“But I want more than that,” she continues. “I’ve worn a version of the same style of gown on every red carpet I’ve ever walked, and all my public clothing is tailored the same way. It suits my body, I know that, but I’ve never tried to be trendy. I’m seventy years old, and I’ve never been trendy!”
My teeth clamp hard on my lip to keep me from saying anything I might regret. “Hmm.”
“Classic, timeless, andstatelyare all good, but I want someone to call me pretty or fun. I’ve spent my whole career being the elegant one, from the roles I play to the fashion I wear, and now that I’m getting toward the end of it, I want to be pretty!”
Pretty. That’s not a word I’d use to describe her. Not because she’s not attractive—she is. Margaret is one of those women whose good looks matured instead of “aging,” and she’s just as striking now as she was fifty years ago. But she’s right: Nobody has ever referred to her as being pretty. She’s tall, with broadshoulders and a solid, square build and even features—what people in the old days might have called a “handsome” woman.
“You need to be more specific,” I tell her. A lot of stylists coddle their clients, or are at least diplomatic. That’s not how I work. I built my roster around being no-bullshit, and those are the clients who come to me now that I’m established. Margaret and I have always been blunt with each other, and I’m not changing that now. “What do pretty and trendy look like to you? Clothes and style, not people,” I add for clarity.
“In general, or on the red carpet?”
“Start with the red carpet. What did you see this season that got your attention?”
She hesitates. “I liked what Elle Fanning wore at both the Oscars and Cannes. Those dresses were pretty. So was Jennifer Lawrence’s dress at Cannes, and Michelle Yeoh’s at the Golden Globes.”
I scrawl notes. If I’m remembering right, those gowns weren’t at all alike. Some of them won’t work for Margaret, either.
“Cynthia Erivo was very trendy at the Oscars, and so was… I can’t remember her name. She’s a singer, and she wore a tuxedo dress.”
“Lisa,” I murmur. I don’t remember what band she’s in, either, but I remember that gown.
“That’s it. I really liked her dress, and Zoe Saldana’s. Oh—and I thought Tami Long’s dress for the Golden Globes was stunning.”
I agree, but it couldn’t be further from Margaret’s usual style—unlike some of the others she mentioned. The silhouette on a few of them is almost the same as what she always wears, with the main differences being in fabric type and embellishments. There are several that are very different from her usual butwould still work well for her, if she’s confident that she wants to go through with this change.
“Okay,” I say. “That gives me something to work with. I’ll put a board together and pull a few sample options for you to try on so you can see how you feel wearing something different. Can we meet early next week?” I click into my calendar. “Tuesday at ten? I can come to you.”
“Mm, Tuesday is fine, but I have lunch after, so I’ll come to the studio.”
“I’ll have something ready that you can wear for lunch, if you decide you want to.” I make a note about that too.
“I’m sure I’ll want to,” she says firmly, and I screw up my face to try to relieve the tension headache that’s beginning to form.
“How do you see this going?” I ask. “If my vision board aligns with your goals, do you want to soft launch the new look now, plus mix a few pieces in with what we’ve already planned for the tour, or do you want to scrap everything we’ve got for the tour and start over?” I try not to hold my breath.
“You’re not going to like my answer.”
Yeah, that’s what I thought. “Margaret, I like styling clothes so much that I made it my job, and you’re giving me free rein to style a whole new aesthetic for you. I might hate the timeline, but I’m not mad about the project.”
“It’s possible, then? To start from scratch with my clothes for the tour? Even the red carpets?”
I glance at the date on my screen. Three weeks until the tour kicks off, though I wouldn’t need everything right away. Still tight.
But as one of my ex-boyfriends announced to his friends, I like it tight.
“It’s possible. I think we can probably repurpose one of your existing red-carpet gowns.” The designer had another in a very similar silhouette that was a lot trendier just through use ofembellishments. I’m sure she can make adjustments that will transform Margaret’s dress.
“Really?” Margaret doesn’t sound as confident as I feel.
“I’m going to call the designer now, and I’ll have something to show you Tuesday.” Probably only a 3D mockup of a sketch, but it’s enough to convey the vision.
“Thank you, Griff. Oh, one more thing.”
Oh god. “Yeah?”
“If this movie lives up to the hype and I need an Oscars dress next year, I want it to be from that new designer everyone’s talking about.”
I frown, trying to think who she cou?—
