Chapter 24
"My design concept comes from traditional Chinese Hanfu, retaining the original two-piece suit design while incorporating Han elements. First, the men's jacket eliminates the lapel design and replaces the entire front opening from the collar to the placket with a double-breasted design, using Chinese-style frog buttons. The women's top has the same overall style as the men's, with the difference in details being that the placket uses a cross-shaped diagonal placket and the cuffs have a hidden pleat design, which makes the overall look a bit playful. In addition, the skirt part of the bottom uses a horse-face skirt, with a length that reaches the knee."
After the introduction, a round of enthusiastic applause erupted, and the judges exchanged pleasantries with their heads bowed.
Ah-Kuan went on stage and followed the script, asking, "Is there any judge who would like to offer some comments?"
Professor Zhang from the Academy of Fine Arts took the microphone first, saying, "Let me say a few words first. I am very interested in this work. I was attracted just by seeing the draft. How did you come up with the idea of using Hanfu elements?"
Lin Ting: "Because I really like Hanfu and I usually study it, and Hanfu culture is very popular now, it is also a kind of traditional Chinese culture. This kind of world-class sports competition not only shows the spirit of competitive sports, but also the national culture and heritage. So this time, I incorporated Han elements into the design."
Professor Zhang: "Is the pattern on the clothes embroidered? What is it embroidered with?"
Lin Ting: "It's embroidery. The men's version is embroidered with the Great Wall, and the embroidery is on the front placket and the sides of the trousers. The women's version is embroidered with West Lake in Hangzhou, and the embroidery is on the front placket and the hem of the skirt."
Professor Zhang: "What's the reason?"
Lin Ting: "First of all, both of these are famous historical sites known both in China and abroad. 'He who has not climbed the Great Wall is no true man,' symbolizing the indomitable spirit of men. 'The West Lake is compared to Xi Shi,' using the West Lake to describe women, depicting the gentle and graceful nature of girls. This not only showcases Chinese characteristics but also distinguishes between genders."
Professor Zhang cast an approving glance, "It has a story and is aesthetically pleasing, not bad."
Professor Li, who was standing nearby, also spoke up: "Was this machine-embroidered or hand-embroidered?"
Lin Ting: "I embroidered it myself."
The judges were all surprised.
Professor Li: "I didn't expect you to have such exquisite embroidery skills at such a young age."
Lin Ting was a little embarrassed. "No, I only know a little bit. Back in my hometown, people make a living by embroidery. I only know the basics."
Professor Li: "What kind of embroidery technique is it?"
Lin Ting: "Straight stitch embroidery."
Professor Li was a little incredulous. "The flat stitch is a very basic embroidery technique. I never expected that it could produce such a lifelike pattern. The skill is truly remarkable."
Lin Ting: "Thank you, teacher."
Sitting next to Professor Li, Director Zhang of the Jinshi Culture and Sports Bureau spoke up, "Could we switch to machine embroidery? If it's mass production, relying entirely on hand embroidery is time-consuming and labor-intensive."
Lin Ting seemed to have anticipated this question and replied without any hesitation, "Machine embroidery can be used. Flat stitch is the most suitable material to replace machine embroidery. I took this into account when I designed it, and I have even prepared machine embroidery patterns. They can be sent to the embroidery factory to be made into patterns and then machine embroidered."
After all, the government is the implementing body, and its focus is on issues such as feasibility and labor costs. Since these are not problems, they naturally have no problems either.
For the first two entries, diving champion Chen Ting did not speak, but when she saw Lin Ting's entry, she was eager to express her thoughts.
"I'm actually very pleased to see these two works. Finally, it's no longer just 'tomato and egg'."
After he finished speaking, the audience burst into laughter.
Chen Ting immediately tried to smooth things over, "I didn't say that tomato and egg is bad. Everyone wants to change things up after eating it too much. How did you come up with the idea of using green and white?"
Lin Ting: "First of all, the purpose of these two colors comes from an ancient poem that says, 'After the rain breaks, the sky clears and the clouds pass by, this color is used to describe the Ru kiln.' The Ru kiln is the first of the five major porcelain types in my country. And the lowercase meaning of China is porcelain. It can be seen that porcelain is a very important part of our traditional culture, and it can even be said to be a symbol. Therefore, blue and white can also represent China. This is the reason why I used blue and white."
After listening, Chen Ting's eyes were full of admiration. "It's so good that there are still people who love to read these days!" She continued to ask questions, "And you just mentioned the horse-face skirt. This is the first time I've heard of it. Could you explain it to me?"
Hanfu is a niche area. Those who understand it are very clear about the dynasties, evolution, and characteristics of each style. Those who don't understand it mostly see it in movies and TV dramas and think it looks beautiful.
Lin Ting picked up the topic again and explained in detail. "The horse-face skirt is the most typical style of women's clothing during the Ming and Qing dynasties. It has four skirt panels in the front and back, which overlap in pairs. The sides are pleated, and the smooth surface formed by the overlapping middle skirt panels is commonly known as 'horse face'."
To explain more clearly, she took the skirt off the mannequin and had the host unfold it. Then she pointed to each part and explained in detail, "As you can see, the Mamian skirt is actually a whole piece of clothing. It is usually made of 7 pieces of fabric, with 3 and a half pieces pieced together to form a skirt. Two skirt pieces are then joined together to form a skirt. The four overlapping panels of the skirt are kept flat, and the sides are pleated. The pleats are large and sparse, and they are fixed with a contrasting waistband. Ties are sewn at both ends of the waistband."
Chen Ting: "I saw you just untied the ribbon and took it off? How are you going to wear it?"
Lin Ting put the skirt on the mannequin again, explaining in unison: "First, find the center of the skirt and align it with your abdomen. Then, wrap the hem around to the back, one piece on top and the other on the bottom. Wrap the double ties around to the front, and finally cross them from front to back, from back to front, and from front to back. After wrapping it three times, tie a bow."
"I thought it would be complicated, but it's actually very convenient to wear! I don't know what the other judges thought, but I really like this piece. Girls love beauty and new things. The moment I saw contestant number three's piece, I had the urge to try it on. It has a poetic and picturesque beauty. I suddenly feel a little envious of the athletes participating in this university games." Chen Ting pouted at the end, showing that she genuinely liked the piece.
The judges didn't ask any more questions, so Lin finished her first round of explanations. From the enthusiastic applause at the end, it was clear that everyone appreciated her work, and she had a very good chance of winning the championship.
Chen Yan couldn't come. Lin Ting received a message from him saying that he had an accident on the way and injured his leg. Moreover, his roommates hadn't found a new candidate yet. There were many exhibitions these days, and the school's model team had all gone out to take jobs.
Lin Ting slumped in the chair, one arm shielding her eyes, the other hand holding her phone hanging limply by the side of the chair.
The room wasn't cold, but at that moment it felt as if a chilling wind was blowing rapidly from the bottom of her heart, chilling her to the bone.
Fate seemed to have no mercy on her. She knew long ago that what others could easily obtain, she always had to work hard and struggle for a long time, going around in circles, and in the end, even ending up with nothing. Just like now, one second she was only one step away from victory, but now she was separated by a thousand chasms.
She decided to change into the women's version herself and push the mannequin dressed in the men's version along with her on the runway.
No matter what, we should lose completely. We must finish the competition no matter what, as that would be a fitting reward for all the hard work we've put in late into the night recently.
Lin Ting straightened up, preparing to change her clothes.
I heard the sound of a door opening and footsteps approaching.
Lin Ting turned her head towards the door. Perhaps because she had just closed her eyes for a while, she found the light shining directly in a bit dazzling when she opened them. She couldn't help but shield her eyes with her hand, blinked, and quickly adjusted to the light, watching the person slowly walking towards her in the bright light.
He was dressed in a black hoodie and a black hat. Although he was dressed all in black, like a crow, his handsomeness was still undeniable.
Later, when Lin Ting recalled when she first truly felt a different feeling for Chen Zhiyi, she said with certainty that it was at that time that she felt he was like a savior who had descended from the heavens and crossed the vast universe to save her.
In fact, Chen Zhiyi had been sitting in the audience for an hour before the competition started, but he didn't want Lin Ting to see him or for anyone else to recognize him, so he deliberately dressed in all black.
How could she possibly miss such an important match?
He arrived and immediately sat in a secluded corner at the back of the audience, without even going backstage to see her.
He had watched many live sports events before, but this was his first time watching a non-sports event, especially one with such a large scale, with cameras and microphones everywhere. He felt a bit awkward. Lin Ting had no competition experience and was usually introverted and didn't talk much, so he was quite worried for her.
When Lin Ting appeared on the side of the stage, ready to go on stage, Chen Zhiyi also became flustered.
While other contestants were preparing, they all looked at the stage and the judges, but Lin Ting would often turn her head to look at the side door or the staff waiting area.
There's a row of seats in the waiting area reserved for models, but clearly, they're still short one person.
He understood!
But he didn't go over immediately, afraid of disturbing her peace of mind, and thought that if he waited a little longer, the model might arrive.
Fortunately, she is a person who can withstand pressure and quickly adjust her mindset. Her explanations on stage were calm and confident, and her answers to the judges' questions were reasonable and measured, winning praise from the judges and applause from the audience.
Dressed in a black formal dress, with light makeup, she spoke elegantly and her eyes were captivating. In a daze, Chen Zhiyi seemed to have traveled through a time tunnel and saw Lin Ting, who would become a famous fashion designer several years later.
At that time, she had achieved both fame and fortune, but she remained calm and aloof, untouched by worldly affairs, like a pure white gardenia blooming on its own.
Lin Ting couldn't believe her eyes and stared in astonishment as Chen Zhiyi walked up to her.
"You, how come..." Lin Ting choked up a little, but asking "What are you doing here? Didn't you have something to do today?" would be too silly to ask such a question that she already knew the answer to.
So he changed the subject and joked, "Are you dressed like that to rob a bank?"
Chen Zhiyi removed his mask, a smile playing on his lips, and nodded intentionally. "Now that you mention it, it's a good idea. Otherwise, all my careful dressing up would have been a waste." With that, he deliberately turned around.
Lin Ting grabbed him, "Aren't you taking me with you?"
"Not playing anymore?"
No.
"What's wrong? Are you short of money?"
"Yeah, if you're short on money, you need to find a tall, handsome, and responsible model."
"Now that you mention it, I think I'm quite suitable to be this model, especially since it's free."
Chen Zhiyi held out his hand, "Give me the clothes."
Lin Ting hesitated for a moment, "Are you sure you want to help me? This competition is being broadcast live. You're still a student, and I'm afraid it might cause public opinion to affect you."
"What public opinion? I wore a mask the whole time! Besides, if you win the competition, you should at least thank me without mentioning my name in your acceptance speech, right? If you become famous as a designer because of this, and someone interviews you and asks who has had the biggest influence on your design career, you should at least mention me. You can ride on this glorious achievement for a long time, so why not?"
Lin Ting felt a warmth in her heart, and her eyes welled up with tears as she looked at him.
"Aren't you touched? Doesn't my image suddenly seem much taller in your eyes?"
Lin Ting smiled and nodded solemnly, "Yes!"
"Then you must remember this well, for the rest of your life."
"Okay, I'll remember that for the rest of my life."
Yes, in a lifetime, it is a rare and beautiful thing to be remembered by someone you like for a lifetime because of one thing.
It was worth it!
A moment later, Chen Zhiyi came out of the fitting room after changing his clothes.
As he walked out, Lin Ting suddenly saw the real-life version of "A gentleman as beautiful as jade, unparalleled in the world".
He was dressed in flowing blue and white robes, his skin fair, his pupils as black as ebony, his nose high and straight, and his lips alluring red. He was like a naturally beautiful fairy, a lotus emerging from the water, carved from pink jade.
It turns out that some people really did come out of the painting.
Heaven is truly unfair; it gave him immense wealth and also bestowed upon him an exceptionally beautiful appearance.
Even when Chen Zhiyi walked right up to Lin Ting, she didn't take her eyes off him. It was the first time she had ever looked at him for so long.
"Why are you staring at me like that? Are you attracted by my beauty?"
"Yes, the clothes I designed really suit people."
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