Madison felt like her heart would explode. She was in first place. Hard work had gotten her there, and her work ethic and killer designs would keep her there. She already had an idea of what she wanted to do. But she couldn’t focus with her mind on how she could keep her apartment.
She could feel the eyes of the eight on her. But it was the looks of the three that burned her skin. She now had a target on her back, and she needed to bring it. That didn’t faze her. Not only did she know her seamstress skills were superior, but her ideas were out of the box and her attention to how the fabric moved when worn set her apart.
“Everyone can pack up their desks. I’d like to see the four of you in my office after you all are done.” And with that she left the room.
Madison swiveled her chair back to her desk to collect the dressmakers’ tools of the trade, her pincushion and her granny’s old silver butterfly seam ripper that worked better than the new tools, design pencils, and sketch pads she had brought in with her. She didn’t pack the sewing machine as the fashion house let them use theirs, as they would use them if hired.
Her fellow competitors threw their tools into their bags, but Madison didn’t follow suit. She placed all her tools in her design satchel in the right spot, wiped her desk down and turned around. The slowness of the motion helped ease the tension that related to her money problem, but it was only a slight relief.
The other three hadn’t bothered to clean their desks and waited for her. Her mother hadn’t taught her much, but her granny when she had been alive had taught Madison all she knew, which included how to sew.
Madison followed behind the others on the way to Kristy’s office. The door was open, but no one wanted to be the first to go in.
Kristy looked up from her desk. They all stood around in a semi-circle around her office door and she took pity on them. “Come in. I know it’s the end of the workday and a nine-month internship, and I’m sure you want to go home and celebrate, so I won’t keep you long.” She handed each of them a sealed envelope.
“Inside you will find an instruction sheet on the basics of what we will look for to serve as a guide when you create your designs. There is also an expenses tracker included. We expect you to do your best to shop on a budget as that will also account for who goes on to be an Anastazia Stewart design associate. You will also have access to the design rooms and the fashion house’s tools if needed and can meet your models here for fittings should you wish. Your model information and agency measurements are also included. You of course will fund the designs yourself.”
Madison planned to do it all out of her apartment. If she still had an apartment to go to. This issue of money weighed her down like a ton of last year’s fashion pieces. She couldn’t be as excited as she wanted to be with a thunder cloud that hung over her head.
She still hadn’t been able to come up with a solution. She could see if they needed extra people at the restaurant where she sometimes worked part time, but even if they did, the tips would be nowhere near what she could earn at a club.
Madison would be lucky to get the late fee in tips.
“Again, I want to say congratulations to you all. Fashion week is huge, and AS fashion has promoted the race between four up and coming designers. Lots of eyes will be on you, so don’t hold back. The last thing is I wanted to see if you have any questions?”
“Yes. Is there a certain budget range we should stay in?” Madison asked.
“I would say no more than ten thousand, but you also don’t want to go too low. It will show in the quality of your fabric,” Kristy said.
“Do we need to submit our fabric samples for approval?” Kara said.
“No, you can surprise us.”
“Can we re-use designs from previous competitions?” Sabrina asked.
“You could, but we expect to see new creations.”
“Can we modify existing clothes?” Sabrina asked.
“No, it must be your own original work.”
“Do we also need to provide the accessories and makeup?” Madison asked.
“No, you will be able to use what we have in house, but feel free to make or buy your own if you think that works better with the design.” Kristy looked around. “Any more questions?”
They all shook their heads no.
“I know this can be a lot, so if questions come up later, feel free to contact me.”
“Thank you,” they all murmured and turned and left. A ripple of excitement went through them. Madison’s was blunted by her money troubles. She turned to Sabrina as they headed out. “We made it,” Madison said.
“Yeah. Congratulations on being in first place,” Sabrina said.
“Thanks, but we both know how things could change.” Madison lifted her bag higher on her shoulder.
“Yeah, but it’s doubtful you will slip from first place.”
“I don’t know. I won’t take it for granted and think I can coast. I have to work as hard as everyone else.” Madison pushed through the front door of the fashion house.
