Chapter 90

Winnie stood in front of the mirror, carefully examining her look, then picked up her phone and took a selfie to send to Van. Winnie: Does it look good? Van responded quickly, his tone flat: It's okay. Winnie bit her lip, unable to resist asking: Mr. Marlowe, will you watch me on the red carpet? Van's reply was still brief and direct: No time. Elva's assistants were busy packing up, and half an hour later, they left with bags and packages. Elva breathed a sigh of relief, stood at the door to say a reluctant goodbye to Winnie, and even took a video call with the editor-in-chief of Vibe to discuss if her red carpet look was appropriate. Once Elva left, the remaining four women collapsed onto the sofa. Anne stared at the now-empty room, her gaze hollow. 'To be honest, it's really impressive how she managed to pull so many couture pieces together in such a short time." Her words carried a hint of bitterness, but she understood that if Elva was willing to humble herself so much to please Winnie, it was unlikely she'd have any chance to style her in the future. The difference in power and connections made her feel helpless. Winnie gently lifted her gaze and slowly said, 'I've always said, it's easier to make something even better." The next day, Viktor's design director came personally to visit. Anne felt a bit nervous upon meeting him for the first time. His resume was impressive—he had worked in the couture department of another prestigious luxury brand before moving to Viktor. There might have been some underlying business interests involved, but clearly, Viktor valued him highly. To accommodate him, the brand had even reopened their couture line, a level of treatment that indicated his importance. 'I heard you turned down several couture pieces before finally selecting this one," he smiled and began. 'Today, I'm here to teach you how to wear this dress in a more interesting way." Winnie thought to herself that the 'interesting way" of wearing it might just be some idea he came up with on the spot, but judging by the strong aura he carried, he clearly had confidence in his designs. He looked Winnie up and down, raised his finger to his lips in thought for a moment, then crouched down and, without hesitation, tore the skirt. With gasps of surprise from everyone in the room, the white dress was torn all the way up to her thigh. The design director skillfully adjusted the loose waist, shaping it into a camellia flower, and made the side panels asymmetric. He calmly ordered, 'Get me a pair of knee-high boots. The pleats should be moderate, but not too dense. The toe should be pointed, and there should be no platform. The color should be pale." Anne quickly found the right boots as instructed. However, the boots were a stark contrast to the dignified style usually seen on the red carpet—they were avant-garde, especially for an event where every female celebrity typically wore high heels. 'At the Vibe gala, you don't need to dress too conventionally. If you're willing to try, this look will definitely be interesting. Of course, as I know, you value elegance and brightness more, and the sense of fashion in your look seems to come second," the design director smiled slightly. 'I've already ‘ruined' this dress, so if you don't like the look, you can always choose something else." He was clearly leaving Winnie an out. Though his tone had a touch of concession, it also conveyed a hint of challenge. Winnie understood his unspoken message. She didn't reject his idea; instead, she casually responded, 'Let's go with it." She made the decision calmly, even though the dress was a bit 'revealing," but Van wouldn't be seeing her red carpet look anyway, right?