Beautiful People | wlw

Seven: Stubborn

Getting Carmen to commit to anything was a nightmare.

Vera left that first day thinking they had a solid plan: Carmen had bought into the strategy, they had started to put together some simple daily looks that were more intentional than her usual choices but not so wild that she was uncomfortable wearing them, and had discussed goals for the upcoming events. When Sharise dropped her off at her hotel, Vera was exhausted but satisfied. She spent some time reviewing the photos she had taken of Carmen playing dress up, making notes and sketching out ideas. She even managed to write out and schedule three posts to satisfy her neglected followers. She slept so deeply she didn't dream at all.

But when Vera went back the next morning, Carmen had decided she didn't like any of the looks they had designed and wanted to have an existential discussion about the necessity of the whole strategy.

"I promise I won't try to force you to wear anything you're not comfortable in." Vera spread her hands, palms up, pleading. "The whole point is for you to feel great about what you're wearing. I just want a chance to convince you to take some risks."

Hands on her hips, Carmen turned to look at herself sideways in the floor-length mirror. She was wearing a structured navy blue dress with tiny crystals swirling over her hip and down her leg like stars in the Milky Way. Vera had found it tucked in the back corner getting dusty and thought it would be a safe step out from Carmen's usual look, perfect for the party she was attending the next day (Semi-formal, read Sharise's notes in the schedule).

Carmen wrinkled her nose. "It's gonna make people think I'm pregnant." She tugged at the loose fabric over her stomach and waist. "Baby bump watch is serious business."

"It just needs some alterations," Vera said, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "Unless something is custom, it's not gonna fit the way you want it to at first. Didn't Bea ever get anything altered?"

"How would I know? I like the other dress better."

The other dress was a pink silk slip dress, exactly the sort of thing Carmen always wore.

Vera stifled a sigh. "Okay, I'll put together looks for each of them and you can decide tomorrow. Just let me pin this one up before you take it off. I won't suggest you go out in something that doesn't fit."

After the fitting was done, Carmen flitted off to do something else. Vera worked on alone. With the two dresses and her notes on colour in hand, she picked through the racks of shoes and boxes of jewelry for the perfect pieces to turn both dresses from an outfit into a statement. She agonized over accessories: socks, tights, or bare feet? Simple necklace, elaborate, or bare neck? Earrings? Bracelets or rings?

And equally important: hair and makeup. She didn't know what she was going to do about that.

Vera set up her sewing machine in the sunniest corner and was bent over the finicky waist darts of the blue dress when Sharise appeared in the doorway. She didn't step inside, just hovered with her palm on the frame, watching Vera measure and fold and pin and adjust and pin again.

After a while, Sharise said, "Sorry to interrupt."

Vera looked up. The smile that bent her lips pricked. "Ouch," she mumbled, pulling half a dozen needles out of her mouth.

Sharise's lips twitched in that way Vera was already becoming familiar with. "That looks dangerous."

Shoving the whole handful of pins into her crocheted-pig pincushion, Vera said, "It's a bad habit. I'm glad you're here. I forgot to ask Carmen about the--" she gestured in the direction of her own face "--hair and makeup situation."