C12 (3)
"Are you going to make me look like a child?" she asked with some suspicion. She found the idea disconcerting and a bit creepy.
"No, no," said Andrew hurriedly. "It's not like that. My idea is that you're a woman returning home and reminiscing about her childhood. It's about having a break from the pressures of adulthood."
Chloe felt reassured by Andrew's ability to provide an appropriate rationale for his idea. It didn't mean she thought it was an inspired idea though. It was more like something a person might think of if they happened to look out their window and see an old swing set. Still, they weren't doing an art course. The goal was to learn how to work with models, and she was here to be his model.
"Are you happy with what I'm wearing?" she asked. She was wearing a cream silk blouse with a pair of ripped jeans.
"Sure, you look fine," said Andrew.
As there didn't seem to be anything more to do to prepare, she went and sat on a swing and waited for Andrew to start directing her. Andrew was obviously just making things up as they went along. He tried and failed to get some shots of her actually swinging, so then he tried posing her in ways that would hopefully look like she was moving. Chloe did everything she could to help, but she wasn't confident that anything was really working.
Chloe noticed before Andrew did that Rupert was watching them from the door of the house, which only added to the awkwardness of the situation. When Andrew noticed, he froze. Seeing that he had already interrupted, Rupert stepped outside. "Can I make a suggestion?"
"What?" said Andrew. He sounded annoyed.
"It's just that I've got one of my designs in my workshop that would really work. I would be honoured if Chloe would wear it."
Taking Andrew's silence as agreement, Rupert quickly fetched the blouse. It was pale pink and diaphanous. Rupert obviously seemed to expect Chloe to change into it right there and then, which probably wasn't surprising given he was a gay fashion designer. Chloe turned to Andrew and raised her eyebrows. "I will show you a room where you can change," he said.
He showed Chloe to a bathroom. Once she had changed, she looked at herself in the mirror. The blouse had wide billowing sleeves which she knew would float around in the breeze and create the sense of movement that Andrew was looking for. Her only problem was the thinness of the material as she could make out the lace pattern of the black bra she was wearing underneath. However, she decided that it would be prudish to protest.
She felt self-conscious as she returned to the swing set, particularly when she noticed Andrew's eyes darting to her chest and quickly looking away again. She caught Rupert's eye, and she could see how pleased he looked. His smile gave her a surprising amount of confidence, and she actually started to feel like a model, beautiful and desirous.
As Chloe became more confident, so did Andrew. He was a lot happier with how his photos were looking, and both he and Chloe were buoyed by Rupert who expressed unbounded delight with everything. After taking a few more shots on the swings, they did a few on the slide, and then they finished with Chloe's suggestion of her hanging upside down from the bar with her arms waving in the breeze.
Once they had finished, Chloe announced that she was going to get changed. "I won't hear of it," said Rupert. "Please accept that blouse as my gift to you. It's just an early prototype. The version in my new collection has a slightly different fabric."
"Is it less see-through?" asked Chloe with a smirk.
"No, more see-through," replied Rupert with all seriousness.
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Chloe was thankful she had a car. She wouldn't have liked the idea of showing off her bra on a bus. She hung her new blouse in her wardrobe before anyone else could see her wearing it, unsure of when she might wear it again. It didn't occur to her that more people would be seeing her in it until she arrived at their next class and Karyn started showing slideshows of their homework.
Most of the class had taken more traditional portraits. There were photos of Ruth walking through a garden, Deirdre grooming a horse, and April sitting in various chairs in Alistair's house. Gerald got some commendation for his photos of April wearing a tutu doing a number of ballet poses, although Karyn noted that this wasn't particularly challenging since April was an accomplished ballet dancer. Then it was time to see Andrew's photos.
Chloe was pleasantly surprised to see how she looked. As for her bra, she could see it herself, but she thought it was possible that the others wouldn't notice. Karyn was complimentary in her critique of Andrew's work and the illusion of movement he had created, although at one point she zoomed in on one of the photos on the swing to point out that Chloe's face was strained from holding her position. The side effect of zooming in on this photo was that it enlarged the view of Chloe's chest. She heard Alistair catching his breath, and she felt herself blushing.
"I assume that's an original Rupert Redpath blouse," observed April once Karyn had finished talking.
"It is," said Chloe, "and he let me keep it."
"Ooh, lucky girl," said April. "Look after it. It may be worth a lot of money in a few years."
Karyn finally moved on to Chloe's photos. "I've saved the best to last," she exclaimed. "Chloe, would you like to talk us through your idea?"
Chloe felt everyone's eyes upon her as she stammered through her response. "My concept was about the whole idea of professional protesters and rent-a-crowd." Andrew was blown away by the photos of himself as they viewed them. In each photo the green of the shirt and the placard had been replaced by different slogans for different causes. The causes themselves were an eclectic mix, although he had to smile when he saw Chloe had included one that said 'Ban all forward passes!' as a nod to their rugby inspiration. At one point Karyn paused and zoomed in on his face which seemed to be showing genuine anger. She congratulated Chloe for this. The group followed this up with a warm round of applause.
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After they had finished reviewing the homework, Karyn moved on to the topic of the second class which was about clothing and fashion. The main focus was on various types of clothing and the various techniques of posing a model to show the clothing to its best advantage. The class was very technical, and Chloe could see Andrew making copious notes. She knew that this class was the most important one for him.
It wasn't surprising that their homework assignment directly related to the topic. Karyn stressed that there was no need to buy any expensive clothes. She was perfectly happy for them to model whatever clothing they already had.
"Don't listen to her Chloe," interjected April. "I'm desperate to see you wearing more of the Rupert Redpath collection."
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Although Chloe and Andrew had only actually agreed to work together for the first week, neither of them bothered to check with the other before making plans to meet again. Andrew simply suggested that they alternate who did what each week, and Chloe wasn't surprised when he suggested that they meet at his work on Sunday afternoon. He was naturally keen to start working with his brother's fashion creations.
Chloe decided that it would be a good idea to Google Rupert Redpath to see what she was likely to be wearing. There was a wide variety, but she noticed that his designs included more than a few items that were partially see-through. She seriously considered calling Andrew and putting her foot down about it, telling him that she wasn't prepared to model those particular clothes, but she was reluctant to make life difficult for him. She was also worried that, if she showed too much reluctance, he would just use April instead. Given what April had said, she might even offer to do it for free, and if she didn't, Andrew's brother would probably be happy to pay. Chloe didn't fancy having to work with Gerald, and certainly not with Alistair.
She decided to talk to her flatmate Sophia who came up with a surprisingly simple solution. "You just need some flesh coloured underwear," she said. "Let's go shopping. I know a place in town that sells lots of different shades so we can get a perfect match."
In less than an hour Chloe had what she needed. The bra was plain with a front closure. She also picked out some simple bikini briefs, whereas Sophia had encouraged her to get a thong. She ended up buying both. When she got home she put on the blouse that Rupert had given her. Surprisingly, the illusion of nudity under the translucent top made her feel sexy.
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