Chapter 233
After the theme was announced, a hundred designers were assigned to their individual studios. Each designer drew lots to decide their workspace, and Chloe ended up in studio number 9, while Lisa got studio number 38. Their studios were quite far apart.
Over the next 48 hours, the designers had to create a design sketch based on the theme of "time" and produce their final product. The organizers promised to provide all necessary materials, no matter how expensive or rare, as long as the design was creative enough. Each studio was also paired with an assistant, typically a design student, who was there to help but not to design.
Before getting started, each designer met with their model since they would be the ones to showcase the final product. They needed to tailor their designs to the model's body shape. Top-tier designers even considered their model's body shape and skin color in their designs. Chloe's model was an impressively tall woman, standing nearly six feet with excellent proportions. After taking measurements, Chloe dove into her design work.
On the other hand, Lisa almost burst out laughing with joy upon hearing the theme. The theme of time was right up her alley. She had a sketchbook filled with designs she found in the Meadows family's library, full of hand-drawn, wildly imaginative pieces. Each design had a theme, but they were often too fantastical for the market, which also made them perfect for competitions.
Lisa had previously modified a few designs for Belle Époque, earning praise from Jacob and Leah for her "talent." She had secured her place at Belle Époque by continually tweaking and plagiarizing from this sketchbook. And now, for this theme, she didn't even need to make any changes. She remembered a design in the book that fit perfectly: a dress representing the four seasons with embroidered peonies, cherry blossoms, crabapples, and wintersweet on different parts of the dress.
Thrilled, Lisa sketched the design from memory onto drafting paper. Her assistant was amazed, praising her as a genius. Lisa basked in the compliment, confident that no one would discover her
plagiarism. She had scoured the internet and found no trace of the designs from the sketchbook. If even one had been released or entered into a competition, it would have caused a sensation. But there had been silence. Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org
She had already modified several designs for Belle Époque and turned them into marketable garments. If the sketchbook's owner were still alive, they would have surely filed a complaint. But over the years, there had been no such issue. Lisa figured there was only one possibility: the sketchbook's owner was no longer alive. Given its vintage appearance, it was likely the work of a brilliant designer from decades ago.