Love Affairs in Melbourne-Chapter 193 - 190: Having a Clear Idea

Lei Pili, having finished other official business, returned to the banquet and was surprised by the situation inside.

Lei Pili hadn’t expected that in less than half an hour, so many big names had gathered around Yan Yan.

He had been worried that Yan Yan, a "Chinese designer in Italy," would be neglected at the event because she was unfamiliar with the place, so he had specifically looked into and found a way to help out by getting in touch with the brand director of Salvatore Ferragamo.

Now, the scene made yet another person curious about Yan Yan’s "background," and this addition was viewed by others as part of her background.

If Lei Pili hadn’t personally invited Yan Yan, he would have thought she’d known these people for a long time.

"Didn’t the other designers get an invitation?

I thought tonight’s dinner would yield some invitations for everyone.

If I’m the only exception, then it must be because...

I have the beauty that overshadows the moon and shames the flowers, that stuns fish into sinking and wild geese into falling." Yan Yan often liked to say narcissistic things half-jokingly when she was in a normal mood.

"Oh really, now that you say that, I have a sudden illumination and finally understand the reason," Lei Pili played along superbly.

"Haha, see? It seems that my recent trip to South Korea was quite successful," Yan Yan would follow up her narcissism with self-deprecation.

She switched seamlessly between narcissism and self-deprecation, a natural talent indeed.

"It sounds like you met a highly skilled doctor; next time you go, you must take me with you," Lei Pili continued the joke following Yan Yan’s self-mockery.

"How could I? Something like plastic surgery should definitely be kept secret, not just casually let out," Yan Yan continued her nonsensical banter.

"If you really wanted to go to Paris Fashion Week, why would you set up your studio in New York?" Lei Pili chuckled and steered the conversation back to seriousness.

"Er, well, there are a few reasons for that. First, my boyfriend has been all alone in New York for a long while, I need to go keep him company.

Secondly, it’s very likely that I won’t be able to make it to Paris Fashion Week in the latter half of this year, so if that’s the case, I hope to kick off from the New York Fall/Winter Fashion Week next February.

Rather than saying I have the dream of a designer, it’s more like I have a business dream of creating a brand.

The commercial nature of New York Fashion Week couldn’t be more suitable for me.

I must participate in the New York Fashion Week. Even if I’m lucky enough to catch this year’s 2013 Spring/Summer Paris Fashion Week, I would still need to host my own show in New York next year," Yan Yan gave two reasons. (note 1)

But based on Yan Yan’s own statement that "where you open a studio and where you have your debut show aren’t directly related," only the first reason was truly crucial.

"So it’s going to New York to accompany your boyfriend..." After hearing Yan Yan’s reasons, Lei Pili felt a deep sense of disappointment.

Lei Pili took a deep breath, trying to adjust his mood to prevent his disappointment from showing on his face.

He had seen how Yan Yan interacted with Qi Yi.

No matter what, for the next four to five months, Yan Yan was going to be in Florence, just like him. Being able to see Yan Yan occasionally was definitely a delightful prospect.

Lei Pili was clear about the current situation.

As long as he controlled himself, didn’t persistently chase after Yan Yan, and refrained from declaring his feelings from time to time, then Yan Yan wouldn’t say things like they couldn’t even be friends.

"It’s not entirely for accompanying my boyfriend. After I go to New York, I also need to attend Parsons School of Fashion to further my studies, then I need to set up a studio and prepare for Fashion Week," Yan Yan elaborated a bit on what she was going to do in New York.

"So, are you now sure you can participate in New York Fashion Week?" Lei Pili asked, wanting to understand more details.

"Haha, now? Of course, I’m not sure. I’m a newbie; how could I be in a position to pick and choose among the major Fashion Weeks?" Yan Yan responded humorously, her words humorously elevating Lei Pili’s assumptions about her.

"Since that’s the case, why not try starting from Milan Fashion Week, especially since you met so many influential people from the Italian fashion industry today?" Lei Pili hoped he could help Yan Yan.

The Ministry of Commerce wouldn’t host just one dinner nor promote Chinese brands overseas only once. For both public and private reasons, Lei Pili hoped Yan Yan would stay longer in Italy.

Lei Pili knew very well that whether it was the domestic commerce chamber or the Italian one, there were activities to support Chinese designers.

Even if Milan’s Fashion Week was exclusive, it didn’t mean there were no opportunities for Chinese designers.

.........

note 1:

This book is set in the year 2012, and the reference to the 2013 Spring/Summer Fashion Week is not a mistake.

Since it takes at least six months for haute couture to go from runway to retail, the Fall/Winter Fashion Week of February/March 2012 is intended for the autumn and winter seasons of 2012.

The Spring/Summer Fashion Week of September/October is meant for next year’s spring and summer collections, so the year is increased by one.

[Xiao Mo’s class]

When Xiao Mo wrote this Chapter in late October 2017, the 2018 Spring/Summer Four Fashion Weeks had just concluded.

The fashion extravaganza started with the first show of the New York Fashion Week on September 7 and ended with the last show of Paris Fashion Week on October 3.

In this official major fashion week, New York Fashion Week featured 23 Chinese designer brands, while London, Milan, and Paris had a decreasing sequence of 5, 4, 3 respectively.

The large number of Chinese designers who made it to New York Fashion Week and the commercial nature of the event were closely linked.

Despite the fact that many of these designers were established names like ANNA SUI and the "most sought-after Chinese designer in New York" ALEXANDER WANG, who were both graduates of Parsons School of Fashion,

true-born and raised Chinese designers like LANYU, who even earned their degrees in China, were still not very common.

Returning to the year 2012, for Chinese designers to feature in New York Fashion Week was quite a challenge.

From early 2012 to now, over more than five years, as the global economy has been sluggish, Chinese designers have come to occupy nearly half of the New York Fashion Week scene.

By contrast, in the other three major Fashion Weeks, which have significantly lower commercialization, the frequency of Chinese designers appearing was much lower.

Nonetheless, whether a Fashion Week is commercialized is always relative.

In today’s commercial world, a completely non-commercial Fashion Week simply cannot survive.

For example, among the four Chinese designers who appeared in Milan this season, two received support from the CNMI (National Chamber of Italian Fashion).

Chinese designers need Fashion Week, and Fashion Week needs Chinese designers.