#i wanted to play around with fabric patterns so i tried to design a brand new outfit for her

[chase2452]

waterbending master katara

[misssunflowersandsangria]

Runways

Happy Day 6 of Temari week everyone!  Thanks to @heartofthesand for hosting the event! I had another story written for today but I super fell down a rabbit hole with this prompt, so enjoy!

Prompt:  Fashion Icon

Summary:  She always did love long walks. 

*

**

Runways 

Temari took slow, delicate steps across the large runway.  Remembering a similar walk just hours ago.  The empty seats and silence were startling compared to the earlier mass of people, music, and camera clicks. 

The cheers were deafening as Temari stepped out as a model into the bright lights for one last time. She strode down the walkway with the same confidence and assurance that she’d perfected over the years. The chaos of music, cameras, lights, and sounds would be disorienting for a regular person but not for her.  The runway raised her.  This was her home, her kingdom and she commanded the stage as a queen would. 

Her focus in all the madness was drawn towards her family smiling brightly at her. The tears in their eyes matched her own. 

She stood at the end of the walk taking a deep breath to capture the moment.  Allowing herself to enjoy the experience while a million memories ran through her head.  One last pose. With a sense of gratitude and a kind of peace, she made her final walk back. 

Temari laid back on the cool surface reflecting on the journey that led her there.

This was it. She was done. 

She’d started working for the Nara House of Fashion when she was 16. They were the first label willing to give her a chance when she’d started off on this modeling journey. From that day she never looked back.

They eased her in with photoshoots and magazine spreads before hitting the runway.  She would never forget the feeling of stepping out onto that huge stage.  Even now that rush is incomparable. 

She had worked for other designers and companies but her relationship with the Naras had been special. Their fashion line was a luxury, worldwide brand with its inspired designs and creativity. At first, she’d been in complete awe over the operation, wide-eyed and afraid of making a mistake. Now after so many years they were her family. 

Shikaku and Yoshino the husband and wife duo and CEOs took her under their wing. Keeping her safe from anyone that may have tried to take advantage of her lack of experience. Her own father had practically disowned her when she went off on her own. Whereas Shikaku and Yoshino welcomed her with open arms. 

Temari looked up curiously hearing a slow soft melody played through the speakers. Her eyes drifted to a handsome, dark-haired man in a well-fitting suit. 

“Dance with me, my Love?”  She grinned up at him taking his offered hand. She settled into his arms, her head rested against his heart. They swayed back and forth slowly under a diamond chandelier. 

“You were breathtaking tonight Tem.”

Shikamaru Nara, son of Yoshika and Shikaku Nara, now CEO and creative director of House Of Nara.  And her new husband. 

She’d met him when he was just an awkward 14-year-old boy dragged along to fittings, meetings, and fashion shows. 

He was annoying and complained the entire time getting on her nerves. Leaving her in disbelief that he didn’t appreciate the life he was born into. His parents would often force him into fashion shoots and even make him work right along side her.  Now she treasured those photos.

Over the years though his genius began to show.  He grew into the role he’d been bred for. His own line, Shadow Stitches, could be found around the world and kept the Naras at the top of the fashion world.  For Temari, even when she was younger, knowing that he was there at the end of that runway always made fashion shows that much better. 

She was thankful that she had him there for the entirety of her career. He’d supported her and held her through the highs and lows. They accomplished so much together. Exploring the world while growing up side by side. 

“The dress is gorgeous.” She sighed into his chest.  His fingers at her hips gripped the delicate fabric.  

“Good, you designed it.” 

They’d spared no expense in the creation. The rare fabric hugged her form perfectly. Real gold spun thread was used to create elaborate patterns.  It was a design that honored her history and was inspired by her desert homeland. An actual work of art that would never be worn by another. It would be preserved and displayed back at their offices. 

She’d delayed her retirement for a year after Shikamaru approached her about creating her own line under the fashion house. She had modeled for so long and worn countless designs that he believed she could create something new. Something that the world had yet to see. His hunch had been correct if the reactions tonight were any indication. 

For the last show of her modeling career, she was able to wear her own creation and it made the decision to retire feel right. 

She was now going to work right alongside him for her own label. 

“It’s going to be so strange being behind the scenes.  I’ve done this for so long now.”

Shikamaru kissed the crown of her head. “I agree. It won't be as enjoyable for me not seeing you walking down the runway and towards me. But you’ll be sitting right next to me.  This is a good thing. A next step, and like everything you do, you’re going to be great at it.” 

She nodded.  They’d talked through this decision so many times now. She’d accomplished everything that she could dream of as a supermodel. Endless covers, shoots, shows, and runways.  She was an icon in every sense.  It was now time to settle into a new role. 

Being a high fashion designer would just be a new adventure. 

So would being a wife and mother. 

He pressed an affectionate kiss into her hair. “I remember that first show that I saw you walk in. I was in the back so annoyed with my parents for making me come watch this thing for girls, but then I saw you.  You were radiant. It wouldn’t have mattered what you wore. There was this ferocity and passion set in your eyes.  That I can still see today. I think that I fell in love with you that day.”

She grinned, her teal eyes shining in affection. 

Shikamaru couldn’t help but smile thinking about those first early years together.  “Growing up I’d always see this all as being so vapid and pointless. You made me see it in a new way. There is an art and a love to it. It’s bringing an emotion, an experience to life. Within whatever the length of a runway you manage to tell a story.  Now you’re going to be telling your own story with what you create.” 

She kissed him wordlessly, her heart and mind at ease. 

She’d missed the bright lights and rush of walking down a runway but there was nothing that could compare to this. Love, home, and family. 

Temari took his hand in hers.  A genuine smile cut across her face.  “Ready to take this walk with me?”

Shikamaru nodded squeezing her hand tight taking a step forward.  “I’ll walk with you anywhere my Queen.”

*

**

OMG I love this AU!  I have an idea to make this a multi-chapter story starting from when Tem goes off on her own and meets the Naras then all the way up to this story.  (I’m so lazy though) but it might be something in the future.  I just love the idea of Tem being this amazing supermodel and Shika is a fashion designer (but will also unwillingly do photoshoots)!  It would be able them growing up and navigating the whole thing together.  Ino and Chouji are there too!  The Nara House of Fashion is just part of a whole empire. 

Well if I don’t write it, even if I do, feel free to ask me questions! 

Thanks for reading!  I really want to write something steamy for tomorrow but ugh we will see!  It might have to come after the week is over and will be part of my Lemonade series on AO3.  Thanks again! Love you my pretty deers! 

[gabriel-agreste-has-no-rights]

(Not a new fic, I just keep forgetting to officially post this one here)

Rating: T

Summary:  Ladybug's suit doesn't have any arch support. Luckily, she has a supportive partner who can help.

Word Count:  2262

Notes: Breaking my usual silly reveal fic brand for some ladynoir fluff.  Inspired by lnc2’s tumblr post: https://gabriel-agreste-has-no-rights.tumblr.com/post/190301790972/lnc2-lnc2-chat-noir-has-boots-but-what-about

Please ignore the fact that I may be misinterpreting Mister Bug and Lady Noire’s costume designs as well, it’s vaguely plot relevant lol

XXX

Long-distance akumas were the worst. She and Chat had swung, vaulted, and ran all the way across Paris to catch Cyclone, an akumatized cyclist upset he’d lost his place in the Tour de France.  A very very fast cyclist, thanks to Hawkmoth’s assistance.

“I think we should switch kwamis again,” Marinette grumbled as she dropped down to sit on the roof, her legs dangling off the side like the deadweight they were.  

“You know if you ever want to wear the clown costume all you have to do is ask.” Chat Noir smirked as he plopped down beside her, one foot resting over his knee. “I doubt I could’ve come up with what you did with the laundry detergent, though. I probably would’ve just asked for a jet pack. Or a motorcycle. Ooh, or maybe—”

“The Lucky Charm doesn’t work like that.”

“Maybe not for you. Maybe I just know what I want.” He leaned into her space, and it looked like he might have been wiggling his eyebrows, but it was hard to tell under his mask.

Marinette bit back a laugh and pushed him back by the nose. “Nice try.  I know exactly what I want in that regard, kitty.”

That statement was… not quite as true as it used to be.  She knew she was after blond hair and soft green eyes, after someone who was kind and sweet and selfless.  But before she’d realized it, the model smiles and loose t-shirts in her dreams were joined by teasing smirks and tight leather.

...But it was just because she spent so much time with Chat, that’s all.  For all the distance she’d tried to keep, it was hard to resist getting closer to him.  He was her best friend.

“The akuma right has nothing to do with it though,” she went on before she could fall down that rabbit hole again. “Well I guess it does a little. Sort of. I mean—I want your boots.”

Chat blinked. “I don’t think they’d fit you, Bug.”

“I mean,” she huffed, gesturing to her own suited feet, “I have no arch support whatsoever. The miraculous cure might fix the akuma’s damage, but I’m still left with two slabs of pain hanging at the end of my legs.”

They had (separately) dropped their transformations to feed their kwamis before suiting up again, but that hadn’t eased her aching feet either.  She was still really, really not looking forward to making it all the way back home. 

“Let me get this straight,” Chat said with a stifled snicker, “you want to borrow Plagg so your transformation will give you real shoes.”

“Hey, I’d like to see you run around my suit and not complain.  And your Mister Bug transformation doesn’t count.  Tikki gave you boots.”  She crossed her arms.  

He leaned back on his palms and smirked.  “Careful, Bugaboo.  I’m flattered you’re jealous of me, but green really isn’t your color.”

She shoved his arm, sending him flopping back on the roof with a laugh.

“I regret asking.  You keep the clown costume.”

He tucked his hands behind his head before flashing a wink.  “You just know you’d miss seeing me in black leather.”

“You’re impossible, you know that?”  She rolled her eyes, which kept her gaze from where Chat was stretched out, practically begging to be stared at.  She’d hate for her expression to prove him right.

“Im-paw-ssible, you mean.”  He gave a lopsided grin.  Yep, she could just focus on that, and not the way he was lounging like he was attempting to recreate one of Adrien’s model poses… and succeeding…

(Even best friends weren’t supposed to stare at each other like that, were they?)

His voice snapped her out of ogling him.  “If your feet really hurt, though, there’s always something else you could ask.”

“I already tried.”  She sighed.  If nothing else, the pain in her feet was also a good distraction from her unfairly attractive partner.  “Tikki can’t change the suit at this point.  Not unless I can drastically change how I see myself, but I can’t perform the mental gymnastics to pull that off.”

“I wasn’t talking about Tikki.”  He sat up abruptly and held out his hand.  “You know I’ll support you, even if your footwear won’t.”

Her nose scrunched.  “Sorry, Chat, but I don’t think moral support is going to heal my feet.”

“I didn’t mean moral support.  Foot massage, no strings attached.  For my partner who carries the whole world on her shoulders without even an insole.”

He beamed at her, as if rubbing her stinky, sweaty feet would be a favor to him.  

She shook her head.  “You really don’t have to, Chat.  My feet are disgusting.”  Especially after dashing across Paris all afternoon.  Her soles had to be caked in grit from every street in the city. 

“You could never disgust me, my Lady.”  He grinned dopily.  It should be illegal for him to show that kind of adoration with just a smile.  It was getting harder and harder to remember why she kept rejecting her partner.

Because you’re still in love with Adrien.  Because she couldn’t give Chat the kind of unwavering devotion he already showed her.  And because he didn’t deserve anything less.

...But he did offer the foot rubs with no strings attached.  With the way her feet were throbbing, to turn him down would be nothing but an act of pride.

“Alright, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

She kicked her feet up into his lap.  The suit protected her from the rough concrete and debris her feet were constantly exposed to, but the magical fabric barely dulled the soft touch of her partner’s hands.  All things considered, they’d shared weirder touches—they’d been tied up and tangled together more times than she could count at this point—but something about his soothing ministrations felt more intimate than she expected.  Maybe she’d just expected him to play a prank and tickle her, but this…

“If I would’ve known you’d do this, I would have asked you ages ago.”  Her voice was a little breathless as she laid back perpendicular to him.  His thumbs continued to massage heavenly patterns into the arch of her foot.

“So you’ll admit my hands are good for something besides using Cataclysm?”  His voice was teasing, but she didn’t care. Her foot had never felt this good. How much pain had built up there over the weeks and months of akuma fights?  

More importantly, how could she convince Chat to make this a regular thing?

“Yes,” she breathed.  “Where did you learn how to do this?  You have a side job as a masseuse?”

He chuckled but kept up the motion of his magical hands.  “Old friend, actually.  She always found ways to make me give her foot rubs when we were younger.”

“Lucky girl,” Marinette murmured, her eyes slipping closed.  He moved his attention to her other foot, working his way up from her heel towards her toes.  If this was how good Chat was with her feet…

Nope, nope, she was not letting that train of thought out of the station.

“Don’t worry, LB, your feet are much cuter than hers.”

“Please tell me you don’t have a weird thing for feet,” she blurted, apparently having lost her filter to his hands.

He just laughed, though.  “Only yours,” he said, and then she felt something soft press to the top of her big toe.

“Chat!”  She sprung upright to see him winking again before pulling his lips back from her foot.  “Gross!  You don’t know where that’s been!”

That only made him laugh harder—so hard he was actually gasping for breath.  “Your face!”

She snapped her jaw shut, only then realizing how dumbly she’d been gaping.  “You kissed my foot!  What did you expect me to do?”

“I kiss your hand all the time.”  He shrugged, his grin turning sly.  “So unless you have a thing for feet…”

“Oh my gosh, Chat, shut up.”  She covered her blushing cheeks, mostly just disappointed that there was no way she could both keep her dignity and ask him for another foot massage.

“I wouldn’t tell.  I’d give you alllll the foot rubs you want.”

“Tempting,” she muttered.

“Hmm?  What was that?”

She glared out from between her fingers, but couldn’t tell from his teasing grin if he’d actually heard her or not.

“I was just wondering,” she said, beginning to spin a plan in her mind.  “Foot massages aren’t that hard, really. Of course you’d be good at them.”

His grin fell to a pout.  “What are you getting at?”

“I mean, a real challenge would be giving a good neck and shoulder massage.  It takes a strong enough touch to ohhhhhhhh…”

She was gone.  He’d moved to kneel behind her, his fingers angled to keep his claws from pricking her as he dug into the knots that had been afflicting her for ages.  Anxiety and tension unraveled under the circular motions of his thumbs.

“What was that, Bugaboo?”  He whispered near her ear, sending shivers down her spine—shivers that he could probably feel, considering his hands had moved closer together to massage between her shoulderblades.

“You’re… terrible.”  

“Mm-hm.  I guess I should just stop, then—”

“Don’t you dare.”

Gone, gone, gone.  And from her quick response, he had to know it too.

His hands paused for half a second before starting again.

“As my Lady wishes,” he purred.

He didn’t hold back.  His fingers dug deep into muscles tight from use, pressing hard enough to make her wince at times.  But it still felt like heaven.  Why was she not dating this boy, again?

Bad Marinette, she told herself.  You can’t date your partner just to take advantage of his back rubs.  Or the fact that he’s hot.  Or the fact that he would literally die for you, and has proved so on several occasions.

Or the fact that he’s madly in love with you.  Can’t forget that.

Those reasons were not listed in order of importance, but they were rather compelling.  Particularly with his touch melting away her more rational objections.

She wasn’t sure how long it was (not long enough) when his hands finally stilled, resting with his thumbs gently brushing the curve of her shoulderblades.

“What do you say?  Did I pass the test?”  He asked, sounding a little self-conscious now.

Test of what?  Seeing if he could turn her into a puddle?  The answer to that was a definite yes, but she’d prefer to keep that information confidential for at least a little longer.

“Y-yeah.  Thanks, kitty.”  

Her skin missed his warmth as he drew back.

“Anytime, Bugaboo.”  

It sounded like he really was willing to let that be the end of that.  No strings attached.  But—

“I still owe you,” she said, tucking her legs under her and turning to face him.

“I had a feeling you’d say that,” he replied with a chuckle.  “You never do like to accept help, even from me.  Or maybe it’s especially from me…”

“That’s not it.”  She shook her head, scooting closer.  Was that really what he thought?  “We’re partners, Chat.  I just don’t want to take more than I give.”

“You give me plenty, Ladybug.”  His voice turned serious as his hand inched towards hers, before coming to rest on the concrete roof just a centimeter away.  “Just getting to spend time with you outside of fighting akumas is a treasure.  I wouldn’t ask for anything more than that.”

Despite his usual outrageous flirting, she knew that was true.  If she ever wanted him to stop, he would.

But she’d never wanted him to.  Maybe because she knew deep down, she’d been falling for him all along.

“Hmmmm.”  She looked away, out towards the sunset horizon.  “That’s too bad.”

“Huh?”

A grin tugged at her lips.  “I hear your Lucky Charm gives you exactly what you ask for.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she watched his expression turn from confusion, to shock, to hope.

“And you… know what I’d ask for, right?”

Her shrug screamed nonchalance.  She could only hope it would cover up the pounding of her heart.  

“I’ve got a pretty good idea.”

Maybe she couldn’t give Chat her whole heart yet.  And maybe part of her was being selfish, worn down by his teasing smiles and melting hands.  But… she had a feeling that if she let down this last barrier, it wouldn’t be long before she was giving him the same smitten look he directed at her now.

“Will you go out with me, my Lady?”  His hands were clasped beneath his chin, his tone practically begging.  It almost made her regret what she was about to say.  But she couldn’t let him off that easy.

“That depends.”  

Her quick reply startled him—but not as much as the soft, slow kiss she pressed to his cheek.  

She decided that she absolutely adored the stunned look on his face, the pink blooming beneath his mask, his golden eyelashes fluttering.  He was still gaping when she tossed one last wink over her shoulder.

“Can you catch me now that my feet are feline good again?”

And he was still gaping when she tossed her yo-yo out to the next roof.

“Ladybug, wait—!”

She was done waiting.  Maybe he had a point about the Lucky Charm—he’d always known what he wanted.  She’d always gotten what she needed.

Finally, it seemed those two things were one and the same.

[warmau]

{Special} College!AU Shinwon

*this post was commissioned | find all my college aus here | commission info

major: media management 

minor: rhetoric 

sports: brags about how his long legs are perfect for volleyball, but screamed bloody murder when hongseok spiked the ball in his direction once so you could say,,,,,,,,shinwon’s not a sports person

clubs: drama club (less for the acting, more for the strutting), public speaking, and of course - it’s not a club per say - but the fashion department always loops him into helping them out as an impromptu model

shinwon,,,,,,,,,,really didn’t think he’d even end up going to college,,,,,,,,,,,,,

really he was sort of set on debuting as a model and working it out from there 

but after a while, waiting around for work just got boring

so he left the agency he’d signed up with when he was still in highschool and applied to college

much to everyone's collective shock, his parents, sister, and himself included

hui: im so proud he took this step, you know shinwon is bright and im sure he’ll use his brain for good.

shinwon: exactly! 

shinwon five seconds later: actually i just realized i have to do homework again and i think im going to drop out?

hongseok: i knew it

shinwon’s reputation is all over the place - he’s kind of known as being messy, beautiful beyond comprehension sure,,,,,

but he’s messy messy

from his dorm room 

cluttered with magazines he’s been featured in, his guitar stands, vinyls which no one understands why he buys like this is the twenty-first century ......, and clothing strewn from the lampshade

to his dating history 

pretty sure he’s had a hook up with someone from every department available on campus like pre-meds, literature, music, hell even someone in egyptology was smitten by his good looks

and of course ,,,,, his personality 

from playing childish tricks on tired masters student jinho, to owning the student held fashion shows with impeccable grace and posture

yuto affectionately refers to shinwon as a rubix cube made of spikes, flowers, and a little bit of hot sauce

shinwon thinks it’s such a compliment, he tries to lean over and grab yuto in for a kiss 

(which is refused with an almost punch to the face)

he’s definitely a force on campus and is famous for different reasons with different people

but if there’s one thing shinwon has learned from life it’s that he really cannot stand to give two shits about what people say about him behind his back

not like he’s going to hear it anyway

and he’s blunt to the point where it’s sometimes too much and hongseok on occasion (many occasions) has had to just pick shinwon’s six foot tall body up

and carry him out - as shinwon continues to spew well-deserving facts at whoever it is that tried to start with him

(or any of his friends. someone once made an offhanded comment about yeoone who is way too nice to say anything and shinwon just stopped in and turned on his gucci boots heel to be like “come again?”)

loves when cute shy freshmen get all nervous around him like 

“oh my god, he looks like a marble statue! wasn’t he on that one magazine? he’s so pretty~ he must be so cool~”

shinwon: basking in it

hongseok: trying so hard not to tell them about how shinwon is nothing close to cool

has the worst diet imaginable - lives on fast food

and he does NOT work out which adds more confusion

pre-meds will be like “hey,,,,,,so,,,,,,,,,do you have like ibs or something? or is your stomach literally made of iron?”

and shinwon just slaps his scrawny tummy and is like “i don’t know man, but this machine runs smoothly!”

more clothes than he knows what to do with - likes brand names, but cannot afford them unless he has gigs - says he doesnt but totally owns a cheap tracksuit that he lazes around in during campus holidays

backpack covered in old rock band pins

always steals his classmate's pencils

notes stained with coffee 

binders unorganized, lost his textbook at a nightclub 

really again - does not look like he belongs in college LOL

does media management because it still keeps him in the loop of fashion, but without all the actual drawing and sewing

because no one trusts him near a sewing machine or fabric scissors

the rhetoric minor was a big surprise - but shinwon just goes

“i get grades for talking good”

jinho, twitching: “talking well. you can’t say “talking good”

shinwon: “talking sexy ;) hahaha”

jinho: ill kill him

he is an enigma with a shit-eating grin ,,,,,,, 

but he’s also hot. and has perfect proportions,,,,,,,,,,

you,,,,,,,are a fashion major,,,,,,,,who knows the legends about ko shinwon

about how he’s nothing but fire to play with 

that being said

you are absolutely, utterly, one hundred percent, totally infatuated with him

he’s been your muse since you first stepped into the fashion building and saw him making his way down the hall

half of someones finished project still pinned to his shoulders, messy orange hair pulled up with bobby pins and that smile

almost,,,,,, angelically,,,,,, twisted? 

you had no idea how to describe it - but you had remembered him and even though you knew no one else's name yet 

he was the person you could visualize in an instance

you’d learned his name at your first student held fashion show, where to your dismay he had already been picked by someone else to be their model 

and they’d skipped past calling out for him 

“shinwon~”

you repeated it again on your lips in a small whisper “shinwon”

it was unique, it was different, and you really really started liking it

everything about him was unique, different, and you can guess,,,,,,,,you were really starting to like him

not like you would ever act on it though

shinwon seemed untouchable, not because he was standoffish - actually he seemed like he’d be super easy to get along with

it was because he was just,,,,,,,,he was just so ,,,,,,, unusual 

and you wouldn’t consider yourself a shining star, you were like everyone else

waking up, doing your schoolwork, trying your best to breakthrough in fashion 

you had a small group of friends - you had your regular hangout spots - your favorite kind of coffee flavor

you were simple, you would say, and shinwon was not

that’s why he gave you so much inspiration

if you were one speck in the galaxy, he was like a whole milkyway 

you had started off just admiring from afar, but as time went back you started sketching too

at first it was what you could conjure from your memories of him

the flashes of him around the fashion department, when you saw him in the library, the orange hair - the sparkling oak brown eyes - the over-the-top outfit he pulled off effortlessly

and when you think you’d filled up half of your sketchbook with stills of him

you started to envision him in your designs

actually, you had lied, you were a simple person

but your mind was not - you might have stuck to simple tones and patterns in your wardrobe 

but when it came to clothes you made, you were vibrant and loud and risky

some of your professors had initially mixed up your work, thinking your submitted designs were someone elses

because well ,,,,,,,,,,,,, they just didn’t match

your designs were for someone,,,,,,,,,,,,,,someone like shinwon

bursting with confidence, immune to shame, always ready for a thrill

your goal had quickly went from being able to saying hi to him in the hallway 

to one day having him wear an original creation of yours

but getting shinwon as your model was a feat

either he wasn’t doing the show at all, or he was everyone elses number one pick

with long, lithe limbs and an almost wonderland like face

that is ,,,,,,,,,,,,,, until the final project for the semester came up

you were expecting it all to go as usual

the older fashion majors would get first dibs on their models - someone would pick shinwon (if he was even showing up)

and you’d only have to go back to drawing him with your designs rather than seeing them come to life

but to your almost painstakingly obvious shock

that was not the case

shinwon did volunteer to model for the final project - but,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,no one was picking him

actually - everyone was actively avoiding him

and when your turn came around you couldn’t believe you were finally getting to say it

“i’ll pick ko shinwon.”

suddenly there was a swarm of muffled whispers - you couldn’t hear anything clearly but as shinwon strode over to you 

he gave you a once over and winked - and the was enough to make your entire body flare up

after everyone got settled with their models, you were shaking with anticipation as shinwon slipped into the seat across from you 

“are you cold or am i just so handsome you can’t help shivering?”

he jokes, running a hand through his hair for added effect

“y-yes”

you answer, stupidly unsure of what else to say

he lets out a laugh, leaning over to pat the top of your head which once again sends you into a blank

“cute, so - let’s see what you’ll be dressing me up in huh?”

he leans over and you flounder as you flip to the page with the outfit you’ve chosen to create for your final

it’s inspired by 80s punk and glam - rhinestones, spikes, rainbows 

shinwon’s eyes light up when he sees it and he looks at you with a giant smile

“where have you been all my life - this is totally my style!”

i know,,,,,i made it thinking about you,,,,,,,,,,,

is what you want to say - but you just stutter over your words instead

“o-oh, im glad you like it,,,”

he nudges at your elbow and you think electricity rides up your spine

“can’t wait to wear it! by the way-”

he moves his body, gracefully around the table so he’s standing beside you now

it makes everything else melt away as he leans in closer to your face with his own

“don’t listen to what people say about me - and trust me, ok?”

it’s,,,, cryptic - and in the moment you had no clue what he was talking about - but he’s your muse

and he’s inches too close to you 

so really - it goes over your head as you nod with moonstruck stars in your eyes

shinwon says his goodbyes and tells you to text him when you want to do measurements

you only realize after he’s gone that,,,,,,,,,,you don’t have his number 

so you approach an upperclassmen who usually works with him and politely ask if she might have it

she stops what she’s doing and sighs

“you really picked shinwon for your final project - you’re crazy!”

you look around - not sure if she’s really talking to you - until she huffs

“this is the final - you can’t rely on someone like him!”

someone like him?

“wh-why not, he’s done other shows?”

she shakes her head

“other shows aren’t the final project. he might just not show up on the day or he might get the clothes dirty. he’s fun when there are no consequences but you know this is worth fifty percent of our grade right?”

you’re left sort of speechless and she just mutters that she pities you as she scribbles down the number in your sketchbook and hands it back to you

you turn and realize other students are eyeing you from their station

a lot of them are already doing measurements on their models, while yours 

well shinwon just left

you hadn’t stopped him - he just said he had to go

you feel something twist in your stomach but you ignore it

he had said it right - not to listen, and to trust him

the first couple of weeks go by,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, perfectly

you finally suck it up after typing and deleting a text to shinwon about measurements

spending nearly half a day trying to come up with a casual and cool way of asking 

and all you get in response is a misspelled “yeha” from him when you make a date and time

you think it’s goofy and cute

and shinwon does show up 

charming, joking, making you embarrassed and happy all in the same breath as you take his measurements

wiggling his eyebrows when you ask him to take his shirt off for the chest measurement 

excitedly rambling about this underground show he’s seeing on the weekend 

mind you - you and him haven’t ever had a conversation before this

shinwon just naturally opens up - having no problem doing the talking as you either 1) stare at him like a puppy or 2) nod enthusiastically in agreement to whatever he’s saying

you’re pretty sure he can tell how much you admire him and with anyone else you’d be dead from the shyness

but with him it’s like,,,,,,,,,it’s like he’s a celebrity to you 

so it’s not that bad to be so so so enamored 

his flirting doesn’t come off as anything romantic either, just part of his persona

and despite those doubts from other students

“he could just now show up” “he isn’t super reliable” “he might go to a party and just forget in the morning to show up!”

it doesn’t happen - when you need him, shinwon is there

and it’s like a dream come true - watching your outfits slowly come to life on his perfect figure

there is a hiccup at some point

shinwon agrees to meet you on a thursday evening for some help - you had initially been shy about asking him to come and look at fabrics with you

you don’t really ask models for that kind of advice

but when you’d mentioned - he’d been the one to get all giddy at the thought

and, with your heart over the moon, you waited outside the fashion building

for two hours

your phone was barren of any texts - any calls 

and even though it hit 10 pm and the store was closed - you stuck it around for a little while

but he ,,,,,,,,,, didn’t show up

it’s fine! he probably had to cram for an exam or something - he seems like the type to push studying to the last minute

you make up the excuse and nod to yourself, happy with the conclusion you’ve drawn

pushing down any doubt that might have tried to bubble up

and it’s just a hiccup - because shinwon bumps into you three days later and snaps his fingers 

“AH! we were supposed to go shopping right? i totally forgot! please forgive me! shinwon has been a bad boy!”

he clasps his hands together and pouts and you laugh, telling him it’s totally fine

yuto and jinho who are beside him look confused and so shinwon introduces you as you shyly hand over your sketchbook 

because shinwon insists you show his friends your outfit planned

“wow, you’re so talented - these look so much like shinwon.”

yuto compliments, flipping to some of the old drawings you had of shinwon

you forgot about them and try to stutter out an excuse but shinwon is already sticking his nose between the pages with wonder

“woah! you’ve drawn me so much!”

you clasp your hands together - awkward and shy 

jinho takes note of the way you can’t help but smile as shinwon continues to muse about how much he likes your drawings

and when you finally get your sketchbook back - shinwon promises he will never forget when you ask him to do something again

he does this by taking your hands in his own and giving them a squeeze

you’re so happy you can’t even speak and again,,,,,,,,,,,,jinho takes note of that

as you scurry past them - realizing you’re late for class now, he turns to shinwon with a tilt of his head

“they seem really sweet. are you sure you’re being nice to them?”

shinwon rolls his eyes

“im always nice”

“no - you did forget to go shopping with them.”

shinwon puffs out his chest with a whine

“because i woke up on the roof at like 5pm - i didn’t remember my own name hyung. now stop grilling me about it - they weren’t mad and so why are you?”

jinho pulls his lips back into a tight line - yuto breaks the tension with a question about lunch and shinwon ignores the side glances jinho still throws his way

you really aren’t mad, just like shinwon said

because he shows up when you ask him to for some extra measurements and test runs on the runway 

he’s the same silly, weird, and lovely boy as usual 

playing with the sleeves of the half-finished top piece you’re working on -

showing you the new candy bracelet he got 

putting his arm around you when he leans over to look at your new sketches

knowing damn well your head goes spinning

“you’re cute when you get all nervous - do you really think im that handsome?”

he makes the joke again and you try to answer but all you can squeak out is “yes?”

he even offers to make it up to you for not showing up - the offer is to go to mcdonalds but it’s still sweet - and you assure him it’s fine, you’re not angry - not at all

but ,,,,,,,, the happiness of those moments with him dulls as more and more hiccups begin to happen

he texts you that he can’t make it to the practice runway - he’s sick

you understand

then he doesn’t text you or tell you anything on the next one - you don’t have your model and all the students shake their head with pity at you

the final date approaches faster

and shinwon,,,,,,,,,,,,,goes ghost

you don’t want to be that person and over text him - but you have to, this is about your grade

suddenly the worries you’d been told about in the beginning of all this start coming true

maybe he got super sick - i should ask his friends, but i don’t know them that well - did i do something wrong?

you don’t get it - every day without word from him is another day closer to the final runway

it stresses you out and you notice the acne coming in - the refusal to eat because it makes your stomach sick 

you’re running across campus because you’ve pulled another allnighter working on your designs and fell asleep on accident

when you slam right into someones chest

your books go flying, the yogurt you had bought falls and explodes somewhere behind you

and when you look up you see ------- what was his name ------ jinho?

“oh gosh, im so sorry”

you mutter, leaning down to get your things

jinho realizes you’re scrambling and he helps you - for which you bow over ten times and apologize again for bothering him

but before you continue on your run he asks you, much to your shock

“have you seen shinwon?”

your face pales and you can’t move forward even though you know class has started

you shake your head slowly and jinho lets out a sigh

“how long has it been?”

“maybe two weeks....”

“ah. ill talk to him.”

you perk up - and then just as instantly your shoulders sag - you shouldn’t be so excited over someone whose been ignoring you for no apparent reason

“no it’s ok-”

“isn’t he supposed to be helping you with your project. it’s not ok - he’s being a brat.”

you don’t want to argue because jinho is older and closer to shinwon, but you also don’t want it to seem like you’re begging for his help

“please,,,,,just ask him if i did something wrong?”

you look into jinho’s eyes and it clicks for him

“you like shinwon don’t you?”

your books fall out of your hands again and this time it’s not because you’ve been knocked over

you just don’t know how to answer the sudden question - because you really,,,,,,,,,,,,don’t know

“he’s my muse.”

you start

“and im just,,,,,,,i just don’t want to lose that.”

jinho leans down to help with your books again, he gives you one last look before turning and heading toward the dorms

you don’t even bother getting to class anymore - you just drag yourself to the workrooms in the fashion department and sit beside your final project

it looks much less extravagant on the mannequin then it does on shinwon

and when you open your sketchbook it flips to one of your first drawings you ever did of him

it hurts to think about him.....not even because of my grades......but because........

you shake your head and lay it down on the table

no, you always have to remember what you say. you’re a small tiny star - that boys a milkyway.

jinho finds shinwon in the bathroom of the dorm, the ramones are blasting from his phone and he’s got his hands covered in black hair dye

jumping when he sees his older friend, shinwon grumbles that jinho should at least knock 

but jinho crosses his arms, stern gaze unwavering on shinwon

“why are you ignoring that sweet fashion major who obviously idolizes you?”

“im not ignoring them - they’re ignoring me.”

shinwon points a finger

“and no one ignores me, you know this.”

he turns to look at himself in the mirror - making a face as the old orange goes back to his natural thick black

jinho cocks an eyebrow

“really? i just bumped into them and the poor kid looks like a mess.”

“are you saying im lying - look at my phone!”

jinho picks it up from where it’s charging on the bathroom sink 

“this isn’t your phone........ is it new?”

“yeah - my last gig gave it to me along with some free clothes, my old ones on my desk but im using this one now”

he scrolls through the texts messages, gagging at some of them, and he finds what he can only assume is your number

it doesn’t have your name - all it says is 

“cutest fashion major ive met in a hot minute”

jinho opens the messages and ,,,,,, it’s true - shinwon has sent an abundance of texts to you but ,,,,,,, none of them are answered

it takes three minutes for jinho to figure out what’s going on

he picks up shinwon’s old phone - find your contact (saved with the same corny name) and opens it

shinwon typed your number in..................wrong

and in his old phone are the messages from you that going unanswered

jinho groans

“ko shinwon - you’re an idiot.”

shinwon pokes his head out of the bathroom - “i know that, but what did i do this time?”

you pick your head up after what seems like hours - drool embarrassingly on the edge of the workroom table

did i fall asleep here? guess i missed more than one class.......

you stretch and look down at your sketchbook with tired eyes

“oh you’re awake?”

you jump at the sound of the voice and nearly fall out of your chair when you see shinwon sitting across from you

he’s,,,,,,,,,he’s got black hair now - and he’s not wearing his usual outrageously expensive outfits

he’s just got a flannel over some simple jeans

the sleeves are rolled up and you see those candy bracelets he loves making, the silver rings you’ve sketched on his hands a million times over

“sh-shinwon?”

“wanna hear something hilarious?”

he pulls his phone out and grins

“i was texting the wrong number for a whole two weeks - the person must think im insane! well,,,,,,,,they wouldn’t be wrong.”

you don’t understand - you look down at the screen and see the  contact name

“cutest fashion major-”

“ah ah ah don’t look at that - look at the texts.”

he waves his hand and you read them one by one

“hey - do you need me for measurements? you know my body is always ready!” “hey hey hey” “doesn’t a designer need their model?” “are you mad at me? did i do something dumb when i was drunk and i dont remember?” “heeeeeeeelllllllllloooooooo?” “ill make it up to you~ shinwon was a bad boy wasn’t he?” “hey, is everything alright?”

you still don’t really understand - you look up and shinwon is resting his cheek on his palm

“i got a new phone which is why i wasnt getting your texts and you weren’t getting mine.”

something that feels better then relief washes over you

“o-oh, i thought you just ,,,,,,,,, you just didn’t want to help me anymore?”

shinwon makes a dramatic noise and jumps up from his seat - pointing at the outfit on the mannequin

“and miss out on wearing THAT masterpiece, never!”

he rounds the table

“it’s the best design ive ever seen - from the people here and from the magazine shoots ive done.”

he looks at you and for the first time they’re not those crazy, sparkling with mischief eyes

they’re almost,,,,,,,,,,,,soft

“i really love it. i won’t let you down.”

suddenly the stress and the tiredness that had hung over you seems to vanish

you get up to and smile up at him 

“well then - i should finish it quick. i won’t let you down either!”

shinwon grins and when he reaches over to ruffle your hair like he’s done many times before

it’s like gravity refuses to let him - instead all the wires in his brain connect and he puts his hand on your shoulder gently

tugging you into his chest and into a hug

he smells like ,,,,,,,, fresh laundry and there’s the residual lingering from the hair dye

but there’s also the smell of his skin and the warmth of his tall frame

it sends an earthquake through you - but it makes you feel safe too 

and shinwon,,,,,,,,,,,,shinwon can’t believe that there’s someone on this earth who fits so perfectly into his arms

for the first time in...............ever ...........shinwon pulls away and misses the feeling instantly

he doesn’t show it - he starts blabbering to forget the mess starting up in his brain

and you are content, as always, to go along with him

shinwon feels like something has taken him over when he offers to walk you to your dorm and you think nothing of it

waving goodbye as you go inside and some students pass by shinwon in awe

ko shinwon,,,,,,,,walked someone home? and is staring at the spot they just stood in with - is that - is that -?

this time shinwon keeps to his promise - actually he probably goes up and beyond that

he even starts asking if he can come over and see your progress

sitting beside you as you work - much to the shock of everyone else

because,,,,,,,, shinwon is never one to sit still

he’s there for measurements, the show, and then he’s out

doing whatever it is he does on campus

someone asks you about it - but you just go “he wanted to come!”

it doesn’t seem all that remarkable to you - you’re just happy to see he’s proven everyone who doubted and didn’t pick him wrong

you start to talk more too, you get excited as the final project comes to a close and the day of the fashion show approaches

you explain to shinwon the colors you chose, the fabrics, the inspo 

and he stares at you in wonder this time

but you just can’t wait to see him under the lights - glittering like the beautiful model he is

on the day of the show - you’re excited to see your friends and even some of shinwon’s show up 

and as you get ready behind the stage - tailoring the pieces to sit just perfect on shinwon 

he watches your fingers work and your concentration and you apologize when you lean in to apply some makeup to his eyes

but he just welcomes it - your touch which was just like everyone elses when this started

feels like heaven all of a sudden

you hear your professor call out the order for the models - shinwon is last and it makes you nervous but you’re also happy because

this outfit is showstopper - it’s shinwon to a T 

and it deserves to be the best, so it should be saved for last

you fix one of the lapels and make sure shinwon’s accessories are in order before you take his hands in yours

you look into his eyes - it’s dark behind the curtains but shinwon sees you clear as day

“thank you - you’re the only person who could wear what i’ve made. shinwon, you’re my muse.”

you breathe as you say the word - the word you’ve wanted to say for so long now

“im your muse?”

“yes, im honored to make this outfit for you. and im so happy you worked with me. i couldn’t have done it without you. you look so beautiful-”

shinwon can’t stop what comes over him 

it’s not stupid lust like it usually is with him - it’s another worldly force this time

it’s what they sing about in all those love songs - all those songs about wanting to be connected to someone 

“no - you look beautiful.”

he presses his lips to yours before you can finish your sentence

and his name is called out for the order

he rushes to the line and you 

you are frozen - unsure of what just happened

am in a movie? did shinwon just ,,,,,,,,,,,, kiss me?

you can’t even process it - one of your classmates comes and tugs you toward the audience

you look over your shoulder and shinwon is staring at you from the line

oh my god - i think shinwon just kissed me for real.

the fashion show is a haze - you want to pay attention, but you keep touching your lips 

it’s not until the shinwon steps out into the limelight and struts with everything he’s got 

flaunting your design, making it move and sparkle just like you had seen in your vision

the crowd all let out a wave of oohs~ and the professors who are judging seem to be impressed

and when he makes his way to the turn - he spots you - the background music seems to stop 

the people seem to disappear

he was fucking right - you are beautiful

you get rave reviews on your outfit - people flock to you after the show to ask about it 

you want to answer questions and thank everyone - but you are looking for him

you’re looking for shinwon

who is in turn, looking for you - ignoring the people who try to get in his way

he pulls you out from the conversation - waving off the complaints of others 

and tugs you through the crowded stage until you guys are alone - stuffed into a corner of costume racks and abandoned makeup stations

“shinwon why did you-”

“am i just your muse? am i just someone you idolize - or do you - do you -”

he has never struggled this much in his life

you’re looking at him with such purity that it feels overwhelming as he puts his hands on your face and kisses you again

you melt into it and he eats it up - until you’re caught by stagehands who usher you annoyingly back out into the mess of people

jinho, yuto, hongseok and hui who came to see shinwon spot you guys and jinho’s eyes avert right to your hand - in shinwon’s

he smiles - he knew all along

because yes, you looked at shinwon like he was the only man in the world but 

jinho had never seen shinwon text someone seven times in a row

and he sure as hell had never seen shinwon reject an oncoming hookup like he had for the past couple of weeks

“so - something you want to tell us?” 

hongseok asks, and hui looks at you and then at shinwon

shinwon shrugs

“nah not really, just that ,,,,,,,,,,, well,,,,,,,,,,,”

he shakes your hands a little and you go red

“looks like ko shinwon is off the market! sorry ladies and gentlemen - i think ive found,,,,,,,,,,,,what’s a word for it,,,,,,,,,,,,,, my muse?”

so dating shinwon,,,,,,,,,is like a whole new world for you

you were always so sure you’d be a secret admirer - at most someone who got to work with him 

but now you were like ,,,,,,, you were his significant other ,,,,,,,,,,

you were basically like an overnight star

you showed up the next morning after the fashion show and everyone was just like

“YOU LOCKED DOWN SHINWON? KO SHINWON? HOW? WAS IT MAGIC?”

shinwon is so dramatic you know he opened up his contacts and deleted nearly everyone he’d ever fooled around with and you’re like

that’s not necessary and he’s like

“once im committed im committed. i should delete hui’s number too i think he has a crush on me”

hui in his composition class: my shinwon senses are telling me im being clowned 

no one knew,,,,,,,shinwon could love someone so hard

for most of his life he’s taken everything happy-go-lucky, he’s always just lived by the flow

but now he’s like ,,,,,,,,,, he’s like a changed person

you are the only thing he seems to put real effort into 

which you actually know isn’t true, shinwon takes modeling seriously and although his studying is slacking

you are there to encourage him 

because jinho and hongseok poking at him for never doing his homework is not going to get shinwon a degree

so you offer to help him study and your first dates consist on you trying to get him from a D to at least a C+ in most of his classes

he probably doesn’t even know how to properly use excel so you’re like babe let me 

as you date him, you realize that the uniqueness you fell for in the first place stays true with shinwon

there’s so much more to him - like his musical talents and his secret nerdiness

and also the anxiety that sometimes spikes in his throat and that he plays off but that now,,,,,,,,,now he has someone who’ll take these thing seriously

you can see it - when he can’t figure out his schoolwork or when a gig gets canceled on him

the furrow of his brow - the silliness gone from his face and in the beginning he tries to keep up appearances

but you just pull his long body down to yours and you tell him that nothing in this world is going to stop him from being successful

“you were born to shine, shinwon. it’s why i saw you for a second and never forgot”

“babe.............omg you had a crush on me from first sight?”

“im trying to be serious ko shinwon”

him wrapping his arms around your waist and tugging you in closer “i know but like oooo a crush on me hehe you’re so cute”

you: rolling your eyes but also it’s true,,,,,,kinda

he gives you a tour of the infamous madhouse dorm - stock full of vinyls, his guitar, and brand name clothes on the floor

you’re kinda like “ooo this is cute” picking up a sweater off the floor and he’s like that’s versace i think?

you: and it’s on the floor

shinwon, shrugging: i ran out of hangers

oh my god shopping for anything with shinwon is a trip he somehow always tries to buy something that’s shiny and not useful and you’re like hey hey no 

you become his impulse control - like at least 75% of it. the other 25% is jinho yelling at him over the phone

he’s such a cutie pie he loves making those candy bracelets with little rainbow charms and he makes some for you with your favorite song lyrics

which he hums as he puts on your wrist

and you promise not to take it off - which shinwon is more proud about then he should be

gives you nose kisses a lot - ruffles your hair a lot - asks you to sit on his lap and you’re like no we’re in public 

loves it when you sit behind him and put your hands in his hair as he flips through the tv channels or plays a video game

won’t admit how much it kinda turns him on when you tug it - but you learn 

you once are making out and shinwon keeps trying to tug at your shirt and you’re just like “listen to me shinwon, stop rushing me.” and oooooooooh my gooooooooooood

he thinks he sees stars

you most of the time: his precious angel who he can make all blushy with just some cheesy words

you also: bosses him around and points out his bullshit (which he is very into)

you and shinwon probably rock halloween parties - even though you’re not to big on the whole scene - you make the costumes and they’re killer and shinwon is just like

“they made this. for me. only me. only i get to wear the clothes they made”

complains about how when you’re a rich famous designer everyone else is gonna get to wear your masterpieces

makes you promise you’ll make exclusive outfits just for him

he does the MOST embarrassing thing ever

he marches into the fashion dept workroom one afternoon and he’s like “everyone, psa: when im a model i want to by chosen by ONE person and ONE person only - you know who!”

he winks your way and the whole room (including you) groans

like no one was planning on it anyway shinwon - he just lives for theatrics doesn’t he

his modeling gigs usually last a long time and go late into the night and he doesn’t expect you to stay up or anything

maybe send a text and a photo or whatever

but when he comes back to the dorms and you’re waiting in his bed wearing one of his led zepplin tshirts he just 

he just gets all giddy - can’t keep his hands to his damn self

but also shinwon is a bad texter to everyone 

but you

you get constant updates and constant photos which are demanded to become your phone background now

hongseok told you to change it to hui as a joke once but you guys were both like 

no,,,,,,,shinwon might actually cry 

jinho basically adores you because you actually do your work and try to help improve shinwon 

but he’s also big brother mode where he’s like shinwon you better not screw this up or i will end you :) 

yuto silently agrees - so does basically everyone else

jealous shinwon is ,,,,,,, like a yappy baby puppy

wooseok visits campus - a younger friend of the groups and he doesn’t know you’re dating shinwon

but he thinks you’re SOOOOOOO cute and tells everyone and shinwon just goes huffy like

“no. mine.” and wooseok is like oh ok- 

shinwon: “see my phone wallpaper - it’s us kissing. see these sneakers - it was a gift from them on our anniversary - see this bracelet on their wrist? i made it and -”

everyone: OK SHUT UP

you finished your old sketchbook and you wanted to throw it out - but shinwon salvaged it and sometimes he opens it and traces the sketches you did of him

and he just,,,,,,,,,,feels so good knowing you’ve loved him for a while - and he thought he’d never have something so real and powerful 

you once jokingly tell shinwon as you’re sitting cross-legged across from him in the park that you used to say you were a tiny star and he was a milkyway

and he just blinks and shakes his head

“no - if im a milkyway, you’re my entire galaxy.” 

and then hung his head because OK CORNY but it’s true,,,,,,it’s so true

shinwon is always opening up the world for you - from music to art to whatever 

he’s still your muse - even if he’s your boyfriend

but now instead of having to see him from all these miles away - like he’s some untouchable force

he’s sitting beside you

strumming on his guitar, hair messy and only an arms length away

you lean over and kiss his neck and he chuckles as he continues to play and you continue to sketch

only to realize some things never change

the page full of shinwon, and his heart is full of you ~

[nomanwalksalone]

COSTUME DESIGN DIARY: ANDRE BENJAMIN IN DISPATCHES FROM ELSEWHERE

by Keri Langerman

As a costume designer my job is to help create authentic characters alongside the director & actor. I put together outfits that speak, both directly and subconsciously, to who the wearer is. On the morning of my fitting with Andre Benjamin for his character Fredwynn (Dispatches From Elsewhere, on AMC), I remember pacing around the room examining and re-examining the pieces I had selected for him. I have long been a fan of Andre’s stage style and music career. I felt uncertain how someone who I have always see as an American icon would react to the pieces I chose for him. It was surreal.

Fredwynn is a bit of a conspiracy theorist. His character is wealthy and intelligent but lacks emotional depth and social ease. He’s a connoisseur of … just about everything. I wanted his style to reflect deep knowledge of sartorial rules and the rejection of them all at once. In my mind Fredwynn is someone who researches brands and designers before he purchases anything from them. He could probably give you a healthy lecture on the origins of the word “coat” and debate for hours over the latest developments in Immuno-Oncology. He might read or even post on Style Forum.

When Fredwynn meets Sally Field’s character Janice they embark on a mysterious and comical journey of emotional growth. The show asks the viewer to suspend reality on certain occasions. Fredwynn needed a wardrobe ready for anything. Fredwynn needed 18 outfits for the 10 episodes series. Within these 18 outfits we would need to address specific situations he would encounter, ranging from a funeral, to sleeping, to going to lunch, and of course those moments of suspended reality.

Early on in the season, we featured this green T-Michael sweater on Andre in both the black and green colorway in a monochromatic look, paired with a pair of olive-green cotton pleated trousers from Rubinacci. The heavy-treaded Bally boots became a staple of Fredwynn’s footwear. In this episode, Fredwynn explores different realms of reality, and the sweater represented this nested, disoriented universe. Fredwynn style eventually becomes more playful in color and silhouette – the Ikire Jones jacket described below is an example - but here at the outset Fredwynn’s style is highly controlled and deeply serious. The palette and silhouette are stern and simple; only the pattern of the sweater suggests the brewing complications.

My favorite head to toe ensemble was a navy and camel colored cashmere sweater from Deveaux New York, worn with dark chocolate Visvim trousers, and complimentary tan colored Visvim suede sneakers both bought from Creme in Philadelphia. Over the sweater I put an incredibly soft, green, striped overshirt from 18east. Andre had to wear this outfit for a few days since the scenes were long and half of the shots were outdoors. I wanted to make sure we chose an outfit with layers in case of unexpected weather.

My favorite piece on the rack was a 2pc cotton crepe suit by Camoshita. I ordered 2 of these suits from No Man Walks Alone. The butterscotch coloring gave us a fun element to play off of.  At first glance it looks neutral; but as you look closer it’s a color that you won’t find in anywhere else. A lot of the times I debate the use of color with my production designer. If my production designer wants a cream-colored wall and I want a cream-colored shirt we have a showdown. This suit was a color of such exquisite uniqueness, I knew if I could get it on camera it would sing take on many personalities. 

Having a suit that Andre could move freely in was essential for these scenes because he had to run & climb quite a bit, and the Camoshita suit allowed that. Eventually we paired this suit with a blue plaid button front shirt worn untucked and a pair of ridiculously extravagant sneakers from Bottega Veneta. Our prop master brought in a selection of glasses and watches for us to choose from to finish Fredwynn’s look. (Each of Fredwynn’s 18 outfits had different glasses and watch pairings.)  

Andre Benjamin and Jason Segel shared many scenes in this episode so I wanted to illustrate how wildly different these two characters could wear a similar silhouette. Jason’s character, Peter was wearing a felted chore coat, with an untucked button front shirt and dark jeans. Peter, unlike Fredwynn, does not see his clothing as an opportunity for choice. Peter tries to make as few choices in his life as possible and his wardrobe is no exception. Peter wears this same outfit or slight variation on it everyday of his life.

One of the first pieces I pulled for Andre was this two-pocket printed cotton safari jacket designed and made by Ikiré Jones in Philadelphia. Ikiré’s jacket was the crown jewel of Fredwynn’s wardrobe because it embodied both the show’s exuberant imagination and Fredwynn’s refined, yet unexpected tastes.

Everyone in the office fell in love with this jacket. We kept taking it in and out of scenes because we thought it was either too distracting or not being seen enough. Including it in a scene was a high-stakes decision because we knew that after it appeared on camera it would be retired. It’s too noticeable to be seen more than once in a season without distracting from the characters and the story.

Eventually we placed this Jacket in a scene where Andre’s character arrives in a mysterious house and uncovers a dark clue resulting in the possible answers to the disappearance of a young woman. In the main room where we shot our scene, our Production Designer (Kate Bunch) had decorated the walls with a similarly colored wallpaper. Unintentionally our colors and patterns blended and conflicted with each other. I think our show runner said it looked like Laura Ashley on acid - which couldn’t have made me happier. I like to throw out moments of heightened style on every project I design. I always tell directors and actors, “we are making a movie (or Television Show), not a documentary.” Let’s have fun, let’s try new things and have faith that our audience will be along for the ride. At minimum let’s just put something relevant on screen.

Working with Andre may have been the highlight of my career. Dressing actors who are unafraid to try new brands, different styles, and unexpected fabrics is challenging and incredibly rare. After reading the script for Dispatches From Elsewhere, I spent a long time imagining how Andre would look as Fredwynn and finding the pieces that would help Andre bring Fredwynn to life. After all my pacing and planning, Andre wore these outfits effortlessly.

All images used by No Man Walks Alone with permission from AMC Networks.

[artificialqueens]

Revelation Sunshine, Chapter 8 (Courtney/Vixen) - Veronica

A/N:  Look, sometimes a story has conflict and narrative tension. And sometimes you just want to write about characters you love wearing fancy clothes and having self-indulgent fun. Thanks as always to @theartificialdane for her help. Previous chapters are here.

Last chapter: Vixen got settled into her new life in LA, and Courtney enlisted Violet’s help for a Met Gala ensemble.

This chapter: A romantic weekend in Paris and a star-studded Gala both bring old friends back into Courtney’s life. 

***

The plan was for the Met Gala to be their first public appearance together. A sort of coming-out, as Adore put it.

But all of that went to shit in early April. Vixen had just wrapped up the last of her workshops in Chicago, her friends and family throwing her a huge going-away party, making her promise to visit often. Then, instead of flying to Los Angeles for the Spring term, she found herself sipping champagne on a flight to Paris, where she was meeting Courtney for a Met Gala fitting-turned-romantic-getaway.

And it would have all gone to plan, probably, if not for the crafty French paparazzi, who caught wind of Courtney being in Paris and began to tail them through the city.

It had been a gray, drizzly day, the clouds not breaking until early in the evening as the sun was setting, encouraging them to leave their little café and stroll across the Pont Neuf to Square du Vert Galant, hands clasped together, giggling about Courtney’s attempt to get oat milk in her coffee with broken French.

When Courtney caught Vixen’s face in the warm light, she couldn’t resist pulling her in for a kiss, hands stroking her cheekbones before brushing their lips together, tasting the perfection of the moment, overcome with joy and gratitude for her gorgeous, loving girlfriend.

The nearby paparazzi went nuts, and that’s when they both realized that they’d been followed.

“Oops,” Courtney whispered, biting her lip, still unable to let go of Vixen’s face, unable to tear herself away.

“Cat’s out of the bag, huh?” Vixen said. Fortunately, she didn’t seem too broken up about it.

“Yeah.”

“I guess there’s not much we can do about it now.” A smile played on her lips, and Courtney was overcome with the urge to kiss her again.

It wasn’t until they separated slowly that Courtney thought of a possible solution.

“We could beat them to it…”

She pulled out her phone, taking a series of photos, the setting sun and rain-washed buildings around them doing half the work of making the pictures glowingly beautiful. Vixen’s eyes were bright with happiness, and Courtney couldn’t help gazing at her with total adoration, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

She posted the pictures as they stood right there, captioned with a simple heart, and then put her phone away, taking Vixen’s hand and continuing on their walk like everything was business as usual.

***

Vixen wasn’t sure what to think when they finally arrived at Violet’s on Saturday morning, an ordinary-enough apartment building.

“You’re sure this is a legit designer?” she asked, and Courtney grinned at her, pulling her inside. She held a box of pastries and a Glimmer-branded reusable bag full of swag for Violet’s five-year-old daughter, Melati.

“One of the best I know!”

When Violet opened the door, Courtney greeted her like a long-lost sibling, pulling her into a fierce hug, kissing her cheeks. Violet seemed to tolerate this, but still let out a relieved sigh as Courtney let go.

“Violet, this is Vixen!” Courtney said excitedly.  

“Hello. Nice to meet you.” Violet stuck out her hand and shook Vixen’s, very formal and professional.

“Vix, Violet is basically a sorceress with fabric. I can’t wait for you to see her stuff in person,” Courtney told her, sliding off her shoes. She then let out a happy squeal, spotting a tiny face with big dark eyes poking around the corner bashfully. She bounded forward to greet Melati with a happy, “Bonjour, Melati!”

Melati’s eyes widened and she disappeared, hiding under a table.

“Sorry. She’s still processing that Princess Lucie is real, and knows her name. I’ve attempted to explain that you’re an actress, but Sutan keeps sabotaging my attempts,” Violet explained. “Something about keeping the magic alive.”

Courtney giggled, dropping to her knees and peeking at Melati under the table, singing, “Bonjooour, mon petit chou!”

Vixen had removed her shoes by this point, holding them awkwardly in her hands.

“You can put your shoes on the top shelf there,” Violet said kindly. “I’m afraid our dog can’t be trusted with anything. I’m still mourning the loss of a pair of Louboutins.”

Vixen chuckled, placing her shoes (and Courtney’s) carefully onto the shelf, and then followed Violet into the house.

Melati seemed to have gotten over her initial shyness, jumping into Courtney’s arms and laughing joyfully as Courtney swung her around.

“Courtney, not in the living room, please,” Violet said, then to her daughter, “Pas ici.” Melati obeyed, sliding down from Courtney’s arms and clinging to her side.

“Je suis désolé!” Courtney cried dramatically, and Melati giggled. She looked at Vixen and explained, “I know that from Madonna’s ‘Sorry.’”

“Impressive,” Vixen told her, while Violet rolled her eyes.

“Shall we get started?” Violet asked, guiding them quickly through the apartment and up a small flight of stairs.

“Where’s Sutan?”

“In London for the weekend. He sends his regrets.”

“Aww, bummer.”

Violet opened the door to her studio, then turned to them with a stern look on her face, addressing Courtney directly.

“Child rules apply in here. You may look, but don’t touch.”

“Oui madame!” Courtney said with a salute, then walked inside, immediately exclaiming over a bunch of intricate fabric flowers, picking one up to ask, “Did you make this?!”

“Courtney! What did I just say?” Violet snatched the flower out of her hand.

“Sorry. Can’t take her anywhere,” Vixen said.

“Ooh, I love this beading…” Courtney walked towards the wardrobe rack, Violet nearly diving in front of her to stop her from touching that, too.

She put her hands on her hips, making Courtney pout playfully, and then leaned down to tell Melati something in French.

“Viens,” said the little girl, pulling Courtney out of the room by the hand.

“Help, I’m being kidnapped by a tiny little person!”

“I told her to keep you out of trouble!” Violet called after them, then turned to Vixen with an apologetic look on her face. “I’m sorry about that.

“It’s fine,” Vixen laughed. “I live with her, so I’m pretty used to it.”

Violet chuckled under her breath, and walked to the wardrobe rack to unzip a few garment bags.

“If you’ll please disrobe, we can get started. I can give you some hangers for your things if you need.”

“Oh...that’s okay.” Vixen was wearing skinny jeans and a black t-shirt. Not really clothes she’d normally hang. She began to remove them slowly, feeling only slightly awkward.

“I’m sorry that we haven’t had a chance for more consultations, but with the distance, and my job, and my family…”

“Please don’t apologize! I’m so grateful for all the work you’re done.” Vixen turned around, down to her bra and panties.

“The top has a built in bustier, so no bra is needed.” Violet held it out, and Vixen nearly gasped.

The sketches had been lovely, but this was absolutely stunning, a flowing sleeveless top with gorgeous pearl and gold beading in cascading floral patterns. When you looked closer, it became apparent that the beads were in fact pearl buttons, gold cufflinks and other menswear elements.

“Given your desires, and my own aesthetic, it was a bit of a challenge to incorporate the menswear theme, but I did my best. I still have a bit of beading to do, but it’s mostly done.”

“It’s incredible,” Vixen said, unclasping her bra. “Really, so far beyond what I was expecting.”

Violet gave her a satisfied nod, hanging the top and lifting another garment from the rack.

“Shall we try on the trousers?”

‘Trousers’ wouldn’t exactly have been Vixen’s way of describing the bottoms: a pair of draped, beautifully moving pants, with a satin strip down the side reminiscent of a tuxedo. After showing her, Violet quickly turned them inside out and then held them out for Vixen to step into.

It was a very strange experience. This woman that she barely knew dressing her, something she hadn’t experienced since she was a small child and her mom helped her into her clothes for preschool. She tried not to be awkward about it, happy that she’d at least remembered to wear nude panties today.

Violet stepped back, examining her with a critical eye, before picking up a set of pins and kneeling. Vixen stood as still as possible, trying not to be self-conscious. This was Violet’s job; she probably dealt with people’s bodies on a daily basis. The fact that her tits were out surely didn’t faze her, so why should Vixen feel weird?

She worked quickly and carefully, getting up to examine the pants from multiple angles. Her long dark hair was pulled away from her face, into a high ponytail, and as Vixen studied her serious expression, she realized that what could be read as coldness was actually just deep concentration, a passion for her work that made Vixen feel right at home.

They tried on the top next, the heavy and intricate beading telling Vixen that it was by far the most expensive garment she’d even had on her body. It was amazing.

Vixen watched herself in the floor-length mirror, turning slightly, admiring how beautiful the whole ensemble looked. She started fantasizing about what she was gonna do with her hair, when Violet’s voice cut into her thoughts.

“Have you thought about shoes?”

“Oh, um...not really. What do you think?”

“I can give you some suggestions if you like,” Violet offered, and Vixen smiled at her.

“That would be great! Thank you.”

Violet was walking around the room, again examining the look from multiple angles, once in awhile stepping forward to place a pin here or mark something down on her notepad. At one point, she gave a thoughtful nod, then said, “You carry this look well. How do you feel about it?”

“Oh, um...it’s beautiful!” Vixen could tell by the thoughtful way she said it that a compliment like that from Violet must be rare and sincere. She felt comfortable enough to continue, admitting, “I’m a little nervous--not about the clothes! Just...I’ve never been to anything like the Met Gala in my life.”

“That’s understandable, but I wouldn’t worry,” Violet assured her. “The most nerve-wracking part is the red carpet, and you’ll be with Courtney, who I think might actually like it.”

“I know she likes it,” Vixen laughed.

“Right.” Violet shook her head. “I will never understand her.”

***

The rest of their time in Paris (well, the day and a half before they had to fly back to L.A.) was like a dream. Of course, their social media had been blowing up like crazy ever since posting those pictures, and Courtney did nothing to quell the wild speculation, posting more pictures, as well as tweeting mysterious, romantic things like “I get to wake up to her every morning. #gratitude” and “When she’s breathing beside me, I’m home.”

But for the most part, they ignored all of the messages, all of the questions, and simply enjoyed the fresh spring air and the beautiful city, doing their best to avoid the ever-present paparazzi until they realized that it was no use, and just rolled with it.

On Monday, Courtney woke up to clear, blue skies and sunlight filtering in through the gauzy curtains. She rolled over, brushing away a curl that had fallen across Vixen’s face, smiling at her eyes fluttered open.

“Good morning,” she said, placing a soft kiss on Vixen’s cheek.

“Morning…” Vixen rubbed her eyes, yawning, then snuggled against Courtney’s body, seeking out the warmth of her skin.

“You bummed to be going back home today?” Courtney asked, and Vixen shook her head.

“Mm-mm,” she said, voice slightly muffled against Courtney’s neck, then added. “How could I be bummed? I’m going back with you.”

Courtney inhaled sharply, caught off guard by her sleepy sweetness, and pulled her in tighter.

“I love you so much,” she whispered fiercely into her hair, and Vixen gave a small, adorable sigh.

***

There was really no reason to be this nervous, Vixen thought. It wasn’t like she was a real celebrity. The cameras and attention would be on Courtney and Honey, the actual movie stars, not on her.

Nevertheless, she couldn’t deny the rush of butterflies as she sat beside Courtney in the car. The ensemble Violet designed fit her perfectly, and upon her suggestion, she’d paired it with some Miu Miu stilettos, ruby lipstick and a jeweled hair clip in her brand new weave--long, rich, dark brown hair with chestnut highlights, styled in meticulous Marcel waves that made her feel like a goddess. She caught Courtney’s eyes, grinning at her.

Her girlfriend was stunning as usual, her black, high-necked, open-backed tuxedo gown just the right balance of revealing sexiness and teasing modesty. The full skirt had a slit almost the whole way up that you didn’t see until she was in motion, and her blonde hair was tucked under, giving her an almost masculine illusion. Her minimalist jewelry consisted of a simple diamond bracelet, the only splash of color her shiny, short, deep red nails.

“You look very classy,” Vixen commented.

“Yeah?” Courtney asked. “I don’t know how I feel about such an extreme lack of color.”

“No, it’s good.”

“Yeah,” Honey chimed in, from where she sat with her date across from them in the limo. “You need to give the rainbow explosion a break once in awhile.”

“Well...I do have pink and yellow panties on,” Courtney admitted, and they all laughed.

“Of course you do,” Vixen said.

“I mean no one will see them!” she exclaimed. “Probably. Unless the night gets real crazy.”

“Can we make bets?” asked Honey’s date, Michael, making Vixen giggle. She’d only met him a few minutes before, but she already liked him.

“Let’s not,” quipped a woman tersely from the front seat. She was a publicist from Disney whose name Vixen kept forgetting, instead just thinking of her as The Dragon.

“Oh, right,” Courtney said, reaching for Vixen’s hand as they approached the Met. “I guess since we’re here on Disney’s dime, I need to be on good behavior.”

“Only until we get back to the hotel, though, right?” Vixen asked, and Courtney shot her a naughty grin.

“We’ll see…”

Honey and Michael exited the car first, the photographers going nuts over her stunning white pinstripe suit, tailored to perfection.

“Ready?” Courtney asked, and Vixen nodded.

The Dragon was already shooting instructions at them. Well, mostly at Courtney, but it made her head spin a little.

Before they got out, Courtney leaned in and whispered, “If she pulls me away, stick with Michael. He’ll take care of you and make sure you guys stay close.”

Vixen laughed, steeling her nerves, feeling weirdly like she had back in junior high before a basketball game. Here we go...

***

Once Courtney was finally finished with her press obligations, she turned to Vixen with a happy, relieved sigh. She couldn’t help but once again think about just how gorgeous she looked: the cream and ivory ensemble Violet had designed made her dark skin glow, and she’d opted for an understated, barely-there look with her eye makeup--all lashes and just a hint of shimmer. Plus those lips. So red and full and kissable...Courtney could barely wait to get her alone later and just ruin it.

First, though, they had to get through this gala. Courtney took Vixen’s hand and led her inside, where they wandered around together. They looked through the exhibit, and exchanged pleasant, mundane small talk with a mind-boggling number of people. Vixen completely cracked Courtney up with her impression of one of the Vogue editors, and then for a little while, they played a game where they pretended to be museum docents, describing the various pieces to each other with the most pretentious language they could come up with.

While Vixen used the restroom, Courtney found one of the bars and got them a couple of drinks. Champagne always went straight to her head, but she figured that if there was ever a place to get a bit silly, this was it.

“Yes, you heard me. One champagne and a tequila sunrise,” said a familiar voice, and Courtney turned, a big smile on her face.

“Bianca!”

Bianca’s gruff expression melted into a grin as she reached forward to give Courtney a hug.

“Hey there! Nice dress!” she held Courtney by the waist to get a good look. “Siriano, right?”

“Yeah. And I see you really took the menswear theme to heart.”

Bianca was wearing one of her favorite silhouettes: a boat-necked, figure-hugging, floor length gown with a trumpet skirt. It was black and beaded and of course looked great on her, but had nothing whatsoever to do with the theme.

“Listen. Anna Wintour can’t fucking tell me what to wear!” she barked, and Courtney threw back her head with laughter.

“Never change, B.”

“Not much danger of that at this point,” Bianca said, accepting the drinks from the bartender. “I’m glad I ran into you. We found your date, but-”

“We?” Dread filled her stomach like a lead balloon as Bianca directed her gaze to where Vixen stood, talking to none other than Miss Fame herself. Seeing them, Courtney had a lightheaded rush of fear that she hadn’t experienced for almost ten years, and she inhaled sharply.

“What’s the matter?” Bianca asked. “You think Fame’s gonna eat her?”

“I…” Courtney couldn’t explain it. How the anxiety that she felt as a 21-year-old could still return in the presence of that woman. She knew that logically, everything was fine. In recent years, things between her and Fame had gotten downright friendly. And she appeared to be having a perfectly pleasant conversation with Vixen, clad in one of her signature 50-shades-of-white ensembles.

“Relax,” Bianca said, chuckling softly, forearm resting on Courtney’s shoulder. “Our brides are fine. They actually look cute together, don’t you think?”

A laugh bubbled up from Courtney’s chest; they did look awfully bridal, especially standing together. She turned to Bianca, a rush of gratitude coloring her cheeks, thrilled by her tacit approval. She pulled her in for a hug, saying, “They do.”

“Aww, look who else just arrived,” Bianca said, and Courtney turned again.

Raja and Raven, in complementary outfits of royal purple and gray, had joined the little group.

“Okay, now we really do have to save her,” Courtney said, rushing towards them, Bianca laughing behind her.

***

When they finally arrived back at their hotel, the first thing they did was kick off their hideously uncomfortable shoes and strip down. The hotel had sent up a huge basket of luxury bath products, and Courtney suggested filling the jacuzzi tub and dumping all of it in. The result was a fragrant tub with so much bath oil and moisturizing products that their skin immediately became slick and slippery.

Vixen relaxed against the side of the tub, one of the powerful jets aimed at her lower back, and another at her feet. Courtney leaned against her, eyes closed as Vixen’s fingers carded through her hair, slowly removing bobby pin after bobby pin until her hair hung down in stiff waves. She dunked her head under the water, scrubbing to remove the residual mousse and hairspray before coating her hair with a thick layer of conditioning mask and cuddling up once again.

“It was more fun than I thought it would be,” Vixen said, breaking the comfortable silence, fingers trailing up Courtney’s arm.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Less stuffy. Not that I’d want to do it often but, I had a pretty good time.”

Courtney smiled, leaning her head back to rest on Vixen’s shoulder.

“I did too…” she said, then added almost as an afterthought, “Bianca approves of you.”

“Oh yeah? Did you need her approval?” Vixen asked. It was a casual enough question, but it still seemed to make Courtney pause. Did she need Bianca’s approval? Vixen waited for her to respond, realizing that she’d be okay with any answer. After all, Bianca was an important person in her life.

“No...not exactly…but it was still nice.” Courtney smiled sheepishly, and twisted around slightly to tell Vixen, “I guess maybe I didn’t realize how much I didn’t need it until I got it.”

“Fair enough,” Vixen laughed, dropping a kiss to Courtney’s shoulder.

“So...I’m glad you liked it.”

“I did. Although I think I underestimated my ability to wear stilettos for that many hours without dying.”

“Aw, do your feet hurt, baby?” cooed Courtney. She slipped from Vixen’s arms to the opposite side of the tub, where her feet were.  

“They’re killing me…”

Courtney took Vixen’s feet into her lap, and began to give them a gentle massage. Vixen’s eyes fell closed blissfully, luxuriating in the warm water and tender caresses. Courtney began with her feet, but after awhile, moved up to her ankles and calves. Vixen nearly fell asleep three times, but finally blinked her eyes open, pulling Courtney towards her for a kiss.

“Can I do something for you now?” she murmured, and Courtney lifted her head to give her a heavy-lidded smirk.

“Let’s get out of here and see…”

“I was thinking like, helping you rinse this shit out of your hair, but...” Vixen touched her hair, still covered with that thick mask.

“Oh fuck,” Courtney giggled. “I guess we better do that first.”  

Vixen smiled at her, taking the handheld nozzle off the hook and turning it on. She tested the water with her hand, gesturing for Courtney to turn around, and then quickly rinsed her hair, fingertips scratching at her scalp. When she turned it off, she pressed a kiss to Courtney’s neck.

“Come on. Let’s go get bath oil all over those fancy sheets…”

“Sold!”

***

There was something different in Vixen’s eyes tonight as she hovered over Courtney on the bed. She was usually content to be pampered and guided--not submissive exactly, but certainly leaning in that direction. Tonight though, Courtney shivered in anticipation, looking up at her hungry brown eyes, shining dark in the dim light, every once in awhile catching a glint of gold.

They’d been at it for awhile, having tumbled into bed after their bath, Vixen’s mouth traveling all over Courtney’s heated skin. She’d lost track of time completely as Vixen made her tremble and whimper, getting her all worked up, only to tease her cruelly. Her fingertips now danced up Courtney’s thighs, light as a feather, making her breath catch in her throat. Courtney reached up towards her, one hand on her waist, another one her face, thumb stroking her cheek.

The corner of Vixen’s mouth twitched, becoming a smirk as she looked down at Courtney. One finger began to trace slow patterns along her collarbone, little circles getting bigger and loopier over her chest. Courtesy whimpered, back arching, trying unsuccessfully to pull her body down.

“Trying to tell me something, baby?” The pad of her finger circled one of Courtney’s nipples teasingly.

In response, Courtney arched up again.

“I want you,” she said, failing to suppress the pathetic need in her voice.

Vixen crawled forward slightly, pressing a thigh up against her pussy, giving her something to grind wetly against. It was good, so good that Courtney gasped in pleasure, Vixen’s thigh flexing against her as fingers continued toying with her tits. But soon, it wasn’t enough, and Courtney was pulling Vixen’s hips down, head falling back to expose her throat.

Vixen licked up her neck, layering kisses against her hammering pulse point. Courtney’s legs spread open, the gentle pressure of Vixen’s weight pressing her down into the mattress.

Courtney loved Vixen’s body. She had small tits that fit perfectly in Courtney’s hands, long slender limbs, and the most buttery soft skin she’d ever felt, especially fresh out of the bath. She loved to touch her, to feel her and taste her and kiss her all over.

She was painfully aware, though, that there were things she needed to be sensitive about when they were together. Even though she and Vixen had jumped into bed together on their first date, she’d spent a lot of their excruciating months apart asking gentle, probing questions about what she liked, what she didn’t, if there was anything that made her uncomfortable. Vixen was a bit shy at first, so Courtney didn’t push too hard, but every once in awhile, if she’d had enough wine, she would open up quite a bit, giving Courtney real insight into her fantasies.

And then of course, once they’d been able to really take their time and explore with each other, Courtney discovered a whole world of possibilities. Where she was most sensitive, how her fingers flexed and then curled slowly into fists when she liked something. How she was generally more interested in gentle, loving touches than hard, orgasm-focused penetration.

Courtney was careful to go slowly, and to follow her lead for anything below the waist. She didn’t want to make any assumptions about her body, or make her feel fetishized - but she also wanted to make sure to express how beautiful and sexy she found every part of her. It was a fine line, a balancing act that Courtney wasn’t sure she always got right.

She knew, for example, that Vixen preferred the term “girldick” and was partial to having it treated more like a clit - kissed and licked and rubbed and gently sucked. And Courtney was happy to oblige, loving the feel and the taste of her, how her cum had a faint sweetness to it. But recently, she’d surprised Courtney with a whispered confession in the dark that she wasn’t expecting.

“I’ve been thinking that maybe I want to try...topping,” Vixen said, hiding her face in Courtney’s hair, adorably bashful. “I mean, it’s so hot when you do it, and it doesn’t make me think of you as any less of a woman, and so…”

“You’re 100% woman. Every bit of you,” Courtney whispered back, but she’d also been a tiny bit nervous. After all, the last time anyone had tried penetrating her had been a bit of a disaster, and ever since then, she hadn’t wanted to revisit it. But on the other hand, she loved Vixen so much, and trusted her, and so maybe it was time to rethink her own boundaries.

“I don’t know if I can, though,” Vixen then added. “I mean, it doesn’t get hard the way it used to…”

“We can figure it out,” Courtney had said, kissing her, wrapping her up into a sleepy embrace. But the conversation never went any farther. Vixen hadn’t brought it up again, and Courtney didn’t really think any more about it. Until right now.

And tonight, there was something so fucking sexy about the way Vixen rutted against her, soft little sighs leaving her as she rolled her hips. Courtney grew wetter and wetter, fingers digging into her firm ass, pulling her closer. Vixen lifted her head, interrupting a deep, messy kiss to look into Courtney’s glazed eyes.

“Is this okay? Are you…”

“It’s perfect…You’re perfect.” Courtney could feel the soft tip of her girldick pushing against her, and she arched up, welcomed it deeper with her hand, loving the feel of Vixen getting closer and closer with every thrust.

It was so different from anything Courtney had ever experienced; so flexible and warm. It was a gentle kind of fullness, nothing rigid or demanding or painful like it had been for Courtney in the past. Courtney hugged Vixen’s hips with her thighs, hands sliding up her back, raking over her shoulder blades and back down to her waist.

“Baby, this is so hot,” Courtney whimpered, and then Vixen angled forward so that she was rubbing vigorously against Courtney’s clit, making her moan. “Fuuuck…”

Courtney could feel herself getting close, right on the verge. She captured Vixen’s lips in another kiss, sucking hard on her bottom lip and then tangling their tongues together. She panted into her mouth, snaking one hand down between her ass cheeks to stroke her, eliciting a little gasp from Vixen’s thoat, a familiar sound that told Courtney she was close too.

As Vixen’s hips pumped faster and faster, Courtney tried to hang on, but knuckles brushing over her stiff nipples was the last straw, and suddenly she was racked with ecstatic pleasure, wave after wave hitting her. By the end, she was barely moving, just clinging to Vixen’s body as her muscles convulsed, ankles locked together to keep her as close as possible.

The intense, messy kisses soon turned slow and gentle again as Courtney slowly caught her breath, bodies still sandwiched together.

“Wow…”

“Uh-huh...”

“That was different,” Vixen said, lips brushing against Courtney’s temple.

“Did you like it?” Courtney asked, fingers dancing up Vixen’s spine.

“...that might be an understatement.”

“Yeah, it was pretty...amazing,” Courtney giggled, nodding, catching her gaze. Her brown eyes shone softly in the dim light. “I love you so much.”

“Me too, baby.”

[dirtyretrowrites]

Swimsuits & Hot Tubs 👙

Pairing: Jenlisa Fandom: BlackPink Rating: M Tags: AU, girlfriends, kind of smut, tropical aesthetic? Summary: Jennie and Lisa relax on vacation; Jennie shows off her sexy new swimsuit.  A/N: Inspired by my bi ass ogling pretty girls in swimsuits and this playlist. 

Fifth retrowave playlist playing off the YouTube app in her phone, generous glass of sangria in hand, body stewing in the heated, bubbly waters of a hotel hot tub—Lisa was vibing. 

She was thankful work let her take the full amount of days she requested off, and she was even more thankful her schedule aligned with Jennie’s. It had been too long since the couple had been able to vacation together. The togetherness was much overdue. They decided to travel somewhere tropical, somewhere spring breathed vibrant life into flowers and trees; back home, spring was taking its own vacation. 

Eager they were to explore the town, share a scoop of raspberry gelato and local chocolates from a shop, smile at dogs as they passed by them on the sidewalk, and marvel at a true orange and pink sunset into a wave-crested horizon. Eager evermore was Jennie to model her brand new designer swimsuit for her lovely redheaded girlfriend and their tropical home away from home. As Lisa relaxed in the hot tub, Jennie slipped into her skimpy swimsuit, snapped a few selcas, and sauntered out onto the hotel pool deck to show off. She covered herself modestly with a patterned, silk cover-up she bought with poor impulse control at a cute shop in town. It was short, though, and showed off just the right about of thigh. Lisa always said she loved her girlfriend’s thighs, so naturally Jennie had to indulge. 

When she walked up to the secluded enclave where the hot tub was, Jennie smiled when she saw Lisa snap to attention and mirror her girlfriend’s smile. Biting her glossed lower lip, Jennie sauntered to the metal railing by the steps that lead into the warm waters, the thin fabric of her cover-up slipping down her shoulder in a naughty yet sweet display of skin. Shamelessly, Lisa’s eyes drank in the exposed skin, gaze lingering until she was sure Jennie saw her looking. Call it vain, but Jennie loved how confident Lisa was about appreciating her girlfriend’s beauty; it made her feel as beautiful as Lisa always told her she was.

Jennie stopped short of the steps and untied the bow holding her cover-up on. The material slid down her shoulders and pooled at her elbows. She posed before letting the garment fall to the floor. She stood confident and stunning in a baby pink, one-piece swimsuit with a vintage cut that accentuated the curve of her hips. On her plush lips she wore a glossy magenta that matched the magenta eyeliner flicked into a sharp cat-eye. Always the diva, she wore large, gold hoop earrings that matched her gold bracelet.   God, she was breathtaking. And she was all Lisa’s.

Jennie’s inner exhibitionist was starry-eyed at the gaze of desire she received from her always-generous girlfriend. “You like?” she teased, but she wanted to hear Lisa say it, confirm it.

“Of course I like it... You are riveting, sweetheart.” Jennie smirked as she tucked a strand of honey-brunette hair behind her pierced ear. “You haven’t seen the back yet.” She wasn’t even coy as she turned around to show off the back of the swimsuit—a plunging cut down her back showcasing the delicious indent if her spine, down to a narrow strip of material barely covering her ass; it wasn’t a thong, but it left very little to the imagination. Stitching at the center scrunched the material together to accent the supple roundness.

“No wonder you didn’t let me see it when you tried it on at the store... I wouldn’t have been able to control myself in the dressing room...” Lisa confessed, eyes dark and lips stained of sangria. “Well... that’s ‘cause I wanted you to not be able to control yourself here...” Jennie said with a flash of the devil in her eyes. Steam settled over the hot water like a soft fog that enveloped her as she pointed a well-manicured finger at Lisa. “Oh?” Lisa hummed, head quirked. She waded across the hot tub as Jennie slowly stepped down the tiled steps like a princess greeting her prince. “Come here, baby girl…”

Jennie licked her lips as she met her girlfriend halfway in the hot tub, warm water surrounding them. She draped her arms around Lisa’s shoulders as the latter grabbed her by the hips, drawing them ever closer. They kissed tenderly, intimately, until Lisa got a little too greedy and deepened the kiss with fervent passion. Jennie broke from the kiss to gasp and moan as Lisa trailed open-mouthed kisses down her throat, her collarbones, her cleavage. Fingertips dipped beneath the hemline of her hips, tracing the outline of her hipbones, thumbs pressing into the sexy indents of her thighs. Kittenishly, Jennie hooked a leg around Lisa’s leg to reel her closer.

Their lips met again and again and again until Lisa couldn’t take anymore teasing. She grabbed Jennie’s ass and lifted her up, causing her to wrap her legs around Lisa’s hips as she carried her girlfriend to the edge of the hot tub. As soon as Jennie sat upon the tile, she leaned back, legs still around Lisa’s hips, and fluffed her long hair with a damp hand. The diva in her never ceased. Rolling her hips and biting her bottom lip, she silently demanded for her girlfriend to touch.

“I love it when you bait me like this,” Lisa confessed, not the least bit shy. Jennie only grinned in return, tilting her chin up and downcasting her gaze to further play up her diva image. It drove Lisa wild, made her want to do anything and everything to her tease of a girlfriend.

Impulsively, she slid her hands up Jennie’s body, smoothing over her shoulders, skipping her breasts intentionally to earn a pout from the elder, down her stomach, over the dampness between her legs, up between her breasts before finally cupping her supple breasts. Jennie dropped her head back and sighed as Lisa gently massaged the soft skin, thumbs brushing over pert nipples. They were so obvious underneath the thin material of her swimsuit—Jennie knew exactly what she was doing.

Lisa was so wet. She knew Jennie had something naughty planned when she withheld sex from her girlfriend several days prior to their vacation. She’d been pining after Jennie for so long, too long, and all she wanted to do was devour her. Trailing her groping hands down Jennie’s body again, she took time appreciating her delicious thighs with affectionate squeezes and lovebites. The closer her hot mouth got to Jennie’s wet heat, the more Lisa wanted to slide her swimsuit aside and plunge her fingers deep into that sweet, sweet heat, tongue lapping the wetness gratefully.

Shit, she couldn’t hold off anymore. She scooted Jennie back and looped her arms under her girlfriend’s thighs, lips pressing chaste kisses lower and lower until the intoxicating scent of Jennie’s sex filled her nose. Her tongue darted out and she licked a fat stripe over the cloth, and Jennie shuddered from the exquisite contact.

“Stop teasing,” she whined, bucking her hips and threading a hand through Lisa’s reddish hair.

Lisa smirked against Jennie’s wetness. “Me? No, no, you’re the tease, baby girl.” She licked again, savoring the sexy divide now apparent through the material, and she couldn’t help but trace a finger over it. Jennie moaned and pulled Lisa’s hair slightly, impatient. “You want more?”

“Of course I do,” Jennie replied almost instantly.

Who was Lisa to deny her?

[hoodoo12]

The Old College Try

Barkeep has her sights on Tailor Rick. Spoiler alert: she’s got her work cut out for her.  Extra thanks to @porkchop-ao3 for letting me play with her character! Due to some references made in my story, it is set after her great Charlie Foxtrot (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7). Mature. 

⁂

It was a hopping busy night. You ran back and forth between patrons, supplying fresh drinks, clearing empty glasses, making small talk and filling server’s orders nonstop. Something major must have happened on the Citadel, because there were more Ricks patronizing the place than normal, and more of them than not were focused on getting plastered. But when that uppity Rick who’d burst into the Bar months ago, the one who’d wrecked your chances with Ice Cream Rick, you vowed to yourself to spend some time with him.

He was as well-put together as the time you’d seen him before: a smartly fitted teal suit, an equally fitted shirt with the faintest hint of a baroque pattern woven into it, an expertly knotted tie, and--here you leaned over the bar to look--the same leather wingtips polished to a high shine. You also didn’t miss how well his trousers fit. They had to be tailored, to support and emphasize the bulge at his crotch.

The color of his suit didn’t do much for you, but the way his blue eyes seemed to dismiss most of his surroundings did, and you grinned to yourself at the challenge he was going to be. It’d be an extra sweet victory to get him into your bed.

He moved smoothly through the crowd, twisting so he didn’t touch any of the other patrons. He steadfastly ignored them too, whether they cursed him when there was an accidental bump or called to him in recognition. It was obvious his goal was a seat along the table built into the side wall, where he’d be able to look over the crowd, but someone else slid into it before he could get there.

Knowing you were going to regret saying this, you called, “Rick!” just over the buzz of the bar.

The noise level dropped immediately as so many of them swiveled their heads to you. Pointedly you ignored them but kept your gaze directly on your target. He grimaced. Not exactly the response you were hoping for, but you smiled at him anyway and tapped the bar in front of a lone stool.

With a resigned sigh that you could almost hear, he made his way over.

Normal sounds of the bar--the crack of pool balls, bragging, laughter--started up again as he sat down.

“Hey,” you said in greeting, setting a napkin in front of him. “Nice to see you again, Rick.”

“Don’t call me that,” he said, looking over the crowd instead of at you.

Even though he grumbled, he sounded sophisticated. You hadn’t forgotten he was one of the only Ricks you’d met with a British accent.

It was on the tip of your tongue to point out that “Rick” got his attention a moment ago, but you let it slide. “Okay. What do you prefer? Richard? Mr. Sanchez? Daddy?”

That got his attention even faster. He spun around with a startled expression that melted into a snarl of distaste when he saw you grinning at him.

“Did I get one of them right?”

He ground out, “I’m called Tailor,” in a definitive tone.

You shrugged. “Whatever you’d like. I would have expected Mr. Sanchez. Or maybe Sir Richard Sanchez, habadasher to the Queen--”

You cut yourself off with a chuckle.

“Your mirth is misplaced, since you obviously have no clue that word has different meanings in England versus the Colonies,” he interrupted coldly. “I do more than simply sell clothing. I design and create high fashion for men and women. Therefore, Tailor. Not that I expected you to be familiar with even that word . . .”

He finished by making a show of looking you over, taking in your standard work outfit: a tank top and jeans. He couldn’t see your feet, thank god; he’d probably have a heart attack if he saw you wearing clunky server’s shoes! With the least amount of self-consciousness you could manage, you slipped your thumb under your bra strap--it had slipped!--to situate it properly on your shoulder and under the strap of your tank again.

He waited expectantly for your reply.

You narrowed your eyes and decided you couldn’t wait to fuck him. You’d win when you both were yanking each other clothes off. You decided maybe you’d keep one of his jacket’s buttons as a souvenir.

Laughing out loud, you said, “Tailor, I like you. Let me buy you a drink! What’ll it be?”

Tailor didn’t return your laughter. He simply told you he wanted a whisky on the rocks. You made it a double in a more expensive brand, and let your fingers linger on his as he accepted it from you.

He didn’t jerk back or scowl again, so you figured that was a chink in his armor.

Leaving him be for the moment, you decided round one was yours.

⁂

There were plenty more Ricks to flirt with; just because you had your eyes on someone specific tonight didn’t mean you wanted to close the door on others who may be back later. Most seemed more interested in drinking steadily, but some flirted back. Any other night you’d have taken one (or two, or three) home, but your sights were set on Tailor.

You kept him plied with drink and tried to carry on a conversation with him when you had a free moment. His answers were curt at first, but looser after a few glasses. You got out of him that the correct name for the color of his suit was Caribbean Blue, not teal; that he had designed gowns for the Queen and several other Royals as well; that his assistant was a nice woman but much too smitten with someone he called Mr. Whippy; that he usually didn’t come to places like this but he’d been in the neighborhood and--

Tailor, who’d not once given you full attention even as he tipsily spilled some of his guts, broke off his own sentence. Glancing in the direction he was looking, you saw a few members of the Council of Ricks enter the Bar: Riq IV, Maximums Rickimus, and Zeta Alpha Rick. The door almost closed again when Rick Prime came through as well. They were easily recognizable, even in new outfits you’d never seen before.

Tailor threw back the remainder of his drink and asked for another without turning to you.

He wasn’t the only Rick who’d stopped and stared at the Council members as they came in. For the second time tonight, the Bar fell oddly quiet.

“Where’s the rest of the Council, assholes?” someone shouted. “Too afraid to show their faces after that farce?”

“Suck my dick!” Riq IV spit back indiscriminately to all the patrons. Then, reverting more to the politician he was, his gaze seemed to meet every single person’s--including yours--in the place, like he was talking to everyone personally. “Our ruling stands. If you don’t like it, fucking run for Council yourself. For everyone else who’s not a complete fucking idiot, a round of drinks on me.”

A cheer went up. Whatever went down on the Citadel, free alcohol could smooth things over. You called a couple of servers over to help pull taps for the crowd, while you poured another double for Tailor and set up a vodka martini for Riq IV, who accepted it from you with a nod before heading to the table the other Council members had taken over.

You carried the new drink to Tailor, who was staring hard at the Council.

“Some Ricks seem a little anti-Council tonight,” you said conversationally.

“They better not get sloppy in those suits,” he groused, not taking his eyes from them, and not in the least replying to your statement.

Your gaze drifted to them again. You had to admit their new outfits were less obnoxious than the previous ones; they still declared “official” and “high-standing” but with subtlety, without the over-the-top gild and frippery that you were accustomed seeing on them. Or in the case of Riq, on your bedroom floor.

“What are they thinking, wearing those here? They could have worn burlap sacks and everyone would still know who they are! That fabric is hand woven and bloody expensive! If they fucking spill beer on it, who’s going to be the one getting the call to have it cleaned properly? Goddamn me, that’s who!”

It dawned on you that Tailor was muttering angrily to himself.

“So those are your designs?” you asked.

He shot you a look that advertised he couldn’t believe how stupid you were. “Of course they are! I’ve been after them to allow me to redesign those horrors they’d been wearing--they finally let me, and now they’re parading them around in a shit hole like this?!”

You took a second, then said, “I like them. They’re not so ugly. And it looks like the fabric is more substantial. Those other ones were pretty thin.”

“Yes they fucking were--” Tailor replied automatically, then cut himself off to appraise you with a keen eye. “How do you know the weight of the fabric from their old monstrosities?”

“Oh, you know. Just a guess,” you answered mildly, waving your hand. You knew you had a reputation among Ricks, but you weren’t sure if this particular Rick would be more disgusted than eager about it.

“You know them?” he asked sharply.

You nodded. “I’ve met a couple.”

“You’ve met a couple, and were able to feel how thin their robes were,” he said, as a statement of fact.

You shrugged and smiled, but didn’t elaborate.

Calculations were going on in Tailor’s head. You could tell. You had no idea what they may be, but you were called away again before he could say anything more. You hoped whatever it was burned him up, and he’d be more excited when you returned.

⁂

Typically with a Rick that you had your sights on, you’d flirt, you’d play up your cleavage. You’d joke and flatter; Ricks tended to eat that up. Occasionally, you’d be more up-front, but with your reputation and Ricks’ standard willingness to get down and dirty that wasn’t common. This Rick, however--

Tailor was either obtuse or a eunuch. Those were the only two explanations you could come up with for him repeatedly brushing you off. You dismissed the idea he may be gay; you supposed it could be possible but you’d never met a Rick that didn’t swing at least a little bit both ways.

So you turned on the charm. You were flattering, you were witty, you continued to ply him with doubles and made sure to lean far enough over the wooden bar to display your boobs whenever possible. He remained steadfastly annoyed with you.

The rest of the patrons seemed to loosen up regarding the Council being there--free booze helped--but Tailor continued to stare them down with laser-like intensity. The Council themselves seemed to be having a grand time laughing and swaggering. Several times Riq IV caught your eye; he raised his eyebrows and smirked at Tailor too. He also elbowed the Council members near him and made it obvious he was talking about the Rick at the bar. Each time that happened you noticed Tailor scowled and took a bigger mouthful of alcohol.

You decided to try and use whatever hatred Tailor was feeling towards them to your advantage, and once more struck up a conversation with him when work slowed down a little.

“So those new Council outfits. Tell me about them.”

He replied with only an eyeroll, to demonstrate how little he thought of your attempt to engage him.

Undeterred, you continued, “Did you have to take individual measurements, or could you just work from one of them?”

That ridiculous ice-breaker of a question made him pause and gulp for some reason. You thought maybe he didn’t hear you, or you didn’t phrase it correctly.

“I don’t know much about sewing,” you continued. “I thought that for tailored clothing all these measurements had to be taken, to get all the seams or whatever right. With Ricks, though, most of them are pretty much the same body type, so maybe it’s different? You could even just take measurements of yourself and work from it, right?”

Tailor closed his eyes for longer than a blink and his lips moved a little. You swear he was counting to ten. When he finally turned back to you, you could tell he was trying to keep his cool.

“Working from a mannequin or my own personal measurements doesn’t take into account variations of individuals. Yes, we’re all Ricks, but we’re not all the same. I’m sure you’ve been able to note the differences between the multitudes?”

It was meant to be a stinging shut down, and truthfully, it did hurt a bit. But eyes on the prize! It wasn’t enough to make you wilt.

“I have,” you admitted, leaning in close. “So you’ve had your hands on at least the Ricks that make up the Council members. Wanna go back to my place and compare notes?”

In the middle of a dismissive sip of whisky, Tailor choked. You laughed while passing him a handful of napkins, plus a glass of water; you always liked to be able to catch Ricks off their guard. You rubbed his shoulder soothingly as he caught his breath. 

The slight commotion he caused made a few other patrons, including the Council, look your way.

“You okay?”

Even though his eyes were watering, Tailor managed to pull himself together and radiate distain. He slapped your hand away, not caring he was in front of an audience.

“I-I-I’m fine,” he stuttered in a croak.

There was an aura around him now, something dark and angry and it dawned on you there was a line you weren’t aware of but crossed. You get the sense he wanted to storm away, make a scene, but with people still looking over he cleared his throat and slipped off the barstool with a grace you knew he had to fight for due to how much he drank. Once standing, he pulled at his jacket to straighten it, and tossed a handful of folded bills on the bar.

“Good day,” he told you, barely moving his lips, in a tone that inferred the opposite.

He grabbed his tumbler and stalked away.

“Huh,” you said out loud, mostly to yourself.

Apparently it was loud enough for some co-workers behind you to hear; they were twittering, and more than one of them lay a hand in mock sympathy on your shoulder. Bruce, the bouncer with a mouth as full of teeth and wide as a shark’s--you couldn’t pronounce his real name in whatever his native language was; you just nicknamed him Bruce after the mechanical shark in the movie Jaws--even came over to whisper how disappointed he was you didn’t take Tailor home. He had money riding on you that you’d succeed.

You knocked him in the shoulder. Even a light punch made your knuckles ache.

Oh well. They can’t all be winners, you consoled yourself. Licking your wounds, you continued to flirt with the increasingly drunk Ricks still seated at the Bar, but none of them were going to be good companions for the rest of the evening.

As the night wore down, the Bar started leaking patrons. Maximums Rickimus--whom you had a hard time talking to after how your evening ended with him the last time you took him and Riq home--left. Other Council members peeled off their original group to speak to other people. You caught sight of Tailor sidling up to and chatting with a Council member you only knew by name. Rick Prime. You watched him straighten the other Rick’s jacket across the shoulders and swipe his hands down the other man’s back to smooth the fabric. You didn’t miss him giving a subtle squeeze to Rick Prime’s ass, and it all became clear to you why you couldn’t close the deal with Tailor.

Growling obscenities to and at yourself, mindless that there was still a bit of time till last call, you set yourself up a gimlet and drank half of it in one go.

“Not just downing a s-shot?”

“This is classier,” you snapped at Riq, who’d made his way to the bar. “And it’s bigger than a shot, so I get two swallows out of it.”

You proved yourself right by finishing it off with one more drink.

“Much classier,” he remarked drily. “Get me-set me up another vodka martini, so you don’t have to drink alone.”

Grumbling, but quietly, you complied. You didn’t give Riq his glass until your next gimlet was prepared. When you finally passed his over, he lifted it in a silent cheers to you, and took a sip. You took another large mouthful of gin and lime, staring daggers at Tailor and Rick Prime, who seemed to be sharing a private joke at the moment. Tailor hadn’t taken his hand from Rick Prime’s lower back.

Riq’s eyes slid over to the object of your attention, and he grinned.

“Ah,” he said in what sounded like sudden understanding.

With that one syllable it suddenly struck you that Riq had watched you all evening trying your damnedest to get with Tailor! You dragged your gaze away from Tailor back to him, and you exclaimed,

“You knew all along! You knew I was wasting my time!”

Riq’s grin widened, and he agreed easily, “Yes.”

“Goddamn it!’ you pouted, but it was more towards yourself than him. He heard that.

In faux sympathy, he put his gloved hand over yours. “I’m sorry you struck out with Tailor. I would have been happy to tell you he only hooks up with other Ricks, and that he’s been itching to get Rick Prime in bed . . . but what fun would that have been?”

“Oh, you’re a prick.”

“I’ll drink to-to that. Let me buy you another, and I’ll fill you in on all the shit that hit the fan today on the Citadel.”

Whatever victory it was that put him in a chatty, generous mood, it was fine by you. Anything to take away the anger at yourself for not realizing you were barking way up the wrong tree with the British Rick known as Tailor. 

fin.

[ozlemozcrafting]

What I’ve done

(Last Year)

Around September, I was so excited that I will have the luxury to make my crafting dreams come true. But I realized that I’ve forgot to even how to use the brush, so I decided to remind myself how to paint inside the lines, easy as that. I started to draw folk art flowers, so the exercises would not be boring for me. I have drawn as many flowers as I can, then I’ve painted them.

Then I’ve painted more.

I’ve made some repeated patterns of the flowers.

I always wanted to make illustrated calendars, but I never managed to before. This time I decided to make it happen. I created 12 flower characters, designed the pages, and there, I had my calendar. It was just the beginning of 2018, so I decided to take it as a trial and to release it for 2019.

I’ve bought a cheap sketchbook although I’ve got so many at home, so I decided to make a 100 days 100 drawings challenge for myself, but it lasted 6 days. The paper was not suitable for watercolor, so I didn’t like the result.

The page with lemons is not crumbled cause I used colored pencils there, but I’m a girl for watercolor. This has been a short attempt, but it has opened new doors for me.

One of my friends have seen my stories and asked me if I can paint big vegetables for their restaurant. I’ve always painted small sized watercolors, so this was definitely a challenge for me.

As I started working, I didn’t want to waste my precious watercolor papers for the sketches, so I found myself sketching in random papers, which I never thought I could paint on before.

I’ve worked for that project a long time and put all the other self-projects aside. I’m gonna share the details of it in another post. In summary, it was just the motivation I needed to gain the self-discipline I was trying so hard to get.

Meanwhile I was looking for other projects - other than my looong list of projects waiting aside. I’ve heard of Sketchbook Skool in an episode of Your Creative Push (Which is my best friend, and that’s another story.) I’ve read the free book “Start Making Art” there and I got inspired to make a sketchbook of ordinary objects as a daily challenge. That went better, I’ve tried different mediums and different styles. The main point was gaining the habit of drawing every day, even if it’s a little ordinary object. 

It sure helped, but the “every day” part faded fast.

Just around that time, I’ve seen a post about Sketchbook Revival. I needed something fun after working on the same painting for hours, so I followed all the workshop and played along.

I’m so happy that I caught it at the time, cause it was a temporarily free online workshop and just what I was looking for. It helped me revive my childish creativity. I have a lot to tell about it, maybe I will write a detailed post later.

I’ve learned how to bind the sketchbooks I’ll use during the event.

These are the pages from the sketchbook dedicated to the workshop.

Also, while I’m listening the introduction parts, I wanted to start sketching right away so I drew the tutors in an accordion sketchbook that I’ve made.

After it was over, I kept the spirit and went on filling the blank pages of the sketchbook.

I painted some random pages, and some other time I was drawing over them. One day I’ve drawn flowers with white pen on a dark background, and I loved it. So it became a thing.

When Sketchbook Revival was finished, someone in the group posted about 30x30 Direct watercolor challenge. I decided to give it a go. It was suggesting to do all the opposites of what I’m used to do. Don’t mix the colors in the palette, do not draw lines. It was really hard for me and I didn’t fall in love with the results. Whatever, I always liked to expand my comfort zone. I’m pleased that I’m reminded about this style.

I was wondering if there was a drawing group in Istanbul, just in that time I came across Urban Sketchers Istanbul and I joined some of the gatherings. Meeting with people for drawing together is a good idea.

Meanwhile I tried different mediums.

There were many bottles of old fabric paint in our home, left by the puppet artist lived there before, so I tried them on a tank-top, that I love to wear now.

One day I got sick and I didn’t have the energy to sit at my desk, so I laid on the sofa and painted this wood panel while watching movies from my laptop.

I like the feeling of painting on wood. Found this one on the street; for a while I’ve become looking for things to paint everywhere.

Like these plates I painted the same day.

I found out about the porcelain pens by coincidence. There was a workshop while I was looking around my favorite art supply store, they gave me a porcelain cup and I started drawing right away. 

I bought all three pen sets and told everyone that I’m looking for their old ceramic stuff.

I was gonna visit my family for the new year and was in search of a present for everyone. Then I thought something handmade could be nice. Here are some of the presents.

I loved the idea of recycling, so I painted on packages. Empty jars, used shampoo bottles, wine bottles.

Branded cups, stones.

I’m a fan of anything fabric related so I had to get my hands on some embroidery.

Played with air-dry clay.

I love playing with clay, so I tried a DIY recipe I found on Pinterest.

I painted on the dried dough with watercolor or acrylic.

Made a ring holder, photo stand, magnets for my mum, a little ship, and I’m so proud of my little brush rests.

Another DIY material I wanted to try for a long time was papier-mâché, and I couldn’t wait any longer, so I tried it in between my holiday. I’m sure gonna use more of this technique this year.

This summer I noticed the tile pieces tumbled in the waves, hiding beneath the sand and stones on the beach. I couldn’t do it every day because I killed my brand new Artline pen for drawing these, but still it’s a good memory.

Ceramics have always been my secret love. I can’t even get near it because I know I’ll want to give up everything and fall right deep into it. But I came across a chance to try and it was as beautiful as I assumed. These are my first ceramics.

I formed the cups, the plates were gifted by my tutor, then I painted my favorite flowers and my life motto “Create Beauty” on them.

Tried Tilt Brush, painting in 3D with virtual reality. It was an amazing experience, I was happy like a child when I tried it, but then I couldn’t think of anything I can draw properly, cause it’s hard when you are not used to. I should try it again with more persistence.

I tried shrink paper but not satisfied yet. This year I’m gonna work on it.

And of course there are other random drawings and paintings in a habit I already had, if you want to see them you can take a look at ozlemoz.tumblr.com or instagram.com/ozlemoz.art

Sure I’ve done many paintings but I think I could have done better. So this year is gonna be all about it.

I’m gonna do as much as I can!

[four-pages-zine-blog]

Issue 1: Tass

How long have you had your store: I started officially selling clothes after I finished college in 2013 and moved back home to the suburban midwest, so I guess 5 years now! I was working at the local newspaper at the time but was looking for an extra way to kill time, not necessarily even to make money. I started with Poshmark and loved connecting with other people who liked similar clothes, which was actually kind of rare for where I lived. I loved being able to see people showcase their own style in the form of their own closets and let people “shop their closet”. I also became really interested in clothes trading, which I like doing with my irl friends, so the fact a lot of people were willing to trade items was also really cool to me and something I hadn’t seen before.

How would you describe your shop? I think the clothes I sell are kind of more one-off like something that would be worn as a funny statement piece - I love a bright color and bold pattern, power clashing, and anything rainbow, glittery or that can incorporate faux fur in a tasteful way. It’s pretty reflective of my midwestern lifestyle and probably the clothes I consistently have the most of are windbreakers and winter coats, the main way we can express ourselves here for half of the year or more… There are a few sticker art projects I have in my store that I started doing around 2012 out of boredom when I was still in school, the most prominent one probably being the 6 foot tall Britney Spears poster that’s completely covered in (vintage) Lisa Frank stickers but never intended to actually finish or take seriously. Over the years I used sticker collaging as a way to keep my mind off things and have it be a means to add color and vibrancy to otherwise more plain posters/art.

When I first opened my shop in 2013, I made a holographic wall out of posterboards to hang my clothes on and that was my first store display on Poshmark and Etsy and always tried to have unique ways to show my clothes ever since, and to change the look of my store at least once a year. I’ve wavered between thinking having consistent “branding” is best and thinking it’s best to change as my ideas change, and have ended up going with the latter at whatever expense that has had, resulting in my store bio now being “Hi I’m Crazy Branding” lmao. The last time I re-did my store I got a mannequin from the city off Craigslist that I painted hot pink and move around my yard or put against different backdrops/bright colored walls to model the clothes. At one point I put velcro on the back of all my stuffed animals plushies and trolls and stuck them to a white wall in my apartment I was living to use as the background. I used to love to bring around solo holographic poster boards to my friends’ houses before we went out so that we could all take pictures behind them as the backdrop, portable aesthetic is essential.

What era or year is your favorite in fashion? My favorite looks are early 90s minimalistic grunge but not too minimal - Black jeans, velvet dresses, and plain tees, all of that, but then on the flip side I love the super excessive part of those eras of fashion too, like rainbow everything and floating glitter inside plastic holographic accessories. My favorite outfit of all time is something my aunt gave me from her 80s closet, it’s a long elastic teal leopard mermaid-style skirt with a matching teal leopard flowy button down shirt, all cotton and polyester. I love outfits that are completely matching like that and have been seeing that lately in brands that I follow, so I hope that sticks.

What item of clothing in the world are you lusting after or saving up for?

One of those new robot dresses that react to your moods or whatever lmao but if I’m being more realistic there is a designer who I really love that I found on Instagram who knits beaded sweaters using like thousands of different colored beads and completely covers them. They’re works of art and I would love to have one some day and be able to support an artist too! I’m definitely always lusting after new pairs of plain black pleather platform (but not too high anymore) shoes. I love the brand Hot Lava and I guess if I'm saving up for one thing it would be their "Barbed" rainbow matching bralette/pants combo.

Favorite clothing brand/brands and why? Since I usually only buy thrift for myself these days, my favorite brands are probably just based on design only but I love Discount Universe and other sequins-covered clothes or otherwise outlandish/tacky patterns, especially if they’re owned/designed/produced by women - Wacky Wacko, I have the Tabloid Dress they made a few years ago and it’s one of my favorite of all time even though I never wear it I also LOVE everything from Big Bud Press and YardSale666 in general.

What music do you like, does it play a role in your personal style? The music I listen to most now is probably "experimental pop" and growing up I loved pop punk. Both of those have affected my style and stayed with me to this day, I still wear skinny jeans and slip on Van-style shoes most often no matter what else I’ve layered on top of it. I used to like to purposely wear edgy clothes and do my hair to provoke a reaction out of people when I was younger - my brother would pass down band shirts to me that said things like “What the F*** are you looking at?” (lol) and I would cut them off into a crop top and wear it with a super long high-waisted thrifted pink and purple plaid skirt. That was definitely my go-to outfit for like an entire summer straight. I’ve always liked clothes that makes a statement even if it’s in a literal way with words, clothes with a lot of text on them, and I really like the new wave of DIY embroidery, especially on thrifted or up cycled clothes. Band tee shirts were also just like a huge part of growing up for me, buying them at shows and collecting them and wearing them all the time. Also in my shop I have a guitar that I completely stickered/bejeweled which was one of my longest running projects that I really want to make more of. It was one of my brother's old acoustic guitars that he let me completely deck out and it perfectly combines the femme pop elements I love with an actual instrument. Music and fashion are so intertwined all the time I think, and clothes/accessories are something that always stuck out to me about singers and bands too! I love how fashion plays a role in music today too and can make or break an entire aesthetic or era.

Does living in your city/state inspire you? Where are you most creative? Yes lmao living in rural suburban Illinois actually inspires me a lot and I’m probably the most happily creative here. When I lived in the city, things were a lot more stressful so it made me work on a lot of projects to distract myself, but I eventually burned out from that pretty bad. I get inspired by midwestern people but mostly in a way that most people find cringey, I mocked it more when I was younger but now try to tastefully incorporate it into my looks. State Fair Chic is inspiring to me. My mom has a lot of handpainted and iron-on sweatshirts for different holidays that are staples of my closet. Living in the midwest and being bored definitely made me thrift more and imo makes the thrifting better, it made me always be working on craft projects, and always changing my hair and style.

What things do you love to create? I think my favorite things to create are entire rooms and looks, I like to make different aesthetics through combining colors, furniture and fabrics that all feel familiar even if it’s a little chaotic. My long term project with my bedroom was turning my walls of thrifted art (with 20-30 framed pictures) into matching colored frames that fit the whole look of the room, so I guess just really getting at the details of design. I think I’m pretty tacky so I like to stick to things that embody that and will always love stickering huge projects, painting everything plain into bright colors and incorporating anything I find thrifting or in the garbage into larger art aesthetics. My favorite thing to do is thrift and upcycle clothes, furniture, wall art, lamps, etc. anything that I see “potential” in lol.

Who are some of your favorite artists?: There are a ton of artists I follow that inspire me every day, definitely just “regular” people or like more lowkey artists. People who thrift or collect and refurbish toys are amazing to me and I love the doll community on IG. Witches or people I’ve met through astrology who are creating more spiritual art inspire me every day with their words and presentations. I also love comedians and movies, I love John Early and Kate Berlant and recently saw they collaborated with Peggy Noland and Seth Bogart of Wacky Wacko so that was iconic to me.

I collaborate a lot with my brother who has done a lot of graphic design stuff for me over the years. He makes resin toys of his own and designs t-shirts. He’s great at painting and drawing, two skills I never was good at that I really appreciate in him that he is always willing to lend a hand to me. He is two years older than me and went to school for advertising so exchanging ideas and doing projects with him is something I like to do too. He also has more of a background in music production so we recently started trying to make music together. We both love combining fashion and music!

What album do you recommend to pick up ASAP? Hayley Kiyoko - Expectations, hands down the vibe for summer

Follow Tass on Depop!

Depop.com/trashbitch 

[jorjathomas]

Module launch and meeting groups

 Coming back to the virtual university world has got me something to look forward to in this lockdown. Starting a new module always helps me analyse my previous mistakes and feedback and play close attention to how to go about these differently. This module will much more experimental for the students as we are able to focus on our designated pathways or ever try other course routes if we change our mind. The first day we had a briefing on what expected from this module as well as inspiration examples which may help us in creating a successful brand. In the afternoon we were put into groups for this module where we discussed what sort of ideas we had from the lectures and what sort of work we wanted to produce. I was worried about working with students that we weren't going to be a vocal as you would be in the classroom however i was quite surprised everyone was keen to start researching into what sort of brand we want to show. We spent the afternoon researching particular topics which we found interesting enough to include. We seemed to have a focal point on loungewear given the circumstances at the moment so each of us researched ideas based of this. I was looking at sustainable loungewear and finding running businesses who produces this. I thought it would be good to use this competitor technique which is common amongst most business owners to see how they receive their customer base. It was interesting to see a lot of similar companies as this inspired me to try and create a brand that would differs to this. Below is screengrabs of my work as well as the other students in the group which we completed on the Tuesday afternoon.

Lydia’s Research

“Places such as JD, Shein, Marks&Spencers, River Island, and Next sell kids lounge wear. A lot of kids loungewear has either, initials, prints, patterns and designs on. This is so the children want to wear it as it amuses them. The majority of the time the colours on the loungewear are bright and vibrant as this attracts children. Clothing items within kids loungewear are; short sleeve tops, long sleeve tops, shorts, leggings and also joggers. This is so that you can wear the shorts and short sleeve tops in the summer and the joggers and long sleeve tops in the winter to keep warm. Children grow out of there loungewear very fast so a lot of companies do unisex sets, so that parents can keep them for there younger siblings, to get as much wear out of them as possible. On girls loungewear there are a lot of floral prints, princess and cute designs, whereas boy loungewear has more dull colours, stripes and camouflage print on. A lot of families in this generation likes to get matching loungewear with the whole of the family, so a lot of brands have started to do this, however when the designers are designing these they have to consider the different age group, so keeping it simple/ minimalist are more likely to sell, as it pleases the whole of the family, rather than putting camouflage on it when the girls and the women wouldn’t like that. “

Lydia was looking at kids loungewear and what sort of existing brands go about presenting loungewear. I think I would be good to do kids loungewear as I wouldn't think its as common or as mention as adult wear, maybe because most kids wear its aimed to be comfy and practical. Lydia mentioned a good point about kidspeak mainly being unisex as kids are most likely to grow out of clothing quickly as an standard adult. I thought this would be a good idea to mention if we were to combine sustainable kidswear into this, and maybe introduce a hand-me down scheme where customers are able to hand in clothing or another idea that would reduce the fast fashion industry and increase a ongoing circle of borrowed clothes.

Talia’s Research

“CUSTOMERS

Loungewear- Casual clothes suitable for relaxing and laying around at home e.g., pyjamas and sweatpants. For home and small errands

Kids, women, or men want the same when it comes to loungewear, comfort.

It is widely accepted to wear loungewear in public. Customers would want to wear something that is comfortable and looks good. Feeling comfortable on the inside and out. Consumers may pull inspirations from celebs who are embracing the comfy styles and accessorizing them, making them their own.

 Women

Ideally want loose clothing but it is important that it is not too baggy, Flowy fabrics that are not detrimental to their figure. If women wear a loose pant, they usually lean towards a top that is more fitted or vice versa, however this is not always the case, but this should be considered, nonetheless. Women care a lot about proportion when it comes to loungewear because proportion determines the whole look. Adding a bit of bling to avoid looking too casual.

Sustainability- the demand for eco-friendly apparel is growing.

Men

-Comfort. Men typically want something that will provide a bit of stretch and ease of movement. Are into “Working-from-home” loungewear.

-Sustainability- the demand for eco-friendly apparel is growing.

-comfortable yet stylish, functional, something flattering, a perfect balance between comfort and a tailored fit

 https://edited.com/resources/mens-loungewear/

https://luxe.digital/lifestyle/style/men-loungewear-dress-code/ “

I also agree with Talia’s research, it is important we know exactly what our customer target likes as they determine the progress and growth of the brand. It is important that they are comfortable in what they are wearing as this is the main purpose of loungewear. I think it would be beneficial is we created a range of sized and garments available which would engage both genders with specific styles. For example; some women would want a big baggy t-shirt rather than a crop top or bralette to chill in.

Shannen’s Research

I liked this research and how we could involve charities into the brands message. Not only will this help the charity and its cause for a more united world it would benefit the brands engagement as our message is pure rather than just wanting to make profitable items. We were also interested in combining loungewear and going out garments as we felt this would be suitable for the current circumstances. This would most defiantly have a lot of customer engagement once Covid-19 restrictions are lifted.

Sushi’s Research

Sushi began to look at specific trends within loungewear. This being kids, men's or womenswear as we had yet finalised a specific category which we wanted to base our brand on. Kids wear colours were forecasted to be pastels and light shades of primary colours and then on the left is the men's and women's predicted colour palette. As we now know that we would like to do womenswear, the top two images are important for our group. These colours are much more vibrant which is beneficial as we wanted our brand to be like this. When researching existing loungewear, their overall vision consisted of neutral shades which seem calming and comforting to a customer. Although this matches how loungewear could be perceived, we wanted to combine daywear and comfy garments together so its important we bring these vibrant colours either into our brand layout or garments if possible. If we are looking into these pieces being sustainable its important we find techniques that could create these colours with natural dyes. This may be difficult to achieve. 

Sushi highlights the importance of practicality which is shown in WGSN’s trends report. I think our group may get easily sidetracked when discussing ideas especially when combining two types of clothing. we need to remind each other that these pieces need to stay practical to loungewear despite wanting to change existing loungewear pieces. I think we can achieve this by creating brighter pieces rather shades of nudes and white. Subtle changes will be most beneficial rather than trying to overwork ourselves. I hope me and the members in the group will remember this.

Brandon’s Research 

Its interesting to see how loungewear has revolutionized into what it is today. Reading this information you can see these were created for practicality this being sleep. As fashion developed into leisure and a way of socialising this is wear comfy clothes became trendy to wear. I think taking this a step further with our idea of being able to wear loungewear in smarter occurrences could change loungewear and its perception of being lazy or not put together. Looking at trends on WGSN and LSN will help me back this idea and hopefully follow it up when creating this new brand.

Julia’s Research

I liked Julia's research where she looked at popular loungewear items. These key garments are very common so it would be interesting if we tried to expand this and created something much more unique while still incorporating trend forecasts so customers will be attracted to our brand.

 My Sustainable Loungewear Research

How do other brands specific to loungewear voice the sustainability of their brand? Is it common? Natural yet comfy fabrics? Not itchy or lightweight? Which type of loungewear is most common within sustainable fashion? Fluffy sets or Linen/ cotton wear? Gym wear the new loungewear?

1.    We are thought.

There seems to be a common theme within loungewear and sustainability where the layout is very basic and neutral which relates to the theme and keeps intention honest. These brands probably prioritize their message rather than the look and marketing of the brand. Could we effectively combine both? Making sure fashion trends are included instead of basic wear such as cardigans and leggings? Brighter more engaging colours rather than shades? It could be harder to create this as most colour garments are dyed however we could make sure the brands message is vibrant and inviting and keeping the materials neutral do make the brand stand out. These garments have collaborated with ecofriendly organizations and suppliers such as Fairtrade which is visible throughout the page. I think this is good that this is shown regularly providing their intensions and honestly to customers. Fairtrade is a recognizable brand so customers could rely on buying if they are familiar with the collaborated business.

Its very important if we were to be sustainable that we research stats, and factual info within the fashion industry so customers can trust that we know what we are doing, and our message is clear. This business has a whole tab available for their audience to learn info about the business and what particular things are in place that make them a sustainable business. They are very open to allowing the audience to see their info which validifies their honesty in wanting to help the planet.

2.    We are Tala: highlights slow fashion and gym sets being the new home wear

Although the key garments are similar to the previous brand, there is a new range of block colours and different range of loungewear types. This brand seems to sell majority gym like sets such as sports bras and leggings. I prefer this brand as their materials are much more sturdy and better quality when looking visually. Due to the circumstance that these pieces are considered as loungewear they are also active wear so their fabrics would have to be fitting and breathable in comparison to the previous brand where their products looked very free and lightweight. This brand could be viewed by a younger audience than the previous as this page seems inspired by current popular brands such as PLT or I saw it first. Famous influencers from reality tv are modelled on this page which I think would attract a new group of customers.

This brand has not only discussed what particular materials they use they have used analytics and ways in which the customer help living more sustainable. Yes, its good to buy the products but this brand has gone further in giving advice how to wash their products and overall slowing down the production of fast fashion. This expands how passionate they are about sustainability.

Both businesses perform well but I think it is important if we were to use a brand similar to these that we combine both features I’ve discussed so we are able to engage out desired audience which I am assuming is of a younger audience (gen z/millennials etc)

References:

 We are Tala leisurewear product information Available at: OUR FABRICS – TALA (wearetala.com) Accessed on 2nd February 2021

  Sustainable brand Thought product information found at : LIFE AT HOME | Thought Clothing (wearethought.com) Accessed on 2nd February 2021

To conclude I was surprised with how much work we did considering we had just been brief into this module. It was enjoyable to finally see some faces behind the screens and see how they work and how we could combine our differences to create a good brand. Although there is a lot of options we have explored we will narrow down a particular category which we would like to go down later this week. At the moment I believe we might try the smart casual approach to loungewear and I hope we try and create a brand that if different to the existing fashion businesses we have research in this post.

[gymwearguide-blog]

Gym Wear Combos That Look Stunning

Gym isn't a club or a place of fashion show, but having a right set of gym wear workout clothes is necessary for helping a person in their workouts, apart from giving them comfort. Various sportswear brands are coming up with a wide range of apparels, which can help a person out while they burn the calories. The workout outfits are especially designed for these workout sessions, and are functionable.

But, wait a second. You might be thinking that for both men and women there are the different type of workouts. So, will a particular workout outfit suffice both the needs of men and women. Well, exactly not. But the fitness industry is catering to both the needs of men and women by bringing the workout clothes for both the genders separately. The clothes are superb in quality as they are long lasting, comfortable, and light in weight.

GYM WEAR:

The variety for ladies swimwear is amazing when you shop online at or Most online retailers are well respected, chosen retailers for many of the name brand and designer brands of bathing suits. They offer you variety as well as a secure server when you are ready to choose and pay for your bathing suit. You can shop in private and with confidence when you shop with online retailers.

Clothing bright enough, at least finishes. For such a free-style silhouette is typical. Fabrics are used such as blended knitted elastic. Those who dress in sporty wear, tank tops, shorts, bermudas, leggings, t-shirts polo shirts. From shoes prefer thick shoes with laces, open low-heeled shoes with stitching and tassels. Love wearing backpacks, shoulder bags, duffel bags.

Wearing the right sportswear can make all the difference in athlete's competition or work out. The more advanced an athlete comes up in their sport, the more care is taken in choosing the right equipment and gear. Today's sportswear is highly superior to yesterdays' clothing. With more innovative fabrics and techniques being used in manufacturing today's sportswear is not only comfortable but may give an edge in winning that all important game or competition.

Nutrition sustains your body. It sustains your very life. Is there anything more important? Here are some tips on how to give your body the nutrients it needs. These are tips for a long and healthy life. Eating the proper foods deserves your utmost consideration.

Similar to other fitness trackers, you'll need to first walk through a short setup on the watch itself. In particular, you'll be asked to divulge a few specifics about yourself, including weight, height, gender and birth year. You can also set a max heart rate - a sort of redline, if you will - though that's, of course, optional, especially if you didn't bother to buy the available heart rate monitor. Once you do that, you're ready to start moving.

Baseball hats are available in all colours and styles, shapes and sizes. Fitted hats however have an exclusive design for a unique and youthful lifestyle. They are customized and are used by golf and tennis players. Soccer players use beanies and visors as they are used in winters and spring. They belong to the warm category. Visor beanies are the craze now. Stores have witnessed a rush for them. They are available in different patterns and sizes. Runner caps have exclusively designed head wear for running and athletics, marathon races, cyclists and fishing. Gardner's also use them often. They cover your neck and face. Polo caps are another unique variety. They protect you against UV rays. Ladies hats include tea garden party war, church and religious ceremony wear, bridal wear, street wear and much more apparel.

Take a look at the merchant or store that has the shirt for sale. If you're not able to physically see the merchant (like if you're buying from eBay or Craigslist) then look at other elements such as the photographs and the writing. Check the grammar of any text, and be sure to call any provided telephone numbers to see if they are real.

Comfort is the primary concern for any one whether a sports woman, housewife, college girl, or working woman. Women casual wear is the one way of getting such comforts. However besides the comfort, every woman wishes to look fashionable and keep up with the current fashion styles without looking sloppy and out of fashion.

Thin badminton strings perform excellently as its thickness ranges from 0.62 mm to 0.73 mm. The normal tension strength of the string available in the market is 80 N to 160 N. in the professional strings, the tension is of about 110 N and 160 N but the recreational players prefer strings that have slightly less tension ranging from 80 N and 110 N.

Sarongs flatter all body types which is why they are the most popular wedding dresses to wear at the beach. Have you always dreamed of being a fashion designer yet don't even know how to turn on the sewing machine? A sarong gives you the opportunity to become a fashion designer! Create the style of your beach wedding dress; no sewing required. Choosing the look you want is as simple as tying a knot! You can invent a halter, strapless, or two-piece wedding dress depending on how you tie the sarong. Some guests may even mistake your sarong for a traditional wedding dress; the only difference is sarongs are more comfortable and often less expensive!

The great thing that comes out of this is a kind of physical culture and training regime is a work ethic that most people can take back into the gym with them, and get much better results. At these camps, such as outdoor fitness boot camp Camp Technique” in Los Angeles, weekend inductees (maggots?) engage in everything from super circuit training, to advanced stretching techniques, to weighted ball training, to weak point training”… in order to realize that what they originally thought was a hard training session was more like wetting the bed in their sleep!

Even though this company is one of the oldest for gym wear, it still keeps up with the newest fashionable styles and designs, and this means you get the best Mens Adidas superstar shoes for sale , Mens Adidas forest hills casual shoes for sale online remain both original and genuine and this is why it continues to be such a popular choice in both young and old.

Workout gear can range in price. What I recommend spending the money on is properly fitting workout bras and bottoms such as yoga pants. The cheaper ones don't always fit as well, often fade quickly and don't offer an array of lengths. I love LuLuLemon for yoga bottoms, they also happen to give your tush a little lift which makes you feel great. Zella is another great brand, they feel so great you can live in them at home-so comfy! The material doesn't fade and they last far longer than the other brands I've tried. For sports bras, I love Victoria's Secret sport, Champion for Target and I've been known to find some great tops and bras from discount retailers like TJMaxx, Marshall's and the like, even some on the clearance racks. Lately, I'm loving the workout options from Nordstrom online because they offer free shipping and free returns too if something doesn't fit-less time driving and shopping, more time for working out!

4 Ways to Maintain Momentum of Your Workouts

Running - A Good Workout to Stay Healthy

These days a significant part of clothing mainly among women is the legging

They can provide you with an athletic look and sometimes mixed with other items of clothing can be extremely easy around the eye

Leggings are located in various colors, some stretchy, some tight, but generally very attracting the onlooker

Terrific combinations with leggings like skirts thigh length boots, snazzy belts and buckles and leather jackets, will be easily accepted as nice attire

Leggings are available in various materials including denim, spandex, lycra, cotton and stretch denim, the satin look is fantastic and are a very good addition with a well matched female

Body Building Clothing That Looks Good And Feels Comfortable

There are a massive variety of businesses that make gym clothing that has been particularly created for women, which suggests the clothes are tailored with a womanly shape

Which then leaves you feeling more positive since the outfit are nicely designed for the body rather than being baggy and allowing you to feel larger than you are and weighing you down because of the extra fabric

Companies like Zoca Active has produced clothes that comfortably fit and flatter a womanly shape, they comprehend the requirement for attractive design shapes but never let the technology of the clothing be compromised

Why Everyone Picks The Wrong Workout Clothes

Gym clothes by nature have to be breathable and resistant against absorbing your perspiration because you figure out, which is always best to pick a fabric that can wick away moisture

Be it a sports bra, a set of Lycra shorts for the spin class, or longer stretch pants for a couple of yoga stretches, fitness clothes have to permit you to breath and achieve a full-range of motion

That being said, even though your gym gear must be functional, i am not saying it must lack any fashion sense

If you are picking out a sports bra, you'll need something which will hold facing even most rigorous exercise and make certain to get the one that fits you snugly and after that the one which is in a very style and colour that suits you

The same goes to suit your needs fitness clothes which are always visible; your shorts, shirts, and pants ought to interact in both improving your confidence and motivating you to adhere to your gym appointments

Cotton is great but doesn't last. It absorbs sweat a lot so you will be sweaty rapidly. I use it when I play tennis or ping pong. I keep several extra shirts and change 2-3 times throughout a 3 hour workout. That's what not what everyone loves to complete. But these shirts don't last lengthy because everything sweat absorbed contains acidic material that ruins cotton over several washes. People love it nevertheless they don't last long. Wrong choice for long workouts. Pick cotton for brief workouts of walks.

The "rest" category includes plastic based material for gym wear or rubber based material is just bad. I've known many individuals get discouraged relating to workout because they feel terrible from a workout plus reality, it had been only the material of the clothes that's driving them to feel "suffocated" in those clothes. People still pick these because they are cheap or simply because they are just ignorant. Bad choice in nearly all workout scenarios.

Resources:

Gym Wear Activewear Sportswear Custom Designed To Fit Your Style

The 25+ best Workout outfits ideas on Pinterest

GYM WEAR FASHION SHOW FOR CURVY GIRLS - WEEBLY

[yvettehypercraft]

Please use the sharing tools found via the share button at the top or side of articles. Copying articles to share with others is a breach of FT.com T&Cs and Copyright Policy. Email licensing@ft.com to buy additional rights. Subscribers may share up to 10 or 20 articles per month using the gift article service. More information can be found here. https://www.ft.com/content/23734444-f97e-11e9-a354-36acbbb0d9b6 One coat, five ways: are multipurpose clothes the future? Designers are creating reversible parkas and shoes with detachable soles Lululemon x Roksanda Share on Twitter (opens new window) Share on Facebook (opens new window) Share on LinkedIn (opens new window) Save Kate Finnigan NOVEMBER 1 2019Print this page3 While working for Burberry and later at Rag & Bone in New York, the fashion designer Georgia Dant travelled frequently but always found packing challenging. “With the changes in climate I never knew what to take,” she says. “I’d be thinking, ‘I need this coat if it’s cold and this if it’s warm, but what if it’s raining?’ I’d end up with so much stuff that I decided I just wanted clothes that could do more for you. One piece that you could wear five different ways, so you only have to pack one coat.” And with that, the concept for Marfa Stance was born — Dant’s new luxury brand of multifunctional, buildable apparel, designed to streamline your wardrobe with sustainability in mind. Launched in June, the concept is coming into its own as temperatures drop. Customers can start with the signature reversible quilt coat — a loose-fit, drop-sleeved coat that’s lightweight yet insulated and made of a shimmering Japanese nylon; sage green on one side and pale yellow on the other. Should one wish, a removable shearling collar in mint green or baby pink can be added. As temperatures drop further, the reversible quilt jacket doubles up as an inner lining, fitting seamlessly inside the buildable Parka, which (naturally) comes with a removable hood. Next season, Dant will evolve the concept into an entire wardrobe, including a clever duo-layered vest, as well as knits and shirts with detachable sleeves. She’s mulling over a stylish way to do trousers that turn into shorts, which anyone with a horror of those zip-at-the-knee combat trousers will agree is tricky territory. Marfa Stance is just one of a number of brands to offer multifunctional clothing. The words reversible, packable and modular are popping up in descriptions of garments. Last season, Louis Vuitton’s creative director, Virgil Abloh, invented his own word — Accessomorphosis — defining the portmanteau noun as: “the transformation of an accessory into a garment, effectively evolving its functional form.” The integration of bags into clothes is a recurring detail in Abloh’s designs for the house. Marfa Stance In his pre-fall collection this year, he went on to introduce the concept of “compressomorphis”, pockets that allow garments to compress for travel purposes. For next season he has taken the concept to impressive heights in the form of Louis Vuitton 2054 — a capsule of 14 multifunctional garments informed by performance wear and designed for travel. They include a padded shirt that can transform into a pillow, a parka that splits into two jackets and, most extraordinarily, a coat with a back pocket that unrolls into a tent with built-in tent poles. The pocket then transforms into the tent’s door. Of course it does. All of which could make other designer’s offerings look less ambitious. But for those not planning on taking their coat to the Himalayas there are many, simpler, options. At Dover Street Market, women can currently find Junya Watanabe’s dual-purpose collection for AW19, which is made up of reversible patterned coats that can be turned around and worn as dresses. There’s also a Y Project shirt that comes with adaptable sleeves and is double-layered so it can become a dress, depending on how you fasten it. Junya Watanbe AW19 “Added value isn’t necessarily a term that comes to mind when thinking about fashion and luxury, but there are a multitude of brands and designers playing with ideas of function to do just that,” says Bosse Myhr, Selfridges director of womenswear and menswear. “There are simple but transformative ways to make core pieces work harder and fulfil different roles.” Selfridges is currently selling 1017 Alyx 9SM’s trainers with Vibram soles that can be removed — instantly transforming them into a pair of Derby shoes fit for the office. There are reversible or “split-personality” statement coats from luxury labels such as Fendi, Valentino and Gucci that give the wearer a choice of “look-at-me” brights in a myriad of patterns, or high-impact logos on one side and a more understated design on the other. Each coat can be switched depending on your mood or your audience. Bosse also points to outerwear from Yves Salomon and MaxMara which offer two luxury fabrications instead of one, with shearling on one side, leather on the other. “Avant-garde brands like Comme des Garçons, Helmut Lang and Y’s by Yohji, are also using functionality as a design detail, with removable and detachable elements adding interest, as well as multiple ways to wear,” he says. Detachable sole Derby shoes, £911 Pieces that offer flexible elements for various climates make customers feel like they are getting more bang for their buck Fiona Firth The star piece of Roksanda Ilincic’s debut collection for the Canadian sportswear brand Lululemon, which launched last month, is the limited edition inner expanse infinity coat — a masterpiece in colour, design and function. Its removable features and packable details mean that it can be worn as a coat, a puffer jacket, a gilet or a trench. The hood and sleeves are detachable and layers are snapped together with simple press studs. Ilincic, renowned for her elongated hemlines and hyper feminine runway silhouettes, wanted to expand on Lululemon’s design signatures — the brand’s sportswear is often packable or multifunctional. “We began with a sleeping bag and tried playing and freely experimenting with different shapes and proportions,” she says. “We all live really fast and are constantly on the go, so you need something that can take you from day to night — from the office, to the gym and also out to dinner or even another continent. This coat encapsulates all those possibilities.” Fiona Firth, the buying director of Mr Porter — which is currently selling a Peter Millar + Loro Piana weather-resistant wool blazer that comes with a removable padded panel for insulation — points out the timely ethical consideration in garments that can do more than one job. “In an age where society is becoming more morally conscious of purchases and reducing waste, pieces which offer practical and flexible elements for various events or climates will make customers feel like they are getting more bang for their buck,” she says. Louis Vuitton 2054 This was at the forefront of Anna Laub’s mind when she created Prism2 — an offshoot of her main Prism fashion brand which specialises in sunglasses and swimwear. Launched this week, Prism2 is a collection of multifunctional products such as bra tops, bodies, leggings, biker shorts and briefs — they can all be used as swimwear, sportswear and underwear as the fabric is chlorine-resistant and sweat-wicking. “Everyone now needs a bit more justification to buy something,” says Laub. “We’re seeing a backlash from all these multiple-drops and the directive to buy, buy, buy from brands that we had for years. Customers are questioning that now and rightly so.” Made in Italy, the collection is manufactured using an eco-dye technique approved by Greenpeace and a seamless 3D-knitting manufacturing process that reduces waste. “There needs to be a reason why you’re making something and how often and how long it is going to be used for,” says Laub.” Designers really need to think about that now.”

[fungusfairgrounds]

bbbored filling out oc question thing for Moffy

1. What foods do they love, and what foods do they refuse to eat? Already kinda answered this here so just gonna copy and paste; Fave: Fried eggs over a potato and veggie hash with ham and lots of black pepper.  Refuses to eat: Anything with raw onion

2. What is their weapon of choice, and what weapon do they dislike using the most? He likes vanilla splatcharger and vanilla heavy splatling. Possibly a big Sting Ray fan. He probably doesn’t like using dualies as much- too offensive for his supportive play style and he too big to roll well.

3. What is their preferred method of transportation? Usually by foot or any public transportation. Tries to walk when he’s able to save money.

4. Who did they look up to the most as a child? Who do they look up to as an adult? I don’t know enough about his childhood to say, but he currently really admires his boyfriend ! He sees Tacky as very strong and full of love and he loves him so much.

5. What kind of weather makes them happy, and what kind makes them sad? He likes clear skies with a breeze, and doesn’t like fog very much (a big understatement he is terrified of the fog).

6. What languages do they speak? Do they have any idiosyncrasies or identifiable patterns of speech, word usages, etc? He speak...squid.... I think his voice comes off as timid but he’s not at all !

7. What clothing do they like to wear, and what do they wear most often? He loves anything monochrome and unsaturated earth tones ! Also really enjoys crop tops and long long skirts. He loves his Hickory Work Cap and wears that the most often. He’s my good fashion boy.

8. Do they eat a healthy diet? A varied one? He can’t really cook so his eating habits were not good when he was in college/lived alone. Since his sister moved in, he’s been able to eat a little better.

9. As a child, what did they want to be when they grew up? Did they realize their dream? I’m sure he started out wanted to do something different, but in the end he’s always wanted to be a fashion designer ! He’s still working very hard....

10. What makes them feel safe or secure? What makes them feel insecure or unsafe? Tacky makes him feel so safe ! He feels warm and at ease when Tacky is near him. He is his ultimate comfort. Moth feels extremely unsafe during work as well as anything dealing with fog. Being out in the fog, even if its very light, makes him feel vulnerable and terrified.

11. What do they do when they need comfort? Do they seek out a person, a food, an activity, etc? When he needs comfort he turns to Tacky almost always. If Tacky isn’t there, he usually turns to Kyle and/or Sushi. He usually needs comfort via words though so he’d be more likely to turn to Kyle, though if he needs someone to listen he’d seek Sushi.

12. Do they sing or play any musical instruments, even if just for fun? How well? Moth enjoys singing ! He has a nice voice, and just sings for fun. He sings for hobby. If at home and he thinks he’s alone, he sings very passionately and would get very embarrassed if someone heard him. He sings in the shower a lot too, and often hums while he’s walking. During work, he usually sings when he gets scared to try to keep calm and try to keep himself from breaking down. Sometimes it works but sometimes it doesn’t.

13. What decision in their past did they most analyze and fret over after the fact? I’m not too sure, this is a good question... I’ll have to come back to this.

14. What are they like when they are drunk? Not sure again ! Possibly very giggly.

15. Where in their body do they keep stress or tension? I think his arms tighten up when he’s tense, upper body more likely to stiffen. 16. What do they think about where they currently live? If they could move elsewhere, would they? He likes living in Inkopolis ! He’d probably rather live in a house than an apartment, but he still likes where he’s at. His neighborhood isn’t too bad.

17. Do they have any pet peeves or petty dislikes, and how do they react to encountering them? Probably. Do I know them ? Not currently.. 18. What foods do they eat most often? Do they enjoy it? He eats a lot of veggies and eggs. I think eggs might be the only thing he can kind of cook ? He likes them a lot but he would like to eat meat more.

19. What is their favorite texture? He looks wooly textures ! They’re very comforting for him to touch.

20. Do they like to travel? How do they pack and prepare? He would LOVE to travel but he has no money !! In the event that he’d get to travel he’d definitely over pack because he can’t decide which outfits he’d wanna wear so he brings a bunch just in case... He’s very organized so he’d have a good schedule planned for the trip and wouldn’t be late to anything / miss his bus/train/etc. Very excited to go and do things rather than just chill and relax.

21. How well do they take criticism? How do they react to others noticing their flaws? He’d like to be more open to criticism as long as its constructive, but sometimes its hard. He knows he has to get better with his work if he wants a turf worthy brand someday but its hard to find good help for what to work on sometimes- especially since he doesn’t know too many people in the industry. If people pointed out a lot of his flaws it would probably bog him down.

22. What are they like when they get sick? Do they have a particular system (ears, lungs, etc) that illness gravitates to? He used to live by himself so if he was sick he’d still get up and go about his day. Even when he’s so sick that he shouldn’t be getting out of bed he’d still try to get up. I think he’d usually get colds around cold season when he went to college...since all college kids seem to get colds around the same time LMAO.

23. What is their favorite drink? i think he’d really enjoy warm drinks, especially sweet ones. He’d love sugary seasonal lattes and fudgey, rich hot chocolates with lots of whipped cream. He loves drinking out of mugs so he probably has a few at home he uses a lot.

24. How do they react to being physically injured or undergoing medical treatment? For injury- Depends on the situation ? Since he plays turf I’m sure there’s “physical injury” there but I’m not sure how painful it is since they are able to respawn. I think if he knows he can respawn he is okay.... Usually. At work, he’s very on edge. Even though they can typically “respawn” if injured I’m sure its a lot more painful to get to that point..and due to past experiences he really doesn’t trust the system for it. For medical treatment, I think he’d be okay with it if he had someone there to comfort him. This boy needs a lot of comfort... 25. What do their hands look and feel like? His hands are big like his Heart and they are good to hold.

26. How much do they eat, and how often? Do they drink appetite suppressants (tea, coffee, etc)? He had an inconsistent eating schedule in college, but now he usually eats his three meals a day + snacks. He’d love to go out for snacks more with his bf and best friends but he’s gotta save his money... He drinks coffee, but not for the purpose of an appetite suppressant.

27. Do they have children? Do they want children? What names would they choose? No children, I’m unsure if he wants any ? He doesn’t really think about it.

28. What is a gift that they have received that was especially touching or significant? This question...is pure... Anything Tacky has given him he treasures with all his heart, but just the time he spends with him is especially significant to him. Every picture and memory is important (and becomes especially important later) to him. I’m sure there’s a specific thing he has from Tacky that is very significant but I’d have to talk to Jen about that !

29. How do they arrange or decorate their living space? Very simple and clean ! He doesn’t have a lot of furniture, and most of the colors match with everything with color pops here and there. He mostly sews in the living room and in his bedroom, so he has some fabric and supplies stacked up around there.

30. Do they have any allergies or chronic conditions? None that i know of currently