Love Affairs in Melbourne-Chapter 185 - 182: Banquet (2)

Yan Yan, on her way home from the museum, decided to check the luggage list she had brought and settled on wearing a dress she designed herself, paired with Ferragamo shoes.

Inside one of the four large suitcases that Yan Yan had brought, there was a pair of freshly custom-made Ferragamo high heels that she hadn’t worn yet.

A pair of simple sapphire-blue pointy-toe high heels.

At first glance, they looked like ordinary pumps.

The design of the shoe’s front half was made of leather, while the back half featured a transparent sapphire-blue chiffon material.

Such a design nicely displayed and extended the lines of the foot’s arch.

At the ankle, two thin straps were designed, connecting the outer sapphire-blue chiffon accessories to the body of the shoe.

The strap and shoe tip’s design echoed each other through the transparent chiffon material.

These haute couture shoes had been worn by models at Ferragamo’s Fall/Winter 2012 fashion show, epitomizing a classic yet trendy stiletto heel.

However, the pair that the models wore at the show was black, and Yan Yan’s pair needed to be specially custom-made due to her choice of a specific color.

Customizing these shoes was of secondary importance to matching a sapphire-blue dress from Yan Yan’s graduation collection.

Secondary, because Yan Yan originally designed shoes herself.

Yan Yan designed two pairs of heels for her dress, with beautiful colors and accessories in the same color scheme.

It was just that the practicality of wearing them hadn’t been fully resolved; the ten-centimeter stilettos were still quite challenging to wear for a shopping spree.

Yan Yan wanted to see how Ferragamo designed a similar style and improved its wearability.

So, learning and taking inspiration was the main reason Yan Yan had these shoes custom-made.

Without seeing and touching enough, simply working in isolation would hardly result in a rapid improvement in skills.

Yan Yan could not recall how many pairs of shoes she had taken apart; for others, comfortable shoes were made to be worn, but for her, they were made to be deconstructed.

Yan Yan’s dress was a pure color design, covered in sapphire blue from top to bottom.

Sapphire blue is a color that is quite picky with skin tones; one could hardly master it without a complexion as "white as snow" like Yan Yan’s.

Below the western straight-across neckline, there was a design similar to the slanted placket of a Chinese Qipao.

Apart from the neckline, the upper body was fashioned after the patterns and style of a Su-style Qipao.

The entire back was adorned with an Iris flower, hand-embroidered by a master of Su Embroidery.

The dress was cut based on the position of this flower, which should have been instantly noticeable.

And yet, the embroidery silk used the same dye as the cloth, rendering the masterful craftsmanship incredibly understated.

From a distance, there was no way to discern the hidden intricacies of the garment, revealing only an immaculately pure sapphire blue.

Since she designed the dress specifically for her own finale walk at the graduation show, it was tailored from the beginning to fit her figure impeccably.

The short "Qipao", after perfectly showcasing the curves of the waist and hips, transitioned into a semi-transparent silk chiffon skirt. freewёbnoνel.com

The chiffon subtly unveiled the contours of the legs, not only perfecting the portrayal of the figure but also adding a sensual element to what would have been a very classic piece.

A layperson might not appreciate the craftsmanship of this dress, but connoisseurs would realize its sophistication with a closer look.

The elegantly unified dress, together with the shoes that meld classic and contemporary styles, created a chic and distinctive style against each other.

A style that was bright and stunning yet very understated.

.........

This was Lei Pili’s first time seeing Yan Yan in a dress.

When Yan Yan was at Xiamen University, she never wore clothes that intentionally accentuated her figure, and she rarely dressed in skirts.

Firstly, at that time, she never considered a career in design, and secondly, Yan Yan lacked the motivation to dress herself up during her freshman year.

She never loved primping like Lu Bingran did; at Xiamen University, she often felt that if there was no one to please, why bother?

Especially when she didn’t have a mother constantly badgering her, asking why she would go out without changing her clothes or putting on makeup.

Yan Yan’s mother would never dare to leave the house without makeup, but Yan Yan often did, especially when she was too busy to even sleep.

However, for formal occasions like banquets, Yan Yan would always put on a delicate makeup look and dress up from head to toe.

The only slightly extravagant accessory on Yan Yan today was a pair of earrings that dangled down to her collarbone, swaying in the breeze.

A tasteful designer must first master how to present their own beauty.

Those designers who look a mess due to their designs either lack true taste or have such unappealing bodies or faces that they don’t have enough capital to showcase.

Yan Yan’s outfit was done to perfection: sexy where it should be yet restrained where modesty called for, striking just the right balance.

When Lei Pili saw Yan Yan walking towards him, he experienced a momentary disorientation, unsure if his heart was pounding too fast or skipping a few beats.

It was a sensation he had never encountered before; the world seemed to lose all color and come to a halt, with Yan Yan being the sole burst of hue.

Lei Pili had liked Yan Yan for more than just a day or two.

He was a very composed person by nature, and with the experiences of recent years, Lei Pili often felt like his psychological age far exceeded his actual years, with hardly anything capable of creating ripples in his heart.

Yet, for some reason, whether in Melbourne or now in Florence, every time he saw Yan Yan his once calm heart would start to lose control.

Lei Pili had continuously convinced himself to let go, but why did fate always bring Yan Yan back into his life?

Why would a freshman sit in on a senior class from a different department? Why would an unfamiliar family suddenly become close friends with his parents? Why would two people, always at odds with no prior consultation, arrive in Florence at the same time?

The Renaissance didn’t begin in Florence for no reason, so could it be that he and Yan Yan were meant to reunite here as well?

In the morning at the airport, if Lei Pili had continued talking to Yan Yan, he felt he might have swept her into his arms again, so he had no choice but to walk away without a backward glance.

Now, facing their second meeting of the day, Lei Pili hadn’t yet had the time to carefully think about where to go from here. He took a deep breath, trying to appear more composed.