#italian shoe brands

[fashionbooksmilano]

Scarpe da favola

Calzature italiane da sogno

prefazione di Lorenzo Cantoni, testi di Lucia del Pasqua, illustrazionidi La Fille Bertha

Assocalzaturifici, 2022, 176 pagine, 23,5x28,5cm

euro 50,00

email if you want to buy booksinprogressmilano@yahoo.it

il libro “SCARPE da favola”, edito da Assocalzaturifici e presentato a MICAM Milano 95 dal 19 al 22 febbraio 2023. In questo volume, le favolose calzature di 95 brand italiani di calzature sono le protagoniste. Organizzato in 3 capitoli, ciascuno dedicato ad una fiaba di #micamtales – MICAM in Wonderland, MICAM Glass Slipper e MICAM of OZ -, il libro raccoglie le fiabe riscritte da Lucia del Pasqua, le illustrazioni di La Fille Bertha, la prefazione del Professor Lorenzo Cantoni e le immagini delle 95 scarpe da favola. Il progetto editoriale ha trasformato le protagoniste femminili delle fiabe originali in veri e propri modelli del contemporaneo: Luce è una scrittrice-attivista, Gloria un’imprenditrice digitale, e Verdèlia un’idealista negoziante.

25/02/24

[justintheusofa]

[modadivas]

Wolford new capsule collection with Sergio Rossi

Wolford presents new capsule collection with Sergio Rossi: the two brands join forces and collaborate for the future A world leader in skinwear , Wolford is delighted to collaborate on a very special capsule with Sergio Rossi, the legendary Italian brand under the creative direction of Evangelie Smyrniotaki, Art Director of Sergio Rossi.

[we-re-always-alright]

I bought some calzuro’s because I wanted a shoe for my standing desk (and also marathon baking) and as a result, I’ve now become a clogs person

[dzvelinaskebiyars]

Hii!

you think you can do ran hc?? if you do, tysm, and if you don't, it's okay too :)

Hii! Thank you so much for requesting! I have already done bf Ran headcanons and Haitani brothers headcanons so I'll focus on only Ran here.

☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

Ran has low iron. That's why he's always tired and wants to sleep.

He has hyperinsomnia. Tho I'm pretty sure this is canon because it has been said that he slept for 24 hours once.

Ran and Rindou are half-brothers. (since both were born in Vicious Generation.)

He liked long hair on him, yes. But I think that when his hair grew, his mom was braiding his hair, even if it was a small braid.

When Ran and Rindou go to shoppings, Ran takes a LOT OF time buying clothes and specifically searches for his favourite brands.

He has fallen asleep in the bath multiple times.

He's big fun of YSL not gonna lie. And LOVES Italian shoes, especially in Bonten.

He has cold blood so he craves warmth and can't stand cold weathers.

He bathes in hot, boiling water, beyond the max. As if he's preparing for hell.

I feel like he loves fruit so much such as apples, watermelon, peaches.

[taylorswiftstyle]

Out and about | New York City, NY | October 14, 2023

Greymer Spring/Summer 2014 sandals - no longer available

If you have ever thought: Surely Taylor doesn’t always consider what she wears and the messaging behind it. This post is for you.

Now defunct, Greymer is an Italian brand established in 1980. More importantly, the shoes Taylor is wearing here are from their Spring/Summer 2014 collection. When the entirety of the fashion world is at your disposal, why wear a pair of shoes from nearly a decade ago that so happens to nod to the year your upcoming re-record was originally released in?

Fashion history aside, I loved how the metallic heel of these sandals continued the gold hardware present through the rest of the outfit (necklace, corset straps, bag).

Worn with: Maria Tash earrings, Gant coat, Mazin Jewels necklace, Versace corset, and Aupen bag

Get the look: Michael Kors, $155.00

[chamiryokuroi]

I always joke about accidental “sugar daddy” Tim who just likes to buy nice things for Bernard, but what about Bernard? picture one day he is getting ready for their date and he is indecisive between a Gucci jacket or an Armani one and he has to stop because since when does he own these???

He turns to look at his closet, at his handmade Italian shoes, the brand clothes filling the space that used to be only hoodies and thrift finds, and the expensive watches on his bedside table and it suddenly hits him “Oh… I’m Tim’s sugar baby”

[sgiandubh]

The telling hashtag

So S is willfully disclosing his LHR location, with a story and a post to boot, as expected:

📌at Bourne Offices, 11 Richmond Buildings, in Soho:

Literally round the corner from Soho House, on Dean Street. Of course:

Also, this - very telling:

#gifted. Before *urv starts her demented Fitness at Dawn - The London Hyrox Edition fanfic, let's unpack:

S chose to wear, in this post, one of the sunglasses models from David Beckham's eyewear collection. Price tag is a bit steep (twice my Ray-Ban Wayfarers), but still democratic:

But why the #gifted hashtag? Before you think C or Scottish Xena lovingly picked those up the shelf for his birthday, you might like to check a bit around for context. You see, all dbeyewear collections are manufactured by a single Italian producer based in Padua, Safilo Group. Hashtagged accordingly in his post, by the way.

A couple of days ago, Safilo Group and dbeyewear's commercial partnership reached a new, very important milestone:

[Source: Safilo Group press release, https://assets.ctfassets.net/cmstik7jzbvm/2lwJmoKJR7x3ydijfpi7c6/9870e11fbb2c040a89a6d8acb4ed25ea/20240502_Safilo_firma_un_accordo_di_licenza_perpetua_per_l-eyewear_di_David_Beckham.pdf]

On May 2nd, Safilo Group and Authentic Brands Group (ABG), the corporate side of Eyewear by David Beckham signed a 'perpetual licensing agreement, replacing the current one that would have ended in 2030'. Authentic Brands Group and Safilo Group have been working together since 2019, when Beckham started to design his own eyewear collection. Now, they are taking their collaboration one step further, with ABG (or the licensor) granting Safilo Group (the licensee) perpetual (unlikely to be retired, unless something goes really, awfully wrong along the way: breach of contract, etc.) exclusive right to produce, use, advertise, sell its merchandise.

Something like this needs proper promotion, so Safilo Group and/or ABG graciously sent S those sunglasses, in the hope he will sport them in one of his posts with a potential 3+ million subscriber views.

A word on the UK pretty obscure regulations on promoter advertising and the use of the #gifted hashtag. There is not one, but two competent national regulatory authorities: the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). The ASA is a bit more lenient in its approach and they clearly say that if the promoted product has been sent to the influencer on a no strings attached basis, then it is ok to use that #gifted hashtag. They will not pursue, based on the lack of #ad, however they will name and shame you - not a pretty picture, after all:

[Source, heh: ASA's Influencer Guide to making clear that ads are ads, https://www.asa.org.uk/static/uploaded/3af39c72-76e1-4a59-b2b47e81a034cd1d.pdf]

But the CMA is way more vigilant. They consider that any freebie can and must be monetized, based on its retail value and as such, must be clearly labeled as an #ad, when promoted on socials by an influencer. And yes, they can and might pursue, at any given moment: that must be proportional with the offence and in S's case, it might simply mean being served with a cease and desist notice or a removal and prohibition order. I'd rather not be in those shoes, mind you:

[Source: CMA's guide Hidden ads: Being clear with your audience, 2022; https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/social-media-endorsements-guide-for-influencers/social-media-endorsements-being-transparent-with-your-followers]

If he wants no further headaches, he should simply edit that post and add the right hashtag. It will be interesting to see if and when he will do it.

As for Fitness at Dawn, well... not even sorry.

Gracias a ti, ❤️. Siempre.

[accio-victuuri]

xiao zhan’s mfw interview clues, talismans and matching ads. 🎤

based from the ones released today: v magazine, tencent fashion, tod’s and mr. bags. nothing too big, just some connection/s to already established cpns. feel free to appreciate and enjoy the interviews for what they are even without clowning. 🫶🏼

* V Magazine China

when he talked about superpowers, he has changed his answer from being invisible, he just wishes that there will be no disputes in the world. tho the topic is really about what he wants a parallel world to be like. interesting answer. i’m gonna wait for wyb to have an interview with a similar question and see if they will match 😂😂😂

he also answered that his style is more casual and comfortable which is exactly the same as wyb answered a similar question. not that we ever doubted how similar their personal style is. they may choose or prefer different pieces, but it has the same feel. this is who they steal each other clothes and blend in when they want to.

how he answered the question what he learned about style is to subtract. which may mean less is more or something like that. it matches what wyb said he learned about a different thing — acting. so i see this as a similarity between them, they don’t do overdo things.

🎤: If you had two hours of free time, where would you like to spend it?

🐰: Just strolling around. A city-walk.

I hope he does this with WYB! We was this happen in a lot of ZZ’s vlogs.

🎤: What is the most surprising thing from Gucci 2024 Autumn/Winter Women’s Wear show?

🐰: I think the biggest surprise is the bag. I like it very much, the shape of the bag is very avant-grade and bold.

His interest in bags is here again 👀 In his 2019 interview for MFW, he was asked about what his favorite accessory and he answered bag. The CPN happened because WYB was asked in an interview of his promotion of a jewelry brand (Emphasis ) about what jewelry he will give to his loved one. he answered a bag. lol. the question is about a jewelry but he still answered something different. who is he thinking about? a certain someone who loves bags?

🎤: Do you have any unforgettable anecdotes during the Chinese New Year that you can share with everyone?

🐰: There seems to be no Chinese New Year because I spent the Chinese New Year with the crew.

A confirmation what we already know, that he spent CNY in HD. the thing we won’t ever know tho is if WYB was there. Tho some clues point to the answer being yes.

* Tencent Fashion interview

Not much here but he just repeated how he loves bags. Lol. && how his priority is to film. I imagine the same is true for WYB.

* Tod’s interview

I didn’t share the translation for that. sorry! here it is in all it’s glory. not much cpn tho because the questions are centered on his clothes and the show.

🎤: After watching the first show of Tod's new creative director Matteo, can you share with us your first impressions?

🐰: Excited! and then when I was watching the show, I have been taking pictures all the time. Because there are many coats which I like it very much, including the bags, and I think it’s a brand-new attempt. You can see the second show, which is very unique especially it is placed at the tram stop in Milan — I heard that this tram stop is still in active service, can still be used.

🎤: What are the highlights of today’s outfit? Can you introduce it to us?

🐰: Today’s outfit is a more elegant and low-key style. It is a design of the collar on this coat, in fact you can see that it is actually a leather material, this collar can stand up, then you can put it on here and put it on in another way. Then, include this pair of shoe which is also my favorite loafer and this belt, it is also has a very unique design, it has a hemp material and then combine it with leather.

🎤: If you were asked to recommend one of the most “Italian” items you saw on the show today, which one would you recommend?

🐰: Ah~ it’s so difficult! I think there is a lot of it — I think it’s leather, I think everything about leather, the coat including leather on it’s shoes and trousers.

🎤: What are the three must- have travel stuffs during fashion week?

🐰: phone, passport, also…also the (important) card.

🎤: In a series of film and television works, how do you think different costumes help shape the character’s image?

🐰: It does help yourself to get into the role better.

🎤: You have been to Milan Fashion Week many times. Compared with the first time, what changes do you feel this time?

🐰: This time I felt more relaxed and also more cordial. There is a feeling of going home, especially there is DDV Yeye ( Tod’s CEO ) just now, he always tell me how he always welcomed me back says “Welcome back!” I felt woah! that moment was very warm. Then, of course there is conscious lifestyles of Tods that can’t live without.

🎤: Not long ago, you sang “As You Wish” at the Beijing TV Spring Festival Gala. What kind of New Year wishes do you have for everyone?

🐰: (smooth and healthy) for everyone

* Interview with Mr. Bags

this is year 3 of his interview with him! it’s one i’m waiting for cause xz is comfortable with & i feel like he can get away with asking more personal questions.

🎤: Yes, then I saw your personal clothes later I did serious study and research of it on internet. I think our Xiao laoshi really have a personal style, is very good at dressing and I just found out that — for example you will wear some hats, then the scarf and then you will also wear some of these big coats?

XZ: That’s right.

🎤: It looks warm, it has a sense of youth.

XZ: In fact, I felt it safer and then it’s more comfortable because I’m actually myself, in terms of personal clothing I prefer not too many colors, It is mainly; gray, black series and white colors. Those that are comfortable to wear and can’t go wrong and also most effective.

same thing about his personal style and what colors he chooses which is very close to wyb’s.

🎤: I also heard that Xiao Zhan is actually a very homely person. If it weren’t for work then you would just stay at home so I wonder what you usually do when you are at home?

XZ: Actually, I can also play games, sometimes I will have fun, but for most of time I spend my time working out.

this matches some recent fake rumors. 😭😭😭 especially with the part about how xz prefers to stay-in. and then how he likes to play games! who does he play games with??? WYB. there are already a couple of fake rumors and interviews of them talking about the two playing! it’s so nice to hear it from xz.

THE ALLEGED TALISMAN. 💛

p1 is GG recently, from his flight back home and p2 is a not so clear photo of WYB’s phone during HB screening where you can see what looks like a yellow paper. I have no question that GG does this, we have seen it before. but i like the idea of WYB doing something similar, maybe GG even drawing one for him. and this may be the reason why they chose this type of card case.

Finally, the matching ads by Shu Uemura and Loreal. Two different brands and products but I can’t help but see the similarity with the ads 🥹🥹🥹

-END.

[emkayewrites]

Behind-the-scenes #Lukola moments from my fanfiction - Luke is in Milan after the Bridgerton S3 London Premiere and he is missing Nicola.

(Excerpt taken from my fanfiction 'Curtain Fall')

June 15th 2024 – Milan (Italy)

Refuge.

That was Luke’s first thought as he surveyed the palatial Four Seasons suite that was his temporary home.

The living room was an airy space with tasteful elements of Italian and contemporary décor.  A sage sofa and matching armchairs were arranged around an elegant walnut table.  Tall, clear vases with bouquets of red, lavender and pink chrysanthemums brightened up different parts of the room.  Arched floor-to-ceiling windows gave an impressive view of the tranquil courtyard and the pink-red sky outside.

Eagerly, he slipped off his black leather shoes and padded his way into the bedroom where a sumptuous king-sized bed with neutral toned sheets greeted him.

He could hear the low hum of air conditioning kicking in, but the heavy, black Dolce and Gabbana leather jacket he had been wearing all day was still unbearable to be in.  Every part of him wanted to tear off it off but he resisted the urge; instead opting to gingerly peel it off himself, being mindful not to scuff the material.  He was still not clear on the rules.  Was the jacket his to keep or would they want it back?  Either way, the thought of even slightly damaging a loaned item bothered him enough to be careful. 

Dressed just in the mercifully breathable fabric that was a linen black vest and trousers; he sank down onto the plush bed with a deep and satisfied sigh.

With his eyes closed, images of the day flew through his mind: he was at Milan Fashion Week, he was stood before cameras or in front of crowds of people and everywhere he looked, someone wanted his attention.  It was overwhelming to recall.  Yet, he felt he should be used to this level of exposure at this point.  He had accepted he would never enjoy having to be entirely himself for the masses, he was more comfortable playing a role, but even so, he had hoped that after several months of press, it would all start to come more naturally to him.  It bothered him that a day like today still wore so heavily on him. 

He wandered if he needed to admit to himself that one of the reasons being here was so challenging was that he was doing it without Nicola.  They had been the balance for each other.  Whether they walked onto a red carpet or into a studio for a sit-down interview, they did it with hands intertwined, heads held high and a promise from Nicola to take over the talking if needed.  Given her charismatic energy, she did not usually need to try to take the spotlight away, it naturally fell upon her.  It made things easier.  She made things easier. 

Still, cultivating a public image was an important part of success as an actor and he did not want to waste any opportunities that were offered to him outside of the Bridgerton brand.  Who knew how long anyone would know his name for? His mothers’ words echoed in his mind: make hay while the sun shines.

He allowed himself to flop back onto the bed, holding his phone out in front of him as he scrolled.

Without thinking, he was on Nicola’s Instagram and watching her story updates.  There were photos from the London Bridgerton premiere which had only taken place a few days before.  He looked through her feed, scrolling past images from all around the world from their promotional tour.  There was a series of photos of them in Rio De Janeiro, her in a white dress and him in a grey-blue button down posing with a guitar.  The memory it invoked made him smile.  The Nicola and Luke on his screen were deeply connected, sharing everything from inane jokes to their deepest fears about their burgeoning careers. 

He could admit that a hollow feeling had been growing inside him all day as he went through the motions of attending a high-profile fashion show but not being able to share details of it with the one person who would appreciate it the most.  Being the avid fashionista, he knew she would have given him the third degree about every element of the day.  What was he wearing?  Why was he wearing it – what was the artistic vision?  How did the clothes make him feel?  Which season were they from?  He would have responded in a deliberately ignorant way just to work her up into a frustration, which in turn would have amused him enough to make the day seem a little lighter.  In fact, he could have called her right there and then and shared how he was feeling.  He could have told her that he was growing tiresome of being recognized but at the same time, he was terrified of losing the recognition.  She would not only have understood the paradox but also helped him laugh about it.

It stung that things were not as simple as just picking up the phone and speaking to each other anymore.  There was a distance between them now that upset him.  

He realised in that moment that he was brooding alone in a luxurious room that was growing darker as the day vanished.  His life had never been more beautiful and at the same time, he had never felt lonelier.

What a fucking cliché. He thought with some disgust at himself.

You’re not even alone on this trip. 

Somehow, this reminder did little to comfort him. 

He was fortunate to be in a loving relationship with someone who cared about him.  Yet, as the months had stretched on, he had a growing awareness that it had that had developed in abnormal circumstances.  Their earliest dates had involved luxury travel and red-carpet events.  It was not easy to mature as a couple when your most meaningful conversations were about designer clothes and trip itineraries.  He hated himself for not being able to switch off the sense of paranoia he had that perhaps this was not the right time in his life to try to have a girlfriend, especially someone who did know truly know the version of him before his life became so surreal.  He felt a strong sense of guilt for entertaining this thinking.  It was not Antonia’s fault that they had connected just as his life had catapulted into all of this.  It was also not her fault that they had not really had any important conversations about where their relationship was going.  Between all the events and travel, there never seemed to be the right time.  Now that her photo was plastered all over the press and social media, a break-up felt even more challenging to navigate.  Truthfully, he did not have the bandwidth for it. 

He wanted to get his mind away from these darker thoughts.  Instinctively, he navigated his way through his phone to the video.  It was kept tucked in a folder within a folder. 

He was not sure why he had kept it.

Every instinct in his body screamed at him that it was a foolish thing to do.

Yet, there seemed to be something painful about the physical act of pressing ‘delete’ on it. He reasoned he did not want to wipe the memory away, and sometimes, he needed physical proof that it had ever even happened.

He hit play.

The dimly lit interior of his trailer on the Bridgerton set came into view.  However, there was enough light for the scene that was playing out to be clear.  There was a paisley patterned sofa on which he and Nicola were locked into a frantic embrace.  Their hands and arms running all over each other’s body, their mouths locked in a passionate kiss.  He was shirtless.  Her usually expertly styled hair was disheveled.  There was no sound except for their breathless panting.  The strap of her black vest slid down her shoulder and his hand yanked at it, pulling it down further.

Watching it back did things to his body that he tried to suppress.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps entering the suite hallway jolted him back into reality.  He abruptly swiped out of the gallery app and pressed the button to lock his phone.

Antonia appeared at the doorway, clad in a bright green bikini with a white coverall and a sunhat. 

“What are you doing here, brooding in the dark?” She smirked, pulling her hat off and placing it on the dresser drawer that stood at the entrance of the bedroom.

“Just needed to recharge.” He smiled back at her as she climbed onto the bed on all fours, slinking up to him like a cat.  He realised how much his heart was racing.  He hoped she would think it was the effect she was having on him.

“Have you recharged enough to want to go to the afterparty?” She put her head on the pillow next to him and looked at him pleadingly. “Pretty please?”

“Ughhh…” He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I am so after-partied out.”

As he spoke the words, he felt bad.  She had dutifully spent the day at the hotel by herself whilst he had attended the show. He had realised too late that he would be seated front row and there would be no room for a plus-one.  Attending the after-party was her one opportunity to experience some of the glitz of Fashion Week. 

“Well, I guess we can just order room service.”  She looked disappointed.

He sat up. “No, we’ll go.”

“You’re just saying that because I want to go.” She fixed him with a look.

“No, I really want to go.  I just needed to hear that the other option is room service to make me realise it.  I can’t think of anything more boring.” He lied.

She let out a happy squeal, jumping up from the bed as she did so. “Ahh, I am so glad.”

“Right, I have three outfits – you can choose which one you like best.” She offered; excitement in her eyes.

He could not help but to laugh.  It was nice to see someone enjoying themselves.

Read more here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/56951683/chapters/144819154

[alter-ego-xxx]

how do u think evan and barty look appearance wise?

Ohhh, I've been waiting to talk about that, so here are my headcanons:

Barty

For me, he's north Italian (Milano, maybe?), a little under 180cm/6ft, dark brown hair that's almost black, maybe he dyed some of it green, grown-out haircut that's rather messy, green brownish eyes, angular and sharp facial features, patchwork tattoos all over his body (including a 'bite here' on his neck and a 'fuck me' or 'harder' below his belly button), multiple piercings (eyebrow, tongue, dick), rather skinny, has a bit of muscle but isn't defined, wears a lot of black/dark colours (maybe green, matching to his hair), many shirts have holes in them, ripped off fingernails, untied shoes

Evan

I see him as biracial (half black), blond dyed locks that fall over his eyes, light green eyes, taller than Barty, but not by much, snake bites, nose and eyebrow piercing (wears silver hoops in them), some small tattoos, quite well defined muscles (man boobies omg), soft lips and eye features, strong jawline, Evan has the skater style: baggy light blue jeans, oversized shirts with stripes or brand names, vans or jordans shoes, lots of blue, white, red, and green, and BIG hands.

[lotstradamus]

inspired by the manchester anon haha but do you have any tips and suggestions for visiting leeds? 🩷

I've lived here for 2 years now (!!!) but somehow I still don't really know my way around and just go to the same 5 places and use google maps to get anywhere else. it's sad. but here's some shit I love:

Grindhouse - cheap drinks, loads and loads of seats, never too full, music a reasonable volume, and they project 80s movies on the back wall. we once sat in here for 2 hours cos Stand By Me was on. one time we watched the bar staff earnestly tell a group of women on a hen do that the bar was closed and they weren't serving any more drinks, at 7:45pm. 10/10.

Rudy's - only 9 cities* in this fair nation have a Rudy's, so I'm going to keep reccing it for everyone else. perfect Neapolitan pizza. *Leeds, Manchester, Sheffield, Birmingham, Nottingham, Durham, London, York, Liverpool - if you live in one of these places and haven't been to Rudy's yet, sort it out.

Neon Cactus - go here on a Wednesday and order wings, and you'll get half price margs. lots of great Mexican scran. don't take anyone too picky or over 50, because the price for the great food and vibes is that at least one thing you order will be incorrect. but roll with it. half price margs, man.

Empire Cafe - book in advance if you want to sample the delights of Empire Cafe, cos there's like 6 tables max. everything is seasonal, changes on the daily, and is insanely delicious. if you want to experience heaven, order the steak and chips with salsa verde. there is NOTHING like it.

Stuzzi - another seasonal, small plate sort of place, but Italian. amazing food and a gorgeous restaurant. go with a big group and order one of everything.

Eat Your Greens - ANOTHER seasonal restaurant! this one is farm-to-fork and organic. I can’t speak to the quality as I haven’t actually been, but I am a frequenter of their GREENGROCER, which is MEGA. last time I think I left with natty wine, pâté, some insane tinned fish, a jar of harissa and a bag of sunset potatoes. if you like food, go here.

SARTO - fresh, handmade pasta and picky bits. another great place to go with a group and order all the starters. I had a celeriac pasta there last year that I think about on a fairly regular basis; I picked it cos it was the weirdest sounding thing on the menu and it was fucking mouthwatering. good quality and good people! and it's next door to The Wardrobe, so perfect for a pre-gig tea.

Santiago Bar - like Grindhouse (alternative, casual) but the music is louder and you'll find yourself doing tequila shots at 1am and screaming along to, like, Don Broco. it's the best.

Blue Collar Boys - as a rule I hate 'vintage' clothes shops (overpriced, ugly, everything is XXS), but this place seems to specialise solely in American t-shirts and sweatshirts from the 90s in exactly my size, and everything is £10. this is amazing and a huge bargain if you find something like vintage Wranglers and a Playboy bomber jacket (£20, my wife) but not so amazing or a bargain if you find 3 t-shirts with holes in (£30, me). we've never been without finding shit we love. they only open on random weekends, and they always seem to have more stuff than they could possibly ever sell. it's a freaky vintage alternate universe.

The Corn Exchange - a big gorgeous ol' building full of little businesses. vintage, handmade, tattoos, coffee, jewellery, independent brands, yarn, shoes, a barbers, a bookshop, they've got it all. very easy to spend £100 and 6 hours. every so often they have a market on the bottom floor. perfect tiny representation of Leeds: quirky, independent, delicious, cool.

Silver's Deli - this is a 9-minute train ride away in Bramley (my ends!) but has become THEE buzzy foodie spot recently. go on a sunny saturday morning (cos you will probably have to sit outside) and order the everything sandwich. thank me later. if they have scotch eggs or sausage rolls on, I beseech you, order both. and if you want the sunday special prepare to get there at 11 and fight.

Against the Grain - if you've come to Bramley for Silver's, you may as well trundle 10 minutes up the road and visit the best bar in Leeds. cosy, casual, full of locals, hidden in Swinnow Mills. it's a sit-around-and-chat-to-people sort of place, with bonus charcuterie boards AND a pizza van on weekends. we are here A LOT, because Gray's Salon and Rose and Thorn Tattoo are both in the Mill, and we give them all our money. oh! and dog friendly. sooo many dogs.

Project House/Galleria - if you've gotten the train out to Bramley for Silver's and ATG, jump on the 72 back to town and get off at Project House to eat MORE food. Galleria is a great place to get breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and Project House has EVERYTHING (depending on the day). yoga! gigs! vintage fairs! a bi-annual tattoo convention meets makers market with food vendors called Hand of Glory! check what's on and head on down to support local!

Kirkstall Bridge Inn - another one local(ish) to me, but worth travelling out of town for; a PROPER pub (i.e. no tv, no sports, no shite) that does roasts upstairs and lets dogs in downstairs. outdoor seating right by the canal, and every so often they put something on and the car park turns into a tiny festival. Kirkstallpalooza is a highlight. great place to finish a nice canal walk (who am I?!).

tl;dr sorry that this is obnoxiously long, I love Leeds

[harrisonarchive]

A style selection, 1956-1969.

A continuation of sorts from this post.

“[George’s] idea, which he ordered [in Liverpool in the 1950s], was a four-button jacket with cloth-covered buttons. Two breast pockets which were slitted (jetted) and in the shape of a bird in flight, the two side pockets corresponded. The cuffs had to be folded back with a cloth-covered button. His trousers had no pleats in the front, not normal in those days, and he was by far the very first person to have two slits at the bottom side seam of the trouser and he wanted them folded back with cloth covered buttons to match the cuffs on his jacket. The workshop queried the order when they received thinking we had gone bonkers. George got his suit and was pleased with the outcome. Later lots of guys were walking about town with cut back cuffs and side seams on their trousers, but George was the first.” - Rollo Torpey, The Beatles and Me (2015)

“At Iris’s 14th birthday party, I remember George turned up in a brand-new, Italian-style stuff with covered buttons. He looked very grown-up.” - Violet Caldwell (mother of Iris, and Alan, a.k.a. Rory Storm), The Beatles Monthly September 1965

“[George’s mother Louise] took an unusually benign view of George’s luminous pink shirts, yellow waistcoat, and drainpipe trousers.” - Pete Shotton, The Beatles, Lennon, And Me (1984)

“Going in for flash clothes, or at least trying to be a bit different, as I hadn’t any money, was part of the rebelling. I never cared for authority. They can’t teach you experience; you’ve got to go through it, by trial and error.” - George Harrison, The Beatles: The Authorized Biography (1968)

“At the Institute, George was known from the beginning as a way-out dresser. Michael McCartney, Paul’s brother, was a year below him. He remembers George always having long hair — years before anybody else did. […] ‘George used to go to school with his school cap sitting high on top of his hair,‘ says Mrs. Harrison. ‘And very tight trousers. Unknown to me, he’d run them up on my machine to make them even tighter. I bought him a brand-new pair once and the first thing he did was tighten them. When his dad found out, he told him to unpick them at once. “I can’t, Dad,” he said. “I’ve cut the pieces off.”’” - The Beatles: The Authorized Biography (1968)

“I’d started to develop my own version of the school uniform. I had some cast-offs from my brother. One was a dog-toothed check-patterned sports coat, which I’d dyed black to use as my school blazer. The color hadn’t quite taken, so it still had a slight check design to it. I had a shirt I’d bought in Lime Street, that I thought was so cool. It was white with pleats down the front. and it had embroidery along the corners of the pleats. I had a waistcoat that John had given me, which he’d got from his ‘uncle’ Dykins (his mother’s boyfriend), Mr. Twitchy Dykins. It was like an evening-suit waistcoat — black, double-breasted, with lapels. The trousers John also gave me, soon after we first met — powder-blue drainpipes with turn-ups. I dyed them black as well. And I had black suede shoes from my brother. […] That outfit of mine was very risky, and it felt like all day, every day, for the last couple of years I was going to get busted. In those days we used Vaseline on our hair to get the rock n’ roll greased-back hairstyle. Also, you were supposed to wear a cap and a tie, and a badge on your blazer. I didn’t have my badge stitched on, I had it loose. It was held in place by a pen clipped over it in my top pocket, so I could remove it easily, and the tie.” - George Harrison, The Beatles Anthology (2000)

“He was always a pretty snappy dresser, and he did always like that waistcoat look. And he used to wear a V-neck Fair Isle jumper. Sometimes he’d be a little too outrageous, like purple trousers with bright green, but it was fine. Everything seemed to be fine then.” - Pattie Boyd, interview for the British Beatles Fan Club

“The boys are wearing all sorts of fantastic clothes for their film and introduce a very new, unusual gimmick. If they’re wearing corduroy, for example, then they have corduroy boots to match. If they’re seen in velveteen suits, then they’re coupled with velveteen boots. George first thought of the idea two years ago, but when he put the idea to a local bootmaker, he told him it couldn’t be done. Well, that’s one cobbler that’s been proved wrong.” - The Beatles Monthly, June 1965 (x)

[silvervioletvalentine]

🦋Better late than never !🦋

Pairing: Lance Stroll X Cherrie!

Word count: 8k

Summary: in which they’re best friends. They’re in love . And it’s better late than never to finally admit their feelings. A plan secretly made by a mischievous three year old too.

Lance walked into his best friends home casually, not bothering to ring the doorbell as he let himself in with the key he had. Humming a song underneath his breath as he kicked off his shoes , making a point to place them neatly by the door with the other hundred pair of shoes that she had there . Not taking any chances this time around .

Having leaned his lesson the hard way about keeping his shoes on while walking around her home , which had either marble flooring or bright white fluffy carpet everywhere. Just asking to be ruined with the dirt and mud from the bottom of his shoes.

He had thought that Cherrie was about to actually strangle him when he had accidentally gotten mud on her brand new carpet, days after she had it fitted, after stupidly forgetting to take off his shoes at the door . The number one rule in her home.

Let's just say that he wasn't forgetting to do that again anytime soon.

She was scary as fuck when she was pissed off, absolutely beautiful but deadly. She Had a tongue like a razor blade and her words like a switch blade knife. He wasn't risking getting his ass handed to him again.

Not on such a beautiful , sunny day.

He was just happy to be home and able to see his best friend and her little mini me again. He had missed them while he was away racing and the FaceTime calls and endless texts just weren't enough for him. It wasn't the same as them being there in front of him in person , he missed seeing cherries stunning smile up close and he had missed her little toddlers sass as well . He really had.

When Cherrie had found out that she was pregnant in what felt like so long ago now , you would have thought that it was the end of the world judging by her reaction to the sudden news .

She had arrived at his doorstep while sobbing hysterically as she cried loudly about how she was never going to be able to be a supermodel now , that her life was ruined and that she was never going to be able to live her life and have fun again. She had been a real bad mess, hysterical of the thought of not being able to party and drink till she passed out again anymore.

She was always the life of the party, the fun one. The one that would try anything at least once, the one that Lance had to run around after to make sure that she didn't end up in too much trouble again . to make sure that she got home safely after one too many times of finding her passed out in somebody's garden or bathtub.

Lance had kind of already been used to looking after a child seeing as Cherrie behaved like one half of the time herself , so he wasn't too worried at all. Well, maybe a little bit but not as much as she was.

He had been there for her , always , and that wasn't going to stop just because she had made a dumb mistake and gotten herself knocked up by some random Italian guy while they were on holiday together.

He was just a little bit upset that her first experience of having a child was going to be like this. He knew that she had always wanted to be get married and fall in love before she had a baby. She had told him once that she didn't want her baby to come from a broken family , that she didn't want to have to raise a child alone.

He was certain that was the reason why she had been so hysterical that night that she found out that she was pregnant , like all of her worst nightmares had come true.

Which was why Lance had promised her that she wasn't going to have to do this alone, she had him and he wasn't going anywhere , anytime soon.

How could he? He was in love with her and planned to, sometimes in the future when he grew some balls, tell her how he felt and hope that she felt the same.

Just- not yet. He was still too scared to ruin what they had right now. Their friendship was perfect to him, easy and comfortable , and the thought of losing her if she didn't feel the same way made him want to be physically sick.

So instead he waited and just continued to show her that he would be there for her. Determined to show her that not every man was going to let her down, hoping that maybe along the way that she would notice that he loved her from the way he treated her.

That she would see that he was a fool in love just from the way he couldn't go a day without even hearing her voice , he couldn't sleep without calling to say goodnight. Her voice was the first thing he heard in the morning and the last thing he heard at night and he wanted to keep it that way forever .

Only it might have been more than wishful thinking on his part because as much as Lance loved her, Cherrie wasn't the brightest spark around. Not that she was dumb , she really wasn't. She was just...oblivious. Completely oblivious to people's feelings and how she could affect them by just being herself . She was magnetic.

Lance had once watched her pat a guy on the back after he told her that he loved her at a party, smiling at him kindly and telling him 'thank you! That's so sweet!' Before casually walking away to get herself another drink. Leaving the poor guy crushed while Lance had awkwardly patted his shoulder and told him to join the club. There was a long list of guys that she had accidentally broken the hearts of with her obliviousness. Including him.

Because honestly , he had been more than crushed when she had told him that she was pregnant with some Italian guy that she couldn't even remember the name of. Never mind what he looked like.

But overtime that pain had faded away because he had been there with her through her whole pregnancy. He had held her hair back through all the morning sickness. Bought her all the mint and ginger in the world to help. He had went to every single appointment with her and had his own copy of her ultrasound in his Wallet, he had cried his heart out when they were told that she was going to have a little girl . The thought of Cherrie having a mini Cherrie was too much for him to take in.

He had been there when Luna was born at two o'clock on the morning , getting to cut her cord and pass her to a exhausted Cherrie with tears of joy in his eyes. He had fell in love all over again that night. Little Luna was a exact replica of her mother , same bright eyes and button nose , same pouty lips and a thick head of hair. She had been the most cutest baby that he had ever seen and he proudly let anyone who would listen to him know that they had the best baby in the world.

He had been there through it all with her and along the way it had become their new normal , Lance secretly thought of them as his own little family. He had been right there beside Cherrie , always , watching as Luna grew up from this whiny little baby and into this sassy little three year old , nearly four now too.

He treated her like she was his own daughter , silently taking the roll of a father without them even discussing it. It just all fell so easily into place for them, it felt natural. At least to him it did.

Luna of course knew that he wasn't her biological father but she didn't care, she loved him just as much and every time he came back home he was bombarded with a screaming toddler excitedly screeching his name.

Now was no different . He laughed as he heard her little feet sprinting down the stairs to reach him, dropping his bag carelessly to the side as he walked over to the bottom of the staircase to catch her.

"What have we told you about running on the stairs Luna?!" He exclaimed in worry as she threw herself into his arms without any hesitation. Little arms squeezed tightly around his neck as she giggled happily, beaming at him brightly.

"Lance! I saw you on the tv! You were soooooo fast!" She gushed to him excitedly, she was his biggest fan.

Lance chuckled as he moved her so that she was comfortable in his arms , smiling at the sight of the three year old wearing a glittery princess dress, the tiara sat crookedly on her little head. He had bought her that costume and every other single one she owned too.

"Yeah? You had fun this week with mommy?" He asked her as he took her into the ridiculously large front room and carefully dropped her onto the velvet couch . Putting on the tv and switching to put on spongebob for her, knowing that it was her favourite thing to watch right now.

A few weeks ago she had been obsessed with watching frozen none stop. Lance was just happy that he didn't have to listen to that shit anymore, he was certain that he could speak fluent frozen now. He knew every line and every lyric to the songs because Luna had forced him to watch it with her almost every night , it had been driving him more than a little insane.

Ironically enough , Cherrie always happened to be busy at that time she put it on . Leaving him alone with her daughter with a apologetic grin while he glared after her in Annoyance.

She was so lucky that he loved her because if he was forced to hear that movie one more fucking time... he was going to scream.

But thankfully for him Luna had seen him watching sponge-bob one morning after breakfast and decided to watch it with him too. She loved Lance and she was determined to copy everything he did. If he said he liked something then suddenly she did too.

It was adorable and worked in their favour when they needed her to do something that she normally wouldn't like. Like eating her vegetables. All it took was for Lance to have a plate full of them and the next thing they knew she would demand a plate of them too. Top tier parenting if he said so.

The three year old hummed as she tapped her little fake heels that she was wearing together happily , looking at him with a big grin on her chubby face.

"Yes, but mommy wouldn't let me get another princess dress." She complained to him, looking at him with big puppy eyes, knowing for a fact that he would buy her whatever she wanted with a bat of her big bambi eyes .

She always went running to him whenever she didn't get her own way, knowing fully well that Lance could never say no to her. Despite Cherrie scolding him for spoiling her all the time, he would just counter back that he spoiled Cherrie just as much and that would shut her up quickly . Because it was true.

He was a sucker for the both of them.

Lance had more money than sense and he enjoyed spending it on them. Liked to see them smile with joy and excitement whenever he brought home a new gift or surprise. Cherrie liked diamonds and her toddler liked anything princess related. He never came home without something for them, it was his version of flowers he supposed.

He used to always buy Cherrie a boutique of flowers but then she had Luna who apparently had hay fever now and couldn't even sniff a flower without sneezing. So he got her expensive jewellery instead. It made her just as happy , that was all that mattered to him.

And if he secretly swapped little luna’s plastic jewellery with read gold and silver , well , it was nobody’s business really. He just didn’t want her delicate skin to turn green. He wanted the both of them in diamonds and gold . Was that so bad?

He wanted to give them both the world. But diamonds and princess gowns would have to do for now.

"Maybe it's because your closet is full of them." He told the unhappy toddler matter of factly. They were going to have to turn one of the spare rooms into her own walk in closet soon at this rate.

Luna huffed at him, holding out her hand with a expectant look on her face. "Pocket money." She said impatiently .

Lance laughed loudly at that , looking at the toddler in pure amusement . He hadn't even been there for five minutes and she was already trying to mug him.

"Were you good for mommy while I was gone?" That was the deal. If she behaves herself and wasn't naughty , he would give her pocket money to spend at the mall.

He knew that he would give her it whether she had been good or not but still, it was good for him to try and act parental. As though the three year old didn't have him wrapped tightly around her tiny finger. Just like her mother.

Luna nodded her head rapidly , making a gimme motion with her fingers impatiently. "Yes I was! Promise!" She shouted with a toothy grin.

Lance just sighed and dug his hand into his pocket to pull out his Wallet. "Where is mommy anyways?" He asked her as he pulled out a twenty and handed it to her.

She giggled and hugged the money to her chest happily. "She's in the kitchen eating with her headphones on. She told me not to bother her until she's finished." She repeated her mother's instructions to him quickly. Already losing interest in him as her eyes went back to the tv, giggling loudly at something spongebob did on the screen.

His eyebrow rose in amusement at how Cherrie behaved. She always did this. She told him that she liked to eat her food while listening to music, that it gave her a whole different experience when dining in.

He just thought that she was antisocial and dramatic , having a baby hadn't changed her at all. She was still the same drama queen that she had always been, and he loved it.

She was so out of his league and he knew it. She was beyond beautiful and had been brought up with the finer things in life. A beautiful , rich and confident girl that wasn't afraid of anyone or anything. She walked around with her head held high, long hair always perfectly curled and nails always painted a different colour each week.

She could talk to anyone without any anxiety , another reason why he had always taken her as his plus one to events. He wasn't the social type, he preferred to stay in and not have to talk to people that he didn't know. When she was by his side he knew that could relax and let her do the talking, she had a big mouth and could speak enough for the both of them, and also knowing that she could easily control a conversation and get him out of one just as quick.

They were complete opposites that way. She was a social butterfly who loved partying and meeting new people . He was anti social and only talked to his small circle of friends and he absolutely hated parties , he only ever went to them just to make Cherrie happy.

He was quiet. She was a loudmouth without any filter. He was there by her side to slap his hand over her mouth whenever she was about to get herself into trouble by saying something that she really shouldn't. While she was there to make sure that he got out of his shell a little , making sure that he enjoyed himself even if it wasn't his scene.

She was rash and careless. Lance was an over thinker who planned everything down to a single letter. He kept them safe and Alive, while Cherrie kept him entertained. Their holidays were only ever planned by him now because he knew that if he let her take over, they would end up lost in the middle of nowhere with no way to get back home.

They were opposites but they balanced eachother out. It worked so well between them and Lance wanted this chaotic , dramatic , sarcastic and beautiful woman for the rest of his life.

"Taylor swift?" Was the first thing he said to her as he walked into the kitchen to check in on her, smiling to himself at the sight of her sat ontop of the dining table with her legs crossed. Large sonny headphones over her head as she chewed on a burrito happily.

She gasped and quickly pulled her headphones down from her ears. Beaming at him happily as she held out her arms for a hug.

"Lance! You're home! I've missed you a fuck ton!" She exclaimed loudly as he stepped into her arms and hugged her right.

Burying his face into her neck with a content sigh, letting his eyes fall shut for a moment as he sunk into her embrace . Inhaling her sweet perfume and relaxing against her , having missed her more than she would ever know know.

"God that was too long without you guys." He complained to her. Pulling away to see her face but still keeping his arms wrapped around her waist, admiring her perfectly styled hair and glowing skin.

"You need to come with me next time. Luna would love being there." He muttered to her, squeezing her waist gently as he smiled at her.

Cherrie laughed a little, running her fingers through his hair to fix it for him. Making him sigh in pleasure as she lightly scratched her nails against his scalp the way she knew he liked it.

"Maybe. I'm just scared that as soon as she sees you in that car she's going to tell me that she wants to be a driver too." She told him seriously , admiring his pretty face with a small smile. She then hugged him again just because she could.

He laughed , grinning down at her in amusement.

“Is that so bad?" He wondered.

Cherrie looked at him like he was insane , pulling a face at him. "My heart can only take so much Lance! I'm already going grey every time I see you on the track. I couldn't cope if I had to worry about her too!" She exclaimed . Frowning at him.

Lances face softened at her words , his heart squeezing in his chest. He knew that she wasn't the most emotional of people so to hear her verbally express that she worried for him was nice to hear.

She was always so blunt and acted like she didn't care but he knew that she did. Maybe not about anybody else but she did for him and Luna , they were the only people in the world that she would literally die for.

She liked to laugh off her feelings with jokes instead , hating being vulnerable with anybody , and rarely could they ever have a serious conversation without her getting uncomfortable and making up some stupid joke just to change the subject.

That was just the way she was and Lance had learned to see her love for him through other ways instead.

Like how she always hugged him whenever he was close, not letting go until she was ready to, no matter who they were around .

He felt it in the way she made him his favourite meals without him even asking her to. It was the way that she always kept her fridge stocked up with his favourited drinks and food .

It was the way she filled up his car with gas whenever she knew that he had a long journey ahead of him. Making sure that he had everything he needed while he was asleep.

It was the way she set up a simulator in her spare room for him. The way she constantly praised him even when a race hadn't gone the way he hoped, she was always there to tell him how proud of him she was.

It was the way she made sure to let Luna FaceTime him every night to talk to him, knowing how much he missed the there year old when he was gone . So used to having her attached to him like a baby koala that he could barely cope without her sass and without her nonsense ramblings .

It was The way that she squeezed his hand three times in the back of a taxi . The way she smiled at him without even saying a thing.

He could read between the lines and Cherrie didn't have to tell him that she loved him because he just knew that she did. He could feel it and that was everything.

"You don't have to worry about me Cher." He muttered to her with flushed cheeks. A shy smile tugging at his lips, unable to look away from her. She was just so beautiful and Lance was just grateful to be there with her then.

She was everything to him.

Cherrie scoffed lowly , narrowing her eyes at him "er- yes I do. I could literally not live without you lance. If anything ever happened to you... I'd go mad. You're my best friend." She stated matter of factly. Unashamed.

He looked at her in amazement , touched . "Trust me I know how you feel." He told her simply "if anything ever happened to you or to Luna then I wouldn't be able to cope with it. So we're gonna have to make sure that nothing ever happens to any of us alright?"

She nodded in agreement , smiling as she jumped off the counter top to land on her feet.

"Exactly. Ride or die am I right?" She teased him while holding out her fist to him happily.

He laughed as he fist bumped her, ruffling her hair just to annoy her . Giggling to himself as she kicked him in his ass in retaliation as he walked past her.

"What have I said about touching my hair!" She complained. Quickly following him back into the living room. Leaning down to kiss the top of Luna’s head, her daughters focus never leaving the tv.

Lance threw himself down on the loveseat and got comfortable. Watching her lazily as she pulled out her phone and started typing , absentmindedly picking up a few toys that were scattered around the floor as well.

He looked at her curiously, wondering who she was texting . "do anything fun while i was gone?" He asked her. Yawning.

Cherrie just shook her head no , eyes still down to her phone distracted.

“Not really. Just the usual." She muttered not really paying attention .

Luna's giggle got his attention as he looked over to see the three year old mischievously looking at her

Mum.

He rose a brow at her in amusement, wondering what she was giggling like that for. As though she knew something that he didn’t.

"what's that look for?" He whispered to her.

Luna giggled again, grinning naughtily "mommy has a boyfriend." She said casually as though it didn't completely ruin his mood right there and then.

Cherries head snapped up from her phone as soon as she heard her daughters words, eyes widening in embarrassment as she looked at her scoldingly.

"Luna! I already told you-" she started to speak only for Lance to cut her off.

He looked at her in disbelief , heart dropping to the bottom of his stomach at the thought of her with somebody else.

Oh my god. He had only been gone two weeks. Was that long enough for her to fall in love with someone who wasn't him?!

"Boyfriend? You didn't mention a new boyfriend to Me." He stated with a frown, trying not to lose his shit right there and then , crossing his arms over his chest as he sat tensely in the chair. No longer relaxed.

Cherrie rolled her eyes , shaking her head at the both of them. "I don't. It wasn't serious. Just a blind date that Miranda set me up with." She told him quietly , fiddling with her fingers as she waited for his reaction.

He scoffed "Miranda? Oh yeah cause she knows all about good guys doesn't she? How many times has her fiancé cheated on her now? Six?!" He exclaimed moodily. All of his earlier happiness gone , just like that.

She looked at him with a frown , hands on her hips as she tried to not shout at him. Then she looked over to her mischievous daughter and pointed over to the stairs sternly .

"Go play with your dolls Luna please." She instructed her firmly . Not wanting to argue with Lance in front of her.

Luckily Luna knew when to listen to her and quickly scurried off up the stairs to her playroom without any fuss. Still giggling to herself like shit stirrer she was. Cherrie waited to hear her door slam shut before speaking up again.

"I don't know why you're so upset. You're the one that was joking around about me turning into a Virgin again!" She reminded him in annoyance.

He looked at her in disbelief "yeah! As a joke! I wasn't telling you to go out with some random guy Cherrie! Who even was he?!" His voice rose as he felt his heart break in two.

Though he knew that he should have expected this to happen sooner of later he supposed. Was this his karma for not telling her how he felt for all these years? Cause it sucked and he honestly felt a little sick at the thought of her finding someone new to love. That was supposed to be his job! Not some random , stupid guy!

Cherrie looked down at him with a scowl , not happy to hear the judgmental tone in his voice.

"He's called Jake and actually he wasn't that bad-"

He laughed humourlessly "oh I bet. You like him so much that Luna apparently knows about him too?" He gritted his teeth. Not knowing who to be more pissed off at. Cherrie for letting Luna see this guy or himself for never telling her how he felt .

She glared at him , shifting uncomfortably on her heels. Regretting putting them on now. She had been hoping that maybe they could go out for a nice dinner to celebrate him being back home. But apparently not.

"That was an accident. She saw him dropping me off at my parents because my car broke down. That's all." She told him, annoyed .

Lance wanted to scream . He looked at her blanky and shook his head .

“You're forgetting that I know you Cherrie. Why didn't you tell me? We speak every night and not once did you mention some guy. Or going out on a date." He snapped at her. Hating being caught so off guard like this .

He wasn't prepared for this and he could feel his heart pounding in his chest. God. This was a nightmare. All of his worst ones coming true.

She groaned loudly at him "because I knew you would react like this! You never like the guys I hook up with! Even when we were younger!" She accused him, getting just as pissed off as he was.

He felt his face pale, stomach sinking. He swallowed thickly . "You slept with him?" It came out weaker than he intended . But he truly felt sick at the thought of her with somebody else. Trying not to burst into tears right there and then.

She froze for a moment . Her hesitation was enough of a answer for him making him bury his face into his hands with a loud groan of misery. Grimacing deeply like he was in physical pain.

"Fucking hell." He squeezed his eyes shut tightly "I can't believe this." He breathed out shakily , no longer able to look at her .

Cherrie felt her chest tighten , clutching at the necklace around her neck as she felt guilt weigh heavily down on her even though she had every right to do what she did.

He wasn't her boyfriend . She was aloud to hookup with other people. So why did she feel so bad?

She inhaled deeply and tried to stay calm, reminding herself that she hasn't done anything wrong. Lance didn't like her like that. He had never once even showed a interest in her romantically . She was allowed to move on. She had to.

She couldn't just be in love with her best friend forever . That wasn't healthy. Especially when he didn't feel the same way.

Because if he did he would have told her by now. They had been friends for years and spent almost everyday together . He had helped her raise her baby for nearly four years. There was no way that he would ever return her feelings , he never said a single thing.

"I don't know why you're acting like this. I'm allowed To have sex Lance. It's completely natural! And I was safe if that's what you're worried about!" She scoffed defensively "I'm on the pill and I used condoms-"

He frowned even louder , shoving a pillow over his face in misery. "Fucking hell! That's not- that's not the point! These guys only want to use you Cherrie-"

She rolled her eyes at him , irritated , huffing moodily . "I know. I wanted them to use me. I was using them too! It's no strings attached. We match , we meet up. Have a few drinks and a good fuck . That's all. It's not serious-"

He threw the pillow off of his face and sat up quickly , narrowing his eyes at her , getting more upset by the minute .

"Are you telling me that this has been a regular thing? You've been meeting up with strange men and hooking up with them? And you never once told me?! When did you even have the time to do this?!" He shouted at her . Getting up to his feet and running his shaking fingers through his hair in pure frustration .

Blinking back his tears as he realised then that this was all his fault . If he had just manned up and told her how he felt. Maybe then she wouldn't have had to run off and sleep with strangers to be satisfied.

He felt sick.

Cherrie looked at him with a frown, clutching her hands by her sides as she noticed how upset he was getting. His eyes were glossy and he couldn't even look her in her eyes anymore , his lips were pursed tightly and cheeks flushed a angry red .

"I- not that often . Only on Saturdays." She muttered. Regret filling her body quickly , wishing then that she hadn't even entertained those men at all. It wasn’t worth this reaction from Lance.

But she was just so tired of pining after a man that had never made a single move on her. Sick of feeling like shit as she wondered why Lance couldn't see her in the same way she had always saw him.

And she missed him when he was away. And she also missed the way that things used to be when she was younger. She used to love partying , drinking and hooking up with strangers who she didn't even know the name of. She had felt so confident and free back then. She just wanted to feel that way again.

And honestly.. she had been sexually frustrated for a long time now . She had went two years without sex and suddenly she was snapping at her friends and colleagues for no reason, constantly tense and wound up tight over everything.

Miranda had recognised the signs and told her to hop onto tinder to 'de-stress for a night.'

So horny , tired and fed up with pining over her best friend, she did just that.

When Lance was away she met up with a cute guy and had a amazing , long night of sex. And if they were lucky , some morning sex too. It was casual and it was easy and after it was done she finally felt relaxed again , knowing that she hadn't changed.

Men still wanted her. Lance might not have but they did. She was still hot. Still had all the right moves and guys still lusted over her . It helped boost her declining confidence and it became a quick (bad) habit .

A Saturday night fuckfest that no one needed to know about as far as she was concerned.

She should have known that Lance would find out in the end . She just wasn't expecting him to react so badly , looking as though he was going to cry.

What the hell was going on?!

"Every Saturday?! So when I'm qualifying , you're out there sucking some random guys dick?!" He couldn't believe it. Looking at her in betrayal.

Fed up with his judgmental attitude , she simply shrugged her shoulders and snapped back. "Yes I am. I'm having fun. Something that I'm allowed to do." She then stomped her way out of the room and to the downstairs guest room instead.

Lance quickly followed her and slammed the door shut behind him, glaring at her angrily. Heart racing in his chest.

"It's not just you anymore though is it?! You have Luna to think about now . You can't just bring some random guys in and out of her life. She needs stability." He snapped at her, furious with his own frustration too .

He felt so stupid . Knowing that all of this could have been avoided if he had just told the truth.

Cherrie glared back at him furiously “I know what I'm doing! I don't bring them back here Lance! I’m not stupid!"

He let out a cold laugh "well it feels like you are! You really can't be this dense Cherrie! There's no way they you don't know." He spat , clutching at his hair desperately .

She looked at him, offended. "Don't know what?! That you're a dickhead who's jealous of me fucking other guys?!" She shouted back at him. Fed up with arguing with him now. She had always hated it when they fought. It only ever left her feeling sick afterwords.

He took a step closer to her and shook his head in disbelief , eyes never leaving her own.

“And why the hell do you think I get so jealous Cherrie?" His heart raced in his chest in both panic and understanding knowing that he couldn't keep lying to her any longer like this .

For his own hearts sake , he had to tell her. This was a horrifying wake up call if he had ever seen one.

She paused at that. Eyeing him warily while he impatiently waited for her to catch on.

She inhaled Shakily , chewing on the inside of her cheek nervously as he continued to glare down at her Unhappily .

"I don't- what?" She didn't know what he was going on about. Not wanting to get her own hopes up anymore. Her heart could only take so much.

Lance let out a long and hard sigh , his shoulders sagging in defeat as he swallowed thickly and told her bluntly "I love you Cherrie. That's why it hurts so much to know that you've been seeking out guys that aren't me." His words weren't any higher than a whisper .

But he might as well have shouted them at her with the way that she froze up, eyes widening in disbelief.

"What?" She breathed out shakily , eyes flickering between his own quickly. Trying to find a lie. All she could see was the truth .

“Oh my god. But you-you never said anything!" She cried out suddenly , feeling sick with guilt and anger. So many years wasted when they could have been together , a perfect little family.

Lance sniffled , guilt crossing his own face as he watched tears fill her own eyes. Looking back at him like she had seen a ghost.

He took another step closer to her and gently took ahold of her arms, pulling her closer to him desperately .

"I know . I was scared. I was going to tell you but each time I tried to- I always chickened out. I mean -" he shook his head to himself "you're way out of my league Cherrie! I don't want to mess up our friendship if you didn't feel the same way!"

She slapped his chest, hard, at that. Making him wince at the sting , looking down at her in shock as she let out a loud, frustrated shriek .

"But I did Lance! I loved you! Always! I only went to those other guys because I was sick and tired of waiting around for something to happen between us when it never did!" She cried . More than Upset now.

Lance could only look down at her in astonishment , stomach sinking quickly .

“You did? You loved me too?" He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

She just looked at him in disbelief , heart pounding in her chest as she realised that the both of them had been so wrong for so long.

Both of them in love with each other and both of them assuming that the other one just didn't return those feelings.

Idiots! They were both idiots!

"Of course I did! How could I not?!" She shouted at him, running her hands through her hair in frustration as she began to pace back and forth across the room angrily .

"You were the only person who ever stayed. You were my best friend! You stayed with me through my pregnancy! You stayed with me through all my Hormonal tantrums and stupid crying fits when we couldn't find my favourite ice cream!" She sniffled, roughly wiping away the tears from her eyes, bottom lip trembling .

Lance stood in front of her with a pale face , his lips parted in pure shock. Unable to believe what an idiot he had been .

"Then when- then when Luna was born you…you stayed. You always fucking stayed! You woke up during the night to feed her when I was too tired. You treated her like she was your own and her first word-" she hiccuped , crying heavily now as she finally raised her head and looked him straight in his eyes.

"Her first word was 'Love!' Because you always used to tell her how much you loved her over and over again. And I was so fucking pathetic for being jealous of my own baby because all I wanted-" she inhaled deeply as she tried to stop crying, needing him to know that he wasn't the only one that fell in love too.

"-All I wanted was for you to tell me the same thing. I just wanted to hear you say that you loved me too." It came out more like a trembling whisper , finally coming to a stand still in front of the man that she so desperately loved.

For a long moment Lance didn't know what to say, his throat running dry and the lump in his throat becoming painful as he looked at her silently, filled with nothing but a sour mixture of regret, guilt and hope.

He inhaled deeply and slowly walked over to her till they were toe to toe, licking his dry lips as he wondered how the hell he could fix this mess that he had created .

He gently pushed her hair away from her tear stained cheeks and sighed, cupping her face in the palm of his hands as he wiped away her tears with a quiet sniffle.

"I am so sorry. I should have told you that I loved you the very moment that I knew..you're all that I've ever wanted." He whispered to her , swallowing. "I was just a coward. So blinded by my own fear to realise that you - that you loved me too." He said still unable to believe that she returned his feelings too .

All these years he had wasted by being so afraid...

Cherrie clutched at his wrists as he ran soothing circles over her cheekbones softly , his teary eyes never leaving her own as their hearts raced against each other as though it was a race.

And as she looked into his eyes , felt the trembling of his fingers against her skin and the guilt that covered his face. She felt her anger fade away. Just like that.

Because she knew Lance. He was her best friend for a reason After all . And she knew that he would never have tried to lead her on deliberately, he would never have any ill intentions towards anybody .

This was the same guy that had cried during toy story , the same guy that had made them have a little funeral in her garden after he had accidentally stepped on an moth that Luna had called ‘pretty’. He couldn't even hurt a fly.

All he had ever done was make her life easier for her. He had done everything that he could to make sure that she and Luna had the best life possible. He spoiled the both of them rotten and would proudly show off photos of the three of them to his friends. So proud of his little family even if she didn't know it then.

She knew then that he hadn't meant to hurt her. Hadn't meant to make her cry. All he had ever done was love her in silence . That was his only mistake, not telling her sooner.

He loved her. He was in love with her. He was her best friend . That was never going to change and who better to fall in love with than the man that knew her life no other?

The man that had immediately stepped up to be a father figure to her baby without her even needing to say a thing. He had just automatically done it because he loved the both of them, they were clearly meant to be. Their family and friends were right after all.

She realised that now. And what did her friend always say ... better late than never right?

So she let her tears dry and she let a smile arise on her lips , lances eyes never leaving her own as he patiently waited for her to tell him what she was thinking about . What she was feeling.

She just whispered the truth "I'm so in love with you." Slowly wrapping her arms around his neck as she pulled him closer to her, till they were breathing in each other's love. Heart beats in sync. Always.

Lance felt the weight slowly lift from his shoulders , his eyebrow raising as he shyly smiled back at her, hope  lighting up his once saddened features. Gently placing his hands on her hips , their noses gently nudging together.

"Yeah?" He breathed out , swallowing. "You-can we give this a try? Start over?" He almost pleaded.

Cherrie just laughed softly and shook her head fondly. "We don't need to start over Lance. I've loved you for half of my life. I'll love you till the end of it too." She promised him. Smiling affectionately as she washed his face flush red at her words, a flustered giggle escaping him as he squeezed her to him with a happy sigh escaping his lips.

"The first day that I met you I told myself that I was going to marry you someday." He confessed to her shyly . Falling into her embrace with ease.

"Still feel that way about me now?" She teased , gently tugging at the hair on the nape of his neck, watching him sag against her with a content sigh.

Instead of answering the obvious 'I do' he just closed the gap between them and kissed her instead.

Tilting her back gently till her head rested in the crook of his arm as he kissed he like should have kissed her all those years ago. A soft moan escaping her lips as she pulled him closer by his neck and deepened the kiss, slowly patting his lips with her tongue as they held onto each other tightly . Neither one wanting to let go.

So lost in each other that neither one of them heard the little mischievous giggle of a three year old as she peeked into the room with a smug, toothy grin on her chubby face. Eyes lighting up in joy as she watched her two favourite people in the entire world kiss each other like the prince and princess did in her favourite movies.

She squealed to herself in excitement , bouncing on the balls of her feet in joy as she hissed a happy "yesssssss!" Before quickly running away again to tell the rest of her stuffed animals that her plan had worked.

Even the toddler had seen that they were in love and Luna had been determined to make her mommy marry Lance so that they could be a proper family together now. Just like the movies.

And she could be a perfect princess at their wedding. She couldn't wait to demand Lance to buy her a new, big sparkly gown to wear and a new tiara too.

She squeezed her unicorn to her chest tightly with a beam of happiness on her face "daddy loves mommy!" She told the stuffed animal in delight. Having been calling Lance her daddy to her all of her nursery friends and teddy bears for a long time now.

And Luna couldn't wait to call him daddy to his face too now . They could be a perfect family.

The three year old smiled brightly to herself and wondered out loud 'I wonder if he will take us to Disneyland now.' Because priority's .

Knowing fully well that the toddler always got what she wanted . She wanted Lance and her mommy to be together. She got it.

She wanted to go to Disneyland with them, she would get it.

She had never been happier.

And neither had the best friends turned lovers in the other room, still lost in each other’s love as they stumbled to the bed after Lance had locked the door behind them. Their home filling with nothing but love and hope for the future now that she knew.

She and Luna were his home. He wanted this forever.

It was better late than never right?

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I want to remind you that I will be happy to help you create a Limited Edition of hand-painted accessories, shoes, bags or more from Dandy Shoe Care. We can make your own patterns of different colors and techniques on any genuine leather item. Don't wait. You can turn your business into something truly unique and working.

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The Adviser (27/45) | Bechloe Mafia AU

Synopsis:

Beca Bella, the consigliere and adoptive daughter of the former boss of a powerful Italian mafia, seeks to deliver her own personal brand of justice against a powerful and corrupt business conglomerate and their devilish counsel, while working on reclaiming her hidden wealth confined within the old Barden Tower. Thankfully, she has the help of her right-hand woman and bodyguard, and an old friend with secrets of his own. But things are easier said than done. Especially when she has to win over the trust of the tower’s quirky and colorful tenants, confront the ghosts of a past she left behind, as well as deal with her unexpected but ever-growing feelings for a fierce and determined lawyer she meets along the way.

Can Beca accomplish her goals, find her treasure, and keep the woman she loves in her life?

Or will something have to give for Beca to topple her enemies, climb the ranks of her world, and become the new boss of the Bella family?

Chapter 27: Paper Company Shake Up

All hands on deck as Beca, Chloe, and the rest of the Barden Tower residents work on getting the dirt that would bury Chicago for good.

Chapter preview below - Read the rest at ao3

"What?" Chloe asked rather innocently. Beca's response was to simply look her up and down before giving Chloe a sympathetic look. "You're dressed casually," Chloe pointed out. Beca was wearing a chic grey sweater, the materials it was made from and the tag on in probably cost more than Chloe's whole ensemble. In her arms, neatly folded, hung a cream-colored blazer that paired well with her cream-colored pants. Chloe wasn't sure what they were made off but they both looked sleek, stylish, and comfortable. The shoes Chloe already knew were expensive. It was a brand she didn't know off, but the insignia had caught her attention – Loro Piana – and it was enough to prompt Chloe to look it up before. Beca kept the make-up and accessories simple, with her hair styled back. This was casual for Beca. Not undercover, regular street clothes casual. But her own personal level of casual, one that screamed affluence over anything else.

Chloe on the other hand was wearing her favorite black suite and skirt ensemble that she wore to court a few times now. "I look good in this," Chloe insisted.

"I know, but… Look, Chloe. We're replacing a man and a woman, one of whom had the audacity to book the entire gallery for a private affair for two, I think it's safe to assume it's a date. And if one of them is rich enough to make private art gallery dates a thing…" Beca started to explain.

"This really won't pass?" Chloe asked.

Beca looked at her wristwatch. "We still have time, and I know just the place, come on."

"Just the place for what?" Chloe had asked. But Beca didn't answer.

Instead, they found themselves in Beca's car, with Beca driving silently to some chic, invitation only type of boutique Chloe didn't even know existed. Beca had a light smile on her lips, looking a little proud of herself. When they got there, she had explained that she called ahead of time – so she already planned this from the start, Chloe thought to herself – before Chloe found herself whisked off into a dressing room to try out a few pre-selected outfits for her.

Chloe tried very hard not to chuckle, every time she had to march out and gauge Beca's reaction, "modelling" the outfits she had picked out for her.

Beca was fairly easy to read in that instance. Chloe knew she wasn't convinced every time she pressed her lips together and quirked an eyebrow, and so Chloe would march back and try the next one. Meanwhile Beca was busy looking at whatever was in the black velvety boxes brought out to her by the shop's attendants.

When Chloe stepped out with the third to the last of her pre-selected outfits on – a she knew she had found a lovely black dress with a black blazer that hugged around her figure just right – she knew she found the winner. Beca looked speechless for a minute before she motioned for one of the sales attendants to come back with a big black velvet box. Beca gingerly picked up the necklace inside. The chains were made of gold and attached to the intricate design of the pendant. Beca walked up behind Chloe and placed the necklace around her neck, careful not to touch Chloe directly. Chloe could pick up the scent of Beca's perfume, a delicate mix of floral scents. There was a softness to it that Chloe paired with the elegant yet soft casual style that Beca had for the night. Chloe couldn't help herself blush a little. It almost felt like this fake date was real.

A part of her wished it was.

Beca hummed her approval as soon as she clasped it close, proud of her own choices. The sales attendant walked up to Beca, the box still open. That's how Chloe saw the pair of earrings that matched the pendant of the necklace. Chloe's fingers briefly brushed against Beca's own as she reached for one of the earrings inside the box, sending electricity from where they momentarily touched racing through her veins, down her pulse, throughout her own being.

"Are you sure about this?" Chloe asked with a gulp, trying to squash the butterflies that were starting to wake in stir inside of her. "You're spending quite a lot for one 'date.' This might be too much."

Beca shook her head. "Not at all," she replied before looking away. She watched as Chloe put the earrings on herself. "They were made you," Beca then said rather awkwardly, turning around and walking on away before urging Chloe to follow her out.

This was bad, they have a mission to complete, but Chloe couldn't help but notice how they were both acting like teenagers

Still, a part of Chloe's mind was indulging in maybes and fantasies. Of how things would have been if she had met Beca in a different circumstance.

Beca briefly smiled and let Chloe put the earrings on by herself. Chloe kept looking back at her through the mirror but Beca's expression had become unreadable in that moment. She couldn't help but wonder if her – well, their – beloved consigliere shared the same thoughts as her.