and she managed to get a new contract with a nail-polish brand… which had also meant free polishes and manicure sessions that, of course, were very welcomed.

Now, she only had to wait for Lily to come to her apartment, as scheduled, to discuss ideas for the clothing. She was hoping for maybe a Natural Bustle Era gown, and hoping the enthusiastic women would not want to make a Robe a la Français, as she was not keen on those side bustles. But a thought interrupted her. Which period would be Venezia’s favorite? Was she even into period clothing as well?

However, when she turned towards her friend to share her excitement and ask her about her interests, Coco’s smile faded away.

Venezia was spread in the couch and melting into it. She was pressing her right hand into her forehead, with her black and velvety hair locks covering most of her face. The invitation envelope was loosely held in place, and almost slipping away from her left hand. Coco watched her in doubt, not sure of what was happening to her. She understood the other girl could not be as excited as her for the party… but being this depressed?

But Venezia felt more than depression. She loved being a model, and was very clear to her that wearing dresses and heels was part of her job… but having to wear a ridiculously huge gown, with a corset that wouldn’t allow her to breath -plus, she still hadn’t figured out how would her heavy front fit in one of those things- and a skirt full of metal wires was not her ideal job. Period clothing was not something she was into, and definitely not as into it as Coco was. But how could she explain it? She did not wanted to make Coco feel bad, nor be mean to Lily, and she was very well aware that she could not refuse the invitation as it would mean a swift and deadly end to her short modeling career.

“What is going on?” Coco said, with a tint of worry on her voice. “You do not need to go with me, or wear Lily’s dresses…” she continued, hoping that Venezia will refute that affirmation.

“That is not it…” the dark-skinned model answered, raising her hand and holding into the envelope to avoid it falling. “I just can’t… wear one of those dresses for a whole evening!” She did not want to start an hour-long explanation of how she preferred traditionally-masculine clothing over feminine clothing, mostly because the thought of explaining something like that felt almost like coming out of the closet, but also because she was sure nobody was interested on her personal preferences either.

Coco’s expression was bewildered. She understood that not everybody loved period clothing though everybody faked its passion on MOMO’s red carpets and photo sessions, but she felt there was something more to this and she was not able to read between lines. What was making Venezia feel so uncomfortable? It couldn’t be so much fuss only for an evening with a corset and a bustle!

“You are hiding something” Coco replied flatly. She wanted to show Venezia she could trust her, but she did not know how to do it. After all, the dark-blonde woman was sure it was her lack of empathy what kept her apart of her sister Chanel. “You were not like this on the Halloween party…”

Venezia sighed. Of course it wasn’t, as that dress -regardless of how inconveniently short or tight it was- was something she was more used to. But now, the mere thought of having to wear a period gown for woman was stressing her.

“You were gorgeous on the Halloween Party Red Carpet! Everyone talked about us!” Coco continued, bewilderment showing in her voice. Another sigh escaped Venezia’s lips, as she was not sure how to put it into words. Would Coco be able to understand, after all? Coco was right, their appearance on that event had been an utter success, and she had even scored a cover girl photo-shoot with Sports Magazine, and a short contract with a make up brand.

“I’m simply not looking forward to wearing an oversized gown, that’s all…” she replied, putting her best face to wave the matter off.

“You don’t like short dresses or long dresses…” the other girl paused, but Venezia interrupted her.

“That is a way of putting it, that skirt barely covered my butt!”.

“It was almost knee length!” Coco replied, pointing with her left index towards the perceived edge of Venezia’s skirt.

Venezia’s eye widened. Evidently, they both had different opinions on the actual length of the dress. “The lacy part was sheer and it doesn’t count!” she whined, amused at having to clarify such obvious situation.

Coco was not sure what to say, as she did not understand what all the frustration was about. Maybe Venezia was simply nervous and too stressed due to so many events and contracts, and Coco hoped she would get used to them… she enjoyed working with her, and thought she had so much potential that she would hate to see it wasted.

She opened her mouth to answer her friend, but the door ring sounded across the room. Forced to leave the matter for another moment of time, Coco walked towards the coffee table and left her invitation there, safely away from Venezia’s frustration. Then, she moved towards the small screen near the apartment door and, as expected, she saw that Lily was standing outside the building, holding an obviously big and heavy purse and wearing an excited smile decorating her face. She pushed a button and saw how her guest crossed the door, and walked towards the elevator. A couple minutes later, the seamstress was knocking at her door, repeatedly and hurried.

As soon as Coco opened the door the short women let herself in, and started rambling excitedly about her plans and ideas for the evening, her hopes of both models attending together, and the many sketches she made about different outfits. She moved towards the coffee table with the intent of throwing her heavy purse there, but Coco grabbed the bag on time, avoiding it to crush right over her precious envelope.

However, Lily’s incessant talking stopped when she saw Venezia’s face. The dark haired woman was watching her with the mouth slightly open and her eyes shining with desperation. The seamstress then turned to Coco, only to see the bewilderment on her expression. Evidently, both models have been talking about something that Venezia did not manage to explain and that Coco did not completely understood. Knowing she would have to do anything or risk her favorite models wearing someone else’s dresses, she closed her eyes, stilled herself, and called upon her softest voice tone. “What is wrong, Venezia darling?” she asked, weary of the possible answer.

Venezia’s mouth opened and closed a couple times, clearly showing that she was not being able to put her thoughts and feelings into words. She let out a frustrated sight while pressing the invitation she had in her hand, as if reassuring herself of something.

“It is just that I’m not looking forward to wearing a corset and not being able to breathe…” she excused herself, hoping that the movie trope would be enough to convince the other two women that her discomfort was due to her ignorance on period clothing, and the work stress.

After hearing that, Lily’s face suddenly turned into a defensive mode, while she moved her right hand towards her chest, then to anger, and then finally into annoyance. “But that is a lie!” she shouted, her French accent accentuating all the wrong words. “It is all because of those idiots writing movies! Those women had to live and work with corsets, do you really think they wouldn’t be able to breathe?” .

To say Venezia was confused was an understatement. Lily suddenly had started a rant about the proper usage of corsets and how those putting-on scenes on movies were false, and now Venezia was worrying that she may have offended the seamstress when she simply tried to avoid an issue. She looked towards Coco, who was standing behind Lily, and hoped her eyes would somehow transfer her doubt. “What did I do?” she wondered, and Coco shook her head slightly, advising against any more talking.

“But I forgive your misinformation!” Lily finally said after eight interminable minutes that consisted on a historical lesson about corsets. She was not standing in front of Venezia, both hands resting on her wide hips in an authoritative manner. The girl attempted to talk, but Lily raised her right hand, shutting her down. “But that is not the complete truth…”

In that moment, Venezia’s world almost crumbled. She had thought she avoided the issue, but apparently Lily was more perceptive than what she had originally thought. And now, Coco was staring at her with a worried look in her eyes, which almost pleaded to her to explain what was wrong. Was that fear in Coco’s eyes? Was she worried that Venezia would not want to attend with her?

“I understand if you don’t want to come with me…” she repeated, still unsure of Venezia’s intentions.

“You also don’t need to wear my dresses…” Lily completed. Although she loved having to dress her, she was decided to not force anybody to wear her outfits. She definitely was not like other seamstress out there.

Venezia felt an uncomfortable pressure on her heart. How could she explain her feelings, without saying too much? She did not want to get out of the closet or say something that could potentially hinder her career for good, when it was just starting. The line between saying too much and not being convincing was just too thin and she felt there was so much at stake. Besides, having both women staring at her and waiting for a reply was making her even more anxious than before. She closed her eyes. She would try to say the least possible and, if they did not believe her, then she will keep her ground. It was nobody’s concern after all.

“The truth is I’d prefer to wear pants, rather than a pompous gown” she finally answered.

A surprised exclamation came from Lily’s mouth, and her worry completely wiped from her face. “That was all?” she asked, and Venezia nodded, slightly smiling. “You should have said it before, darling!” Another pause, and then she moved towards her purse. “I have just the perfect idea, then!”

Venezia smiled and nodded again, relieved. Her eyes met Coco’s gaze and though she was able to see her less worried, she felt something… maybe Coco had read between lines? She could even feel the other model saying she silently understood her, but knew it was not the time or place to say anything else. Venezia stood up and walked towards the sketchbook Lily had pulled.

The supporting hand Coco briefly pressed near her elbow, as well as the complicit nod she gave her, reassured Venezia. Maybe, just maybe, Coco had effectively understood what she was hiding.

And this was all! I wish you the best for the upcoming year, and hope you'll have a wonderful start and an even more perfect 2018! Cheers to all of you: I'm so happy to have met you all through this hobby, and to be able to share this passion through our blogs, read your adventures and share mines as well. Best wishes and the most wonderful, prosperous and happy New Year 2018!