New York Debut (20 page)

“So you’re
all
going with Rhiannon to the Garment District?” Eliza asked with a suspicious tone to her voice.

“Kriti’s dad’s company is there,” said Haley. “We planned to do some back-room shopping there as well as getting the Garment District tour from Rhiannon.”

“Rhiannon’s giving tours now?” Eliza narrowed her eyes. “Why wasn’t I invited?”

“It’s not like invitations were sent out,” said Casey.

“I just planned to go there.” Rhiannon held up her map. “And a few others wanted to come along. You can come too if you like.”

“But you better have on your running shoes,” DJ pointed out. “We’ll be covering a lot of turf.”

Taylor looked down at Eliza’s shoes and shook her head. “Sorry, but those Marc Jacobs are not going to cut it.”

“Speaking of Marc Jacobs,” said Eliza. “That’s the first shop I’ll be visiting.” She made what seemed a forced smile. “Too bad you girls are going to miss out on it.” Then she turned to Daisy. “Come on,” she commanded. “The designers are calling.”

“I hope I didn’t hurt her feelings,” said Rhiannon as they watched Eliza and Daisy hurrying through the lobby.

“Don’t worry,” said Casey. “She doesn’t
have
feelings.”

“I forgot to bring my purse down,” said Ariel. “Do you mind waiting?”

“Just hurry,” said Rhiannon. “We’re burning daylight.”

Of course, that’s when Ariel realized she’d forgotten her camera in the room, and then Haley remembered she’d left her cell phone in the charger, and to top it off Kriti needed to use the restroom. Finally, after what felt like an hour to DJ, they were heading out of the hotel.

“Look at that,” said Casey as she pointed to where Eliza and Daisy were standing near the curb. “They haven’t even gotten a taxi yet.”

“Hey, Eliza,” called out Taylor as their group moved past the pair of girls. “You should’ve walked. You’d be there by now.”

Eliza turned and sneered. “Thanks for the news flash.”

Casey laughed, and DJ elbowed her.

“What?” demanded Casey.

“Why antagonize her?” said DJ quietly.

“Antagonize
her
?” Casey made a snooty face. “What about the rest of us?”

“It’s just that she’s already in a snit,” said DJ. “Let’s not push her, okay?”

But Casey just shook her head.

“Hurry,” called Rhiannon. “Let’s cross this street while we can!”

Rhiannon proved to be a good tour guide. Not only did she find her way through the Garment District, her knowledge of what went on there was rather impressive.

“This is the Fashion Walk of Fame,” announced Rhiannon.

“Look, there’s Ralph Lauren’s plaque.”

“And Betsey Johnson,” said Haley. “I like her designs.”

“And here’s Marc Jacobs,” pointed out Casey. “You think Eliza will be jealous?”

DJ tossed Casey a look.

“This is Bonnie Cashin!” exclaimed Rhiannon as she stooped down to touch the plaque. “Wow!”

“Who is that?” asked DJ.

“Just one of the greatest American designers.” Rhiannon sighed.

“How come we haven’t heard of her?” asked Haley.

“I’ve heard of her,” said Taylor. “She started out designing costumes for theater, I think.”

Rhiannon stood up and stared at Taylor in surprise. “That’s right. How did you know that?”

Taylor grinned. “I get around.”

“She was an artist too,” said Rhiannon. “But she was one of the best midcentury women designers. Anyone ever hear of Coach?”

“Of course,” said Ariel. “My mom loves her Coach bag.”

“Cashin pretty much launched Coach. But she did a lot more than that.” Rhiannon went on to tell about how Cashin designed clothes that women actually wanted to wear, how she won lots of awards, and other trivia.

“How do you know all this?” asked DJ.

“Your grandmother gave me a book on her.”

“Why?”

“Because I was wearing something that my great-aunt gave me — remember that plaid coat that I love. Well, your grandmother recognized it as a Cashin original. We got to talking, and it turned out that your grandmother actually knew her. They were very good friends.”

“Were?”

“Bonnie Cashin passed away in 2000.”

“Wow, you’re a real Cashin expert,” said Ariel.

Rhiannon nodded. “I really admire her work.”

Next, Rhiannon took them to the Fashion Institute of Technology. “This is where I want to go to college,” she told them. “It’s pretty expensive, but Mrs. Carter is helping me to apply for scholarships and work-study programs.” She crossed her fingers hopefully. “I know the odds are against me, but I’m praying for a miracle.”

Before they knew it, it was noon. Kriti informed them there was no way they’d have time to visit her dad’s company, have lunch, and make it to Dylan’s by one. “But we can go tomorrow,” she reassured them. “He’s not as busy on Saturdays, and he can give us the full tour as well as shopping privileges.”

Rhiannon paused by the fashion institute’s museum entrance and sighed sadly. “There’s not enough time to see this today either. But anyone who wants to join me tomorrow is welcome.”

So it was agreed, they would spend the early part of the day exploring Kriti’s father’s company, the fashion museum, and the other “must-see” places, according to Rhiannon.

“And then it’s practice for the fashion show,” Ariel reminded them as she held up her schedule. “From two until five.”

“And we’ll all have Sunday off to do as we please,” said DJ.

“I plan to play the tourist. I want to go to the Statue of Liberty and the top of the Empire State Building and all sorts of goofy things. Anyone else?” She didn’t mention that the last time she’d done these things had been with her mother — shortly after her parents’ divorce and a couple of years before her mother died.

“I’m in,” said Casey. “It’s my first time in the Big Apple, and I’m willing to act like a tourist. I’ll even ride in one of those silly double-decker buses if we can sit on top and wave at people.”

Taylor laughed. “Okay, I’ll come along too — as long as you promise we can go to the Museum of Modern Art.”

“And Times Square,” added Casey.

“You two sound like real tourists to me,” teased DJ. “Anyone else want to come along and act like freaks?”

“Count me out,” said Rhiannon. “I’m going to soak up every bit of the Garment District that I can. I want to eat, drink, and roll around in design, design, design.”

“I’m with you,” said Haley.

Ariel nodded. “Do you mind if I tag along?”

“Me too?” asked Kriti hopefully.

“Sounds like our weekend is all mapped out,” said Rhiannon.

DJ hoped that Eliza and Daisy wouldn’t feel left out. Maybe they’d want to join Rhiannon and the others in the Garment District tour. She felt fairly certain that Eliza wouldn’t want to lower herself to playing tourist and riding around on a double-decker bus. And that was just fine with DJ.

They had a quick lunch at a Chinese restaurant that Kriti recommended. After that they hurried over to Dylan’s design studio, arriving there a few minutes early, which made Rhiannon happy because she got to get a sneak peek at some of the inner workings. And then Dylan rounded them all up into the conference room to explain what exactly he expected from his models.

“As you know, I’m the new kid on the block,” he told them. “Kind of like you girls. So naturally, I’m jazzed and nervous.” He laughed. “I’m actually rather giddy.”

“You will do just fine,” Grandmother reassured him.

“I cannot tell you how much it means to have Katherine Carter in my court,” he said to all of them. “It is huge.” He turned to her. “Thank you so much for taking me under your wing.”

She smiled happily. “It’s an honor.”

“I thank you for bringing me such a stunning lineup of young women,” he said happily. “I cannot wait to see you girls wearing my designs.” He waved his hand to some of the sketches on the walls. “This gives you a little sneak preview, but the designs have changed considerably since these were done. You will see that later. First, I want you to meet a friend of mine.” He nodded to a pretty young woman who was sitting off to one side of the room. “This is Ramona Winters. She’s an actor, currently starring in an Off-Broadway show.” He winked at her. “Although the word on the street is that it may not be
Off
Broadway for long.”

She smiled. “I hope you’re right.”

“Anyway, I invited Ramona here to help coach you girls in regard to attitude.” He pointed to Grandmother. “As Katherine can attest, attitude in fashion is everything.”

“That’s right.” Grandmother nodded.

“So, if you’ll excuse me. I’ll leave you to Ramona for an hour. Then you will join me in the fitting room . . . and the real fun will begin.”

“Okay,” Ramona said after Dylan left. “In one word, the look Dylan wants is fresh. But not smiley fresh. And we don’t want the old model pout either. We’re tired of that bored but irritated look. We want our models to have expressions that are pleasant without being overly happy. We want eyes that are clear, but not too bright. And we want a comfortable sort of confidence. Not arrogance, mind you. We don’t want our models to look cocky, but we do want them to be assured. And you need to look like you’re having fun, but not too much fun.” She laughed. “Does that make any sense?”

There were a few questions, and for the next hour Ramona practiced expressions with the girls. Then before they ended, she called Taylor to the front of the room. “I want Taylor to strike some poses . . . since she really seems to grasp what we’re going for here. Do you mind, Taylor?”

Taylor shrugged. “Not at all.”

“See,” said Ramona as Taylor did some poses. “Her features are relaxed yet pleasant. And she looks completely comfortable, but not haughty.” Ramona glanced at Eliza now. “That haughty expression might work for some designers, but it’s not what Dylan is after.” She clapped her hands. “We’re out of time. It’s on with the show and off to your fittings!”

“Who would’ve guessed that Taylor would be
teacher’s pet
,
”
Eliza said snidely as they headed out of the conference room.

“Is somebody jealous?” teased Casey.

“Hardly.” Eliza flipped hair over her shoulder and laughed as she linked arms with Daisy. “I just think it’s funny that Taylor has gone from bad girl to Little Miss Perfect. Amazing how a little time in rehab changes a person.”

“Get over yourself,” Casey hissed at her. Fortunately, Taylor said nothing. But DJ could see the fire in her eyes. She hoped Taylor wouldn’t fall for Eliza’s bait. The last thing Dylan needed for his big debut was a catfight!

17

FORTUNATELY, THE ONLY FUR THAT FLEW
at Friday’s first fitting was faux. Eliza actually minded her manners. DJ had noticed her grandmother taking Eliza aside. Apparently, she’d overheard Eliza slamming Taylor. After that, Eliza was fairly quiet and, although she was still in a snit, she wasn’t taking it out on anyone. This was a relief, since it was clear that Taylor was getting the bulk of attention from Dylan — plus she was getting the best outfits, not to mention compliments.

“Now, if you’ll just move to the city and model exclusively for me . . .” he told Taylor as she did a turn so he could admire his workmanship.

“Maybe someday,” she said with a coy expression.

“Just don’t forget who helped you get your start in the fashion world,” he teased.

Dylan also seemed to take a real shine to Daisy. “I think this one’s got a future in fashion too,” he told Grandmother as he made some final adjustments to the short plaid skirt she was trying on with a pair of tall boots. “Her legs just go on and on forever.”

DJ was thankful to get through the fitting without making any serious blunders. Despite the way Haley and Ariel seemed to look up to her, DJ felt she was the least of the nine models. And she also felt she was the most likely to mess up the show. Well, other than the possibility that Eliza might attempt to wreak some kind of revenge against Taylor.

Later that evening, Grandmother treated the girls to a Broadway musical. She apologized that the only show she was able to get ten tickets for was
Grease
, but everyone thoroughly enjoyed it. Even Eliza, who had initially complained that it would be “lame,” seemed to have liked it just fine. DJ had even caught her laughing and smiling a time or two.

On Saturday morning, Eliza was irked to discover that everyone except for her and Daisy had made plans to continue their Garment District tour.

“You guys can come along too,” offered Rhiannon. “Just keep in mind it’s a lot of walking.”

“And knockoff shopping,” added Casey. Then she turned to Kriti. “Sorry, I didn’t mean that in a bad way.”

“Reproductions, knockoffs, whatever you want to call them.” Kriti smiled. “But keep in mind that what my father does is legal. He’s careful not to copy anything that’s licensed. My uncle is an attorney.”

“Well, thanks but no thanks. Trekking around Manhattan in ugly shoes and shopping for counterfeits is not very enticing.” Eliza turned to Daisy, who seemed to be thinking otherwise. “There are still a lot of shops we haven’t seen yet.”