Love Affairs in Melbourne-Chapter 236 - 233: Turning a Deaf Ear to the World Outside

January 2015.

The private equity fund Yan Yan invested in had ended its lock-up period.

It entered a state where redemption was possible.

January 2015.

France, Paris.

The fifth Haute Couture fashion show of Yan Yan’s personal brand.

.........

Three years earlier, Yan Yan hadn’t seen the London Graduate Fashion Week as her starting point.

In fact, throughout the whole of 2012, Yan Yan hadn’t held a single show of her own.

That year, Yan Yan was an unknown name, so discreet that Yan Ling began to doubt whether his cousin was trapped by love, forgetting their shared dream.

Yan Yan wasn’t without opportunities to be part of the official schedule of the Four Fashion Weeks.

On the contrary, after the Autumn/Winter shows in February and March of 2012, Yan Yan received an invitation from Milan Fashion Week.

But Yan Yan did not take it, nor did she show any reaction, not even a single word.

A designers’ dinner by the business department allowed Yan Yan to meet a host of big shots, all of whom were curious about her background.

Apart from the brand director of Salvatore Ferragamo, no one really saw Yan Yan as a young designer.

Everyone was guessing about Yan Yan’s background, but no one had a definite answer.

For a guest like Yan Yan, the safest approach was to arrange a suitable seat and see what her next move would be.

The allocation of seats is a science no matter where you are.

Although no one knew Yan Yan’s origins, they unanimously gave her a front-row seat at the fashion show, the kind usually reserved for "international superstars."

The first show Yan Yan attended was the GUCCI Autumn/Winter fashion show on February 22, 2012, a date even more peppered with twos than the day she had arrived in Italy.

Out of respect for the designer, attending a fashion show wasn’t conducive to dressing overly flamboyantly and overshadowing others, and one needed to comply with the designer’s seasonal style.

Yan Yan was too much of a newbie and had never been to a fashion week of this caliber.

She just wanted to ask the designer what the main style for this season was, so she would know how to dress herself properly.

Relationships are tools that need to be used to stay alive; left untouched, many will simply fade away.

On the first day of her internship, Yan Yan went to ask the brand director of Salvatore Ferragamo two things.

The first was when she would have the chance to try on Mr. Salvatore’s classic shoes.

The second concerned her worry about wearing the wrong outfit to the fashion show and how she could find out about GUCCI’s design style for the season.

Yan Yan was honest, a newbie is a newbie, with nothing to hide; the brand director liked her enthusiasm for the brand, and his support was evident.

Acting pretentious in front of someone who appreciates her was simply not something Yan Yan would do.

The reason Yan Yan asked the brand director about the second matter was very simple.

She didn’t want to wear the wrong clothes to her first major fashion show.

GUCCI, like Ferragamo, was a brand of Florence.

Proximity to the river provides an early taste of the moon.

The brand director then introduced Yan Yan to GUCCI’s creative director.

Yan Yan had previously received the invitation from GUCCI’s brand director.

She was meeting the creative director for the first time.

The creative director took Yan Yan to see the ready-to-wear collection prepared for Milan Fashion Week.

GUCCI was a brand that Yan Yan really liked.

GUCCI’s women’s clothing has always emphasized tailored fits.

But for the Autumn/Winter season of 2012, Yan Yan was somewhat puzzled by GUCCI.

Excessively ornate fabrics paired with somewhat dull colors and dizzying patterns.

The usual slim cuts were gone, replaced by very loose, almost casual styles.

Yan Yan did not know what kind of change GUCCI was trying to attempt this season.

Velvet, fur, feathers, gauze, lace, bishop sleeves—all these elements combined to create a style that was a bit eerie, with dull colors and complex patterns.

Especially the use of loose tailoring.

This was a big departure from the GUCCI Yan Yan remembered.

Among these complex designs, Yan Yan took a liking to a pure black, off-the-shoulder velvet gown that reached the floor.

Apart from the somewhat loose bishop sleeves, the rest of the dress was very clean-cut, with even the waistband made of black velvet.

The dress was subdued enough and fit Yan Yan just right; with a slightly higher pair of shoes, it hardly needed any adjustment.

Yan Yan had only intended to try on the dress, but after the designer saw her wearing it, he surprisingly suggested that she take the dress with her.

So, attending a brand’s major show means wearing the brand’s clothes?

How come she had never heard such a thing before?

Thankfully she had asked her brand director, or she would have been the butt of the joke.

Yan Yan took a deep breath.

Next, she had to figure out how to accessorize the dress she had gotten and to design a suitable makeup look.

Ignoring everything outside the window, she focused solely on how to present herself at the show.

But Yan Yan was still a bit presumptuous.

.........

The first row at luxury brand shows often includes some socialites, but usually, they are familiar faces.

There are hardly any unknowns who’ve been in the fashion industry for over a decade and are still unrecognized.

Yan Yan’s face was a surprise.

Even more surprising was that Yan Yan had worn this season’s GUCCI clothes to the show before their release.

This was big news.

Many people wear the same brand’s clothes to the show, but wearing unreleased clothes in advance is extremely rare.

Yan Yan thought she had chosen a very understated look, low-profile accessories, and makeup that wouldn’t draw attention.

If a known socialite or superstar had dressed like this, it might have been plausible due to a close relationship with the brand.

But Yan Yan, with her completely unfamiliar face, making such a high-profile appearance, was she challenging the designer with allegations of copying, or did she have some other purpose?

Yan Yan didn’t know what others were thinking, but at the show, she became even more convinced of her own viewpoint.

This season’s GUCCI didn’t seem very keen on catching the eyes of young buyers.

The entire collection was somewhat dazzling when presented static, but after the models’ display, it appeared even more luxurious and complicated—not quite Yan Yan’s cup of tea.

During the entire show, Yan Yan wondered why GUCCI had made such a sudden and significant style change.

Because Yan Yan was preoccupied with her thoughts, her facial expression was mostly one of puzzlement.