Chapter 20 Walking the Red Carpet
In the secondary hall, which was over 100 square meters, luxury brand staff dressed in various uniforms lined up in two rows and bowed slightly to them.
Among them were not only salespeople wearing short skirt suits or blazers, but also tailors from workshops wearing color-blocked workwear, and even a rising designer from a secondary brand.
In the corner of the secondary hall stood a huge machine that scanned human body dimensions. Next to it, a long table displayed various materials and tools for sewing and altering clothes, while a transparent cabinet on the other side contained miscellaneous fabrics and buttons categorized by type.
Behind the staff were dozens of haute couture sample garments, distinguished between men's and women's wear, as well as the latest ready-to-wear collections. Each garment had its own mannequin and was meticulously maintained without a single wrinkle.
This officially certified member brand of the Haute Couture Association is undoubtedly the industry leader, especially known for its exclusivity and high-class style.
At this moment, this iconic logo appeared in Giant Entertainment's office, and the brand was so eager to please that they practically moved the entire production studio over.
Liu Xiaolan would never have dared to be so bold.
Compared to Mr. Fang's matter-of-fact attitude, she appeared extremely reserved.
And there were four others who felt just as awkward as she did—
The main actors of the short drama "Grandma Taizu" were sitting upright on the sofa by the wall, each one more serious than the last, their expressions even more tense than the brand's staff.
Xiao Zhou couldn't help but exclaim "Wow!" and her feet involuntarily moved to a dress placed in the corner: "Is this an antique haute couture piece from the year 4988 of the Star Calendar?"
The saleswoman gave a sweet smile: "Yes, miss, you have excellent taste. Would you like me to take it down and try it on?"
"No, no." Xiao Zhou snapped out of his daze and quickly waved his hand in surprise.
From the moment she entered the room, Liu Xiaolan's mouth never stopped moving.
As a professional stylist, there's no more dreamlike scene than this.
Dozens of classic haute couture samples from the runway were hung in front of her, scattered yet orderly, and the distance between her and the clothes was even closer than when browsing an exhibition.
The mesh fabric, hand-sewn for hundreds of hours, was clearly presented before her eyes. The brand's up-and-coming designers were also by her side, kindly explaining the design concept of each garment.
Halfway through the shopping trip, she couldn't help but gently tug at Jiang Yu's sleeve:
"How did Mr. Fang manage to get Charent on board? Doesn't this brand only accept custom orders from 13 Stars in person?"
Jiang Yu rubbed his right thumb and forefinger together, making a money gesture: "As long as this is in place, everything is negotiable."
Liu Xiaolan returned a shocked look, her filter of high-end brands crumbling instantly.
Fang Zhuo leaned back on the sofa in the middle of the second hall, glanced at his watch, and said to Liu Xiaolan, "I've also sent you Director Zhang's size and 3D model. Prepare two outfits for him; he can try them on backstage before the red carpet tomorrow."
She immediately replied, "Okay, okay."
Liu Xiaolan was already at work, enthusiastically choosing a dress for Tong Qinglu. Fang Zhuo put aside the paper brochure handed to him by the salesperson and browsed the project proposal and document links sent by Deng Jiaqiang on his personal computer.
During the time that Grandma Taizu was filming, the group broadcast had already produced four episodes at a frequency of one episode every two to three days, and the revenue gradually stabilized.
Although a few competing live streaming rooms have recently started broadcasting, their hardware quality and the professional skills of their streamers are far inferior to theirs, and they have not yet taken away much traffic.
Deng Jiaqiang suggested that Juyu strike while the iron is hot and take the group broadcasting approach to the next level. He was indeed very experienced, and the new plan he presented was almost flawless.
Fang Zhuo looked at it for a while, crossed out the title reward section at the end of the document, and added a few words to the online document.
Upon seeing the document changes, Deng Jiaqiang immediately sent a prostrate emoji: [Your proposed reward scheme is much better, I admire you!]
Fang Zhuo replied in a relaxed tone: [You're not bad either]
He had just switched out of the project proposal interface when Liu Xiaolan stood beside the sofa and bowed slightly, saying:
"Mr. Fang, Miss Tong's dress has been chosen. Would you please try on some men's clothing as well?"
Charent's haute couture and atelier lines have very high requirements for body shape, including the runway models, who are all tall and slender, over 1.85 meters tall.
The older male actors in the short drama cast were somewhat overweight, and even Director Zhang's measurements clearly didn't fit into the bespoke suits. If they were to force themselves to wear them, they could only choose baseball-themed suits with wide upper bodies and shorter lower bodies.
Liu Xiaolan simply couldn't bear to see men in their fifties or sixties wearing shorts that were above the knee on the red carpet, so she didn't insist on the haute couture aura and chose more relaxed-fit ready-to-wear pieces for the middle-aged men.
But Ms. Fang's figure was no different from that of a runway model; she touched her chin—
Styling someone with such superior natural features is like an open-book exam; no matter which series you choose, the questions are easy points.
Fang Zhuo took the stack of clothes handed to him by Liu Xiaolan, turned around and walked into the fitting room.
The first outfit was a light gray double-breasted casual suit with a slightly longer top and a black tie. The fabric had a heavy drape, which diluted his serious and formal demeanor, making him look like the kind of rich second-generation playboy often seen at business cocktail parties in my previous life.
Liu Xiaolan clapped her hands slowly with satisfaction and took another set from the clothes rack: "President Fang, try this one."
Fang Zhuo rarely wears such a striking red tie, and he has almost never worn a leather trench coat that reaches his calves. When he came out of the fitting room, he heard a collective gasp.
Liu Xiaolan snapped her fingers: "President Fang, I think this one is better, what do you think?"
Fang Zhuo was too lazy to argue and said to the salesperson, "I want both sets."
After all, a casual men's jacket isn't like a formal dress that can only be worn once, so consider it as buying personal clothing.
Seeing this, the salesperson promptly pushed over a whole row of mannequins:
“Mr. Fang, would you like to try the Iceberg ready-to-wear collection that was just released at the show last month? I think the style of this collection is very suitable for you.”
Fang Zhuo glanced at them—these clothes were the same as the first set, all in a casual style.
He now runs an entertainment company, so there aren't that many formal occasions where he needs to wear formal attire. Changing his style of dress appropriately isn't a bad thing.
He casually pointed to a few outfits on the shelf that were too brightly colored: "Besides these, I'll take one of each of the others."
"Yes, sir."
The salesperson's smile contained no hint of salesmanship, but rather a genuine desire for huge commissions.
Liu Xiaolan covered her mouth in shock and whispered to Jiang Yu, "Help! Does your boss always buy things like this?"
Jiang Yu smiled and said, "You'll get used to it. I'm your boss now."
While the tailor in the workshop was marking the measurements, the salesperson calculated the price and said sincerely:
"Mr. Fang, your expressiveness and personal image are a perfect match for Charent's brand image. Our official account will post about your red carpet event as soon as possible."
"If you need anything in the future, please feel free to contact us. Your orders and the requests of our company's artists to lend out dresses will be given priority."
"You purchased a total of eleven menswear items this time, including two haute couture pieces that were just released at this year's VIC exclusive runway show, and nine ready-to-wear pieces."
"The women's collection includes an embroidered dress from the Métiers d'Art collection and a beaded haute couture gown from this spring/summer collection."
"Including labor costs, the total is 6.2 million. The electronic breakdown has been sent to your email."
Upon hearing the number, Liu Xiaolan grabbed the table next to her for support.
She needs to take it easy with the ventilator.
This amount of money is enough to buy a small apartment in the Fifth Ring Road of the main planet.
The salesperson continued enthusiastically, "Mr. Fang, we will be holding a haute couture menswear fashion show for our autumn/winter collection at 13 Stars in two months. If you are unable to attend, we can bring a selection of styles to explain to you."
Fang Zhuo spoke very directly: "I don't have time. You should contact Miss Liu directly."
After his body data was measured in the instrument, he said to Liu Xiaolan before leaving, "The clothing expenses for me and the company's artists can be reimbursed through the company's accounts. I'll have to trouble you with this in the future."
Liu Xiaolan waved her hands repeatedly, feeling extremely embarrassed and apprehensive: "It's no trouble at all, it's all my duty."
The salesperson carried a small printer with him and printed out the receipts, then casually placed them on the table.
Xiao Zhou gave Liu Xiaolan a look, and the two immediately huddled together to examine the clothes closely, secretly analyzing the price of each garment with an air of naiveté.
A piece of paper, faintly scented with incense, lay quietly on the table. A hand with long manicured nails poked at a corner of the cardstock.
This piece of paper had clearly been handled countless times and folded hard, with sharp marks etched on the last few names in the last line.
The room was filled with a strong, foul stench, a mixture of Pu'er tea and tar, like the acrid smell of soil dampened by acid rain. Anyone familiar with the place would immediately recognize it as the odor of a new type of hallucinogenic drug.
Chi Yingying impatiently fanned herself with her right hand, increasing the speed of the fresh air circulation in the room.
A syringe flew past her ear and slammed against the wall.
"Are those old folks at Gasha out of their minds? A short drama that just aired, and they're making them the last ones on the red carpet?"
She frowned and pulled an old-fashioned slim cigarette from a pack on the shoe cabinet:
"Stop acting like a mad dog. Haven't you made enough of a mess with that blind paparazzi you hired? Instead of staying home and using these useless pills, you should go get your rabies treated."
The room fell into a deathly silence.
Ruan Zihan's voice was hoarse: "Did you ask those styling studios last night? Which one did they contact?"
She exhaled a puff of smoke and chuckled softly.
"I have some good news you've been waiting for: Giant Entertainment really is a shoddy operation. For such an important red carpet event, they didn't even contact an independent studio; they just did the styling themselves like they were doing a live stream."
Ruan Zihan was slightly relieved.
Juyu's development path is unconventional, involving group broadcasting and short drama production, which suggests that their boss doesn't have a deep understanding of the entertainment industry.
Star Entertainment audiences are used to praising the powerful and belittling the weak; those with poor fashion resources will only be ridiculed.
The difference between internet celebrity MCN agencies that only know how to attract attention and real star management companies is significant.
He took a few deep breaths: "Buy a trending topic and spread the news."
As soon as the first celebrity stepped onto the red carpet to sign autographs, a barrage of comments flooded the live stream on the official account of Gessar magazine.
[Does anyone know if the rumor about a celebrity from Juyu Entertainment wearing counterfeit goods on the red carpet is true or false? It's been discussed for hundreds of posts on the forum.]
[Let's hear from the source, is there anyone who truly understands this?]
[You guys are putting on an act so early this time! Sister Tong hasn't even appeared yet and you're already spreading rumors about loans? Starting with just a chat screenshot and it's all made up? If this counts as real gossip, I could mass-produce a hundred of these!]
[I don't pay attention or care, all I know is that this is Fang Ge's first offline event^^]
[...It turns out that the real industry insiders have come. Actually, Juyu didn't contact any styling studios. This news first came from inside the industry, and everyone was guessing which brand would lend them the dresses.]
Blue-blooded brands generally cherish their reputation; if you haven't had a few stable collaborations with a brand, they probably won't even want to lend you ready-to-wear clothing.
[Uh, he certainly wouldn't wear cheap knock-offs or fakes. Fang is so rich, he could buy them even if the brand didn't lend him the money.]
[Are you crazy? With so many entertainment events, you buy all your own dresses? Even our 15th-ranked princess didn't live this extravagantly when she entered the industry.]
[All the popular actresses who attended the red carpet event posted their departure photos early on, so why don't you think Sister Tong posted one? Either your idol Fang Gege is completely unaware of this regular segment, or he's wearing a stolen outfit and is afraid of being caught.]
[...They won't go on stage wearing those group-broadcast performance outfits, will they?]
[She's probably going to get completely blacklisted by the fashion industry. Those officially certified haute couture stores only have physical stores with 13 stars. Didn't that 2005-born actress who debuted a couple of years ago wear counterfeit versions twice? Now, she's politely turned away whenever she tries on clothes at those stores. Apparently, no styling studios will take her on.]
[So nobody cares about the Elia Calb pink satin haute couture outfit that Yingying wore today? The departure photos alone are stunning.]
[I support and understand Juyu. Actually, every artist's look is tough when they first enter the industry. As long as they don't wear stolen clothes, stage costumes are acceptable.]
[Hehe, your understanding is useless; blue-blooded brands won't understand.]
[Can you all just shut up? Anyone making up stories about loans is being charged. Next up is the Juyu short drama crew walking the red carpet. Can't they tell the difference between real and fake outfits?]
A fully enclosed cloud-shaped car, adorned with bouquets and provided by the official Gessa brand, stopped at the starting point of the red carpet. The moment it paused, countless camera shutters clicked in quick succession.
Flashbulbs were rapidly flashing at a high frequency, and countless eyes, both online and offline, were watching the cloud-like sliding doors slowly open.
A leather shoe landed on the red carpet, and Fang Zhuo was the first to come out.
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