Chapter 2 #2
So, Annie followed her out of the changing area and towards the handbag collection.
They were comparing clutches when the store’s front door opened and Annie was sure she could feel a hush descend.
Seeing Thea look up and remain fixed on whoever had just come into the shop, Annie also turned to have a look.
And there was no mistaking the crisp, jet-black pageboy haircut, the huge gold-framed glasses with a yellow tint and the severe black trouser suit.
This was one of the most famous women in fashion – PaigeP, editor-in-chief of fashion bible Stylesetter, the international magazine, available in thirty-five languages, Stylesetter Daily, the fashion trade daily newsletter, and not forgetting Stylesetter Publishing, which produced ten to-die-for fashion-themed coffee table books on July 1st and December 1st every year.
You couldn’t buy them in the shops or anywhere mainstream, you had to apply for a place on the waiting list for these limited-edition babies.
Annie was the proud owner of six of them and at ￡150 a copy, that was no small investment.
PaigeP had been at the top of her game for well over a decade now because she was so influential, so authoritative.
When she said something was over, it was dead and buried.
Where she pointed, everyone flocked to follow.
Many conflicting questions were rushing into Annie’s mind at the sight of this most fashionable of all the fashionistas.
First of all, what was she doing in Ralph Lauren?
That seemed way too mainstream for PaigeP, who was known to champion tiny and completely unique labels.
Could Annie dare approach her? Maybe to ask about this dress, was that a good idea?
Which bag should she carry with it? No, no, don’t be ridiculous!
Or what about, could she send her an invite to the Garden Fashion Gala?
Had they already sent one? Had they dared to include PaigeP on their invitation list?
And then came the completely outrageous thought…
could Annie somehow work for Stylesetter?
Would that give her the influence, the fashion access, the kind of status that she had recently begun to hanker after?
But instead, despite all of these ideas rushing around her head, Annie remained frozen to the spot, unable to think of even one sensible thing to say.
PaigeP strode towards the nearest assistant.
‘I’ve come to collect my order,’ was all she needed to say to send the assistant flying towards the back of the shop.
Then PaigeP was left standing, waiting, and she inevitably cast her eyes around to take in what was on display and what was happening in the store today.
Her eyes fell on Annie. And stayed on Annie.
If Annie had felt frozen before, now she was transformed into a statue.
A bunny in a golden dress in front of PaigeP’s highly critical headlight glare.
The silence seemed to grow, enlarge and draw in every other person on the shop floor.
Until Annie couldn’t stand it any more and blurted, ‘It’s the cape. That’s what makes it for me.’
More silence… Annie was transported back to school, to being under the eyes of the glacial headmistress and wishing she could dissolve, disappear.
PaigeP continued to look at her, but lo and behold, the bold wine-red lips were parting and out came PaigeP’s words of wisdom.
‘Yes,’ she said, ‘shades of LaCroix. Unusually bling for Ralph.’
Annie felt frozen to the spot once again. Was that good? Bad? Was LaCroix in? Or out? Should Ralph be doing bling or not? Like the ancient oracle of Delphi, PaigeP had spoken and it was up to the world to try to decipher her meaning.
‘Your order, madam,’ an older woman, who was obviously the senior manager approached PaigeP with two bulging carrier bags.
In a bid to stop staring, Annie turned back to Thea and wordlessly took the clutch from her hands.
Dared she walk over to the mirror to gauge the effect?
Or would that be rude? Oh, for goodness’ sake, this woman wasn’t the Queen…
but then again, she was definitely fashion royalty.
‘Not that bag!’
Annie turned in some horror because PaigeP had spoken once again and this was clearly directed at her. In fact, PaigeP was approaching the handbag display now.
Annie could see the look of fear on Thea’s face.
No doubt terrified she was going to be in trouble for even suggesting this choice.
‘All a bit pedestrian,’ was PaigeP’s verdict as she cast her eyes, still behind those flashy, yellow-tinted frames, over the selection.
‘That one maybe,’ she pointed, ‘but ideally,’ she looked Annie up and down, ‘something very shiny from Jacquemus… or snake-skin, vintage Jimmy Choo.’
Annie nodded mutely, once again feeling like a schoolgirl, but this time, a schoolgirl with a hopeless crush.
‘I only come here for the cashmere,’ were PaigeP’s final words and with a turn of her heel, she was out of the door, into the waiting silver car and with a discreet electric purr, she was gone.
Annie looked at herself in the mirror. The dress was perfect.
She was buying it. Then, of course, she would go and hunt down the exact bag that PaigeP had specified, no question.
But the first thing she would do, she scrambled inside her handbag for her phone, was make sure that PaigeP’s people got a follow-up message ‘from the woman in the caped gold dress in Ralph Lauren’ about her invitation to the Garden Fashion Gala.