Chapter Nine
With a triumphant swig of tea, I stand before the mannequin in the middle of the shop floor, admiring the early stages of Tanya’s bridesmaid dress.
As requested by Zoe, it’s the palest shade of lavender, subtle and feminine. It’s quite simple at the moment, a delicate confection of tulle and satin with an A-line skirt, but an underskirt and other details will soon be added, once I’ve got the okay from Tanya and of course, the bride-to-be.
All smiles, Tanya skips into the boutique right on time, chipper as a songbird.
‘Hi!’ she chirrups.
‘Hi,’ I grin back. ‘Ready to see how your dress is looking so far?’
‘Am I ever, I’ve been waiting all week for this!’ She bounds over to the mannequin with energy that could rival Puddles the Labrador. ‘Is this it?’
‘Yep.’ I gently puff out the skirt. ‘It’s pretty nice, if I do say so myself. You wouldn’t look out of place on the runways of Paris in this.’
Little does she know I used to design for those runways, and countless other fashion capitals, too.
'What’s Paris like?’ Tanya asks dreamily.
‘It’s beautiful.’ I glance wistfully into the distance, looking at nothing in particular. ‘When I looked out of my bedroom window, I could catch a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower. It was the kind of place where you truly felt dreams could come true.’
‘Wow!’ Her doe eyes shine with enchantment. ‘Why would you ever want to leave somewhere like that?’
‘Life gets in the way of dreams sometimes.’ I shake off my reverie and try on a smile. ‘So, no more dilly-dallying, let’s get you into your dress, hm?’
Tanya eagerly agrees and I bring her through to the changing room.
‘I’m going to book you and the bride in for a double appointment when we’re a bit further along. It’s most important that you like the dress as you’ll be the one wearing it, but of course, the bride will give the final confirmation.’ I turn around and mutter under my breath, ‘And this bride-to-be knows exactly what she wants.’
Tanya snorts in amusement. ‘That’s putting it lightly. I take it you’ve met Zoe, then?’
‘Erm, yeah.’
I opt to leave out the fact that we’ve met before - it’s a shameful, complicated story that I really don’t want to get into right now, not when Tanya’s excited about her first fitting.
I help her into the slinky dress, and I’m pleased to discover my measurements were accurate. Even the hem, which I was worried might be a little long for her, falls beautifully to the ground, pooling softly around Tanya’s feet.
‘There, it fits perfectly.’ Standing behind her, I tug gently on the cap sleeves, straightening them out. ‘Obviously, it’s just pinned at the back at the moment and we’ll need to add some details, but what do you think?’
‘I love the colour.’ And yet, she frowns at her reflection, all her earlier sunniness melting away in an instant.
‘What is it?’ I ask, leaning forward slightly to study her face in the mirror. ‘Do you not like the neckline? The sleeves? There’s plenty of time to make changes if it’s not right.’
‘No, it’s not any of that.’ Tanya runs her palms over her tummy, her pale red brows meeting in the middle. ‘Do you think I look fat?’
‘What? Of course not!’ I practically gasp at the absurdity of her question. ‘You look like a normal, healthy teenage girl. Whatever gave you an idea like that?’
She twiddles with her fingers behind her back, hesitating as she begins to share. ‘It was at school, last Tuesday. We were playing netball, and I jumped to score a basket, and I guess my top must have ridden up a little and showed my tummy. That’s when some mean girls in my class laughed at me and started shouting nasty names. They called me blubber belly.’
White hot rage stirs inside my gut and I just about manage to keep it in. How dare some snotty cows make Tanya feel bad about her developing body? She’s fourteen, for God’s sake, and already, she’s being subjected to the scrutiny of impossible beauty standards.
Still, I remember how horrid people could be when I was at school, and that was two decades. I suppose nothing ever changes, there’s always going to be bullies and there’s always going to be sweet kids like Tanya who take the brunt of their cruelty.
‘Well, they sound like sad, very insecure girls themselves, if they have to put someone else down to make themselves feel better,’ I tell her, arms folded across my chest.
‘They don’t seem insecure,’ Tanya insists. ‘They’re skinny and pretty and ever so confident.’
‘That’s only skin-deep, you never know what’s going on inside. Truly happy, confident people don’t pick on others. They don’t douse someone’s light so their own won’t look so dim.’
‘Even if that’s true, it doesn’t matter, I still feel awful.’ Her eyes shine with burgeoning tears. ‘Ever since it happened, I’ve been avoiding P.E lessons, you know, faking notes to get out of it. Which is a shame, because I really like netball.’
‘Well, that’s no good. You can’t let these horrible girls stop you from doing something you enjoy. Have you tried talking to a teacher? Or your brother?’
‘Tattling to a teacher would only make it worse, and I’m too embarrassed to talk to Kit about stuff like this.’ She gives me a small smile. ‘It’s times like this I wish I had a big sister, but at least I have you.’
‘Hey, I’m happy to play the part of surrogate big sister.’ I give her a big hug, though I’m careful not to muss up the fragile fabric of the gown. ‘Seriously, Tanya, you look lovely, and everyone will think so on the big day. But if you’re not feeling confident, I can make some changes to the dress. Perhaps we could add some ruching to the bodice? Or a sash to accentuate your waist? What do you think?’
‘Maybe,’ Tanya sighs.
It breaks my heart to see her like this, all morose and blue with her shoulders slumped over, when she’s ordinarily so vibrant and bubbly. Being a teenage girl is no walk in the park, but I’m determined to do what I can to help Tanya get her spark back.
I hold her before me and lift her chin up. ‘I promise you, I won’t let you leave the boutique with a dress unless it’s absolutely perfect.’
‘Thanks.’ She hangs her head low, but there’s a small smile hidden behind those strawberry blonde lengths.
Forget Zoe and her impossible demands, I’ve got a new mission to focus on.
If it’s the last thing I do, I’m going to make sure this young girl feels like a million dollars in a dress she utterly adores. This is why I became a dressmaker, not for the accolades or the glossy magazine covers, but to create something truly spectacular, something that makes the wearer feel truly spectacular, too.
Amid all the glitz and glamour of my career, I guess I’d sort of forgotten that.