Chapter 33 #3
‘So, if you have any treasures hiding in your wardrobe, you know who to come and speak to,’ Svetlana told the crowd, earning herself another round of applause. ‘Our Schiaparelli donor wishes to remain anonymous. But I would like to thank her, really, truly from my heart.’
Annie caught Florence and Mrs K. Lawson smiling and clapping enthusiastically, diamonds and gold sparkling in the lights.
Once the unrestrained response from the audience to this had calmed down, Svetlana promised to give them an update of the running total of donations in around twenty minutes and issued her last instructions to the crowd: ‘So please wait for that, but meanwhile, chose a drink and a canapé from our army of helpers, and head to the rails, to the beautiful stalls we’ve set out in the adjoining rooms, and buy a bargain, buy, baby, buy! ’
* * *
Annie helped as much as she could at the stalls and the rails, where it felt like Boxing Day at The Store before the era of internet shopping.
People were grabbing at things and tapping their cards before they’d even looked at the price tags.
A scan of the handbag stall told her that the handbag she’d bonded with in her storeroom lockdown had gone.
In fact, almost everything they’d set out so carefully and tastefully had gone.
But there was no time to be sad about the loss of The Row’s rare calf-skin treasure because as Annie, in her gold caped dress, headed out of one room and made for the next, she almost walked straight into the path of PaigeP.
Maybe it was the adrenaline, or the champagne she’d just swallowed, or the sheer success of the night, but Annie felt bold enough to blurt out to her fashion heroine: ‘I’m so delighted you could make it, PaigeP…
Honestly, it has made our night. Your attendance and the lobster dress, these were the absolute highlights for me. ’
Through her rose-gold tinted glasses, PaigeP seemed to give Annie a haughty up and down. ‘Do I know you?’ she asked.
‘I’m Annie Valentine. I was one of Svetlana’s right-hand women on this.
I do fashion on TV… and funnily enough, you helped me choose this dress…
’ she gestured to her gold cape-dress, ‘in Ralph Lauren,’ Annie added in the hope of jogging a memory.
PaigeP gave absolutely no sign of recognition.
Never mind, this was Annie’s moment and she decided she better try and take it.
‘I love your work on Stylesetter,’ she went on.
‘I’d love to talk to you about anything I could do for the publication…
in any way at all. I have so much TV and fashion experience…
’ She heard herself tail off, the confidence ebbing from her voice.
PaigeP did that mean up and down appraisal of Annie once again. Honestly, it was cold and calculating and even Annie, in her forties, with so many years of experience behind her, felt small and humiliated.
‘Annie Valentine… oh no, you’re too mainstream for us,’ PaigeP said.
The final nail in the coffin. PaigeP turned and stalked off.
It was crushing. Even as Annie told herself it didn’t matter, and it had been a long shot and that PaigeP was much nastier than she’d thought, Annie could still feel tears of humiliation at the back of her eyes.
But then, from the main room, came Svetlana’s voice loud and clear on the microphone.
‘Listen up, everyone, I have such exciting news. Our running total so far for the show… you just won’t believe this…
we wanted to raise ￡1 million and we’re already at ￡1,430,000 and counting.
This is incredible, people, incredible! So, two things, first of all, keep on buying, let’s see if we can make it ￡1. 5 million…’
These words were hardly sinking in for Annie, ￡1.5 million worth of wonderful things would now be happening and helping because of this show. This really did make every moment of pain worthwhile and yes, she would sign up for next year. And maybe PaigeP would not be invited. Ha!
‘And as we are doing so well,’ Svetlana went on, ‘we are going to donate everything over the ￡1.3 million mark to another amazing charity that I have been learning about called Clean Up Fashion because I believe this is another wonderful cause for us fashion people to be involved with.’
As Annie listened to the enthusiastic applause, she knew at once who had planted this idea into Svetlana’s mind. Lauren, of course – clever, generous, ‘I want to do something useful with my life’, Lauren.
This was amazing. She needed to go and find Lauren and congratulate her.
Never mind hoity-toity PaigeP, this was ￡1.
5 million pounds, something to really be proud of!
Just as Annie was straightening her shoulders and breaking out into a smile right across her face because ￡1.
5 million… two women approached her with big smiles and seemed incredibly keen to meet her.
‘Oh, hello, Annie Valentine,’ the first one began, ‘we’re so happy to meet you!
I’m Jasmine and this is my colleague, Fliss.
’ Annie took them in, two unusually stylish women, one around the forty-ish mark, the other a little younger, she guessed.
Both wearing beautiful outfits, standout jewellery, hair and make up all wonderfully considered.
‘We so want to talk to you, if you have a minute…?’ Jasmine began and she looked quite excited about what she was going to say.
‘Yes, of course I have a minute for two ladies with such awesome accessories,’ Annie said with a smile. This made them both laugh.
‘So…’ Jasmine said, ‘we want to set up a meeting… we want to talk to you about luring you away—’
‘From what?’ Annie wondered, no idea what they were referring to.
‘From TV…’ Fliss was the next to speak. ‘Well, for most of the time… But you can still do some TV, in fact, that would be great.’
‘Yes, it would be very helpful,’ Jasmine confirmed. ‘But mainly, we’d want you to come and work for us. On a proper employed, full-time basis.’
‘We need you. We’ve all decided we need you,’ Fliss confirmed.
‘What for?’ Annie asked, her head spinning a little. What on earth was this about?
‘To bring real style, oomph, pizazz, what women, in particular, real women, want…’ Jasmine went on excitedly. ‘So yes, we want you to call us. We’ll set up a meeting. Come in, meet the whole team. We want to explain to you why we would be perfect for you.’
‘Yes, seriously,’ Fliss added. ‘We know all about you. Your TV show, your social media, this event tonight. We are basically your fan girls and we want to talk it all through with you. And, hopefully, make you an offer you can’t refuse.’
Both smiled at her again in the same excited, expectant way.
‘But who are you?’ was Annie’s next question.
‘Oh God… I’m so sorry, did we not say?’ Jasmine asked. ‘We’re so excited about tonight, this amazing show, and about having this chat with you, that we’ve fluffed our intro. We’re Jasmine and Fliss and we’re the joint Heads of Fashion at M&S.’
‘M&S??!!’ Annie couldn’t help herself… it came out a little more shocked than she had meant it to.
But M&S… yes, of course there were some nice items in M&S, didn’t she have some in her own wardrobe?
But… M&S?! Home of pants, prawn cocktail sandwiches, sensible handbags made of pleather and truly unspeakable shoes.
‘Yes, M&S,’ Fliss said quickly. ‘And I know, I know what you’re thinking.
I bet you’re thinking pants, prawn cocktail sandwiches and extra comfy, wide-fit shoes.
I know, I know. And those things are very important.
The necessities of life. But there’s so much happening that is very exciting.
We have brands in store now. And I bet you know that we have Jaeger, which both our mums adored. ’
‘Mine too,’ Annie agreed.
‘We also have some of the people who put Topshop on the map back in the day…’
‘Oh… Topshop… absolutely loved Topshop.’ Annie was listening intently, she was trying to get her head around it. The joint Heads of Fashion wanted her to come and work for them? With them? Full-time, employed… but she could still do some TV…
‘We’re aiming to be John Lewis meets Topshop with a sprinkle of both your old haunt, The Store, and your TV show, How To Be Fabulous, because everyone deserves to have style in their lives. Don’t they?’
They knew her.
They knew all about her. And they wanted her! Annie had to check this opportunity out, didn’t she?