6708/Fashion talk

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Fashion talk
Date of Scene: 28 February 2019
Location: Manhattan, New York
Synopsis: There's a charity ball coming up, and Natasha's best dress got somewhat damaged during a recent gala, so she goes to a highly recommended business for a replacement.
Cast of Characters: Shadow, Wasp (van Dyne)




Shadow has posed:
    A good busineswoman knows how to delegate to good managers, and for the most part JVD operates smoothly without Janet having to actually do a great deal of work herself beyond representing the place and reading reports and signing off on them. Which is just the way she likes it; it leaves more time for her /other/ job as the Wasp as well as plenty of leisure time.

    That said, on those occasions that she shows up in her office there's usually a minor stack of paperwork lying in wait from her managers who'd dearly appreciate it if she found the time to sign off on this and that...

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
And making clothing.

Which is, truth be told, what Janet loves best. Crafting outfits from raw cloth and thread, creating. Innovating. Draping. It's a never-ending chain of beautiful people and they all come to her for sartorial advise.

She taps the thumbprint signature button on her tablet as she walks; assistants bustle in her wake. "Yes. Yes. No-- go tell Branson that they need to use up the stock in hand before I send them any specialty fabrics."

She steps into the elevator and the door closes. "Uh... Miss vanDyne," her assistant hedges. "You do have a visitor who stopped by. She's asking about a private fitting. I tried waving her off, but she said something about Captain Rogers, and..."

Janet blinks back a tart response. "Huh. A friend of Steve's?" she muses. She looks at the tablet in her hands then hands it off to the asisstant. "Better than screwing around doing paperwork. I'll see her."

When the elevator opens, Janet steps out. Close-fitting tan slacks, a mahogany belt, white dress blouse. Stylish four-inch red pumps blast the casual office attire into the realm of haute office fashion. "Miss Cranston, is it? Janet van Dyne." The fashionista *clicks* up to Natasha and extends a hand in a polite handshake. "Sorry to keep you waiting. Jeanette, hold my calls?"

She pushes her office doors open and beckons Natasha into a room that's a glaring clash of monochromatic eggshell white on one half and a riotous explosion of colors on the other. "WHat brings you in today?"

Shadow has posed:
    Natasha is wearing a tastefully grey pantsuit with minimal decoration, of the kind worn by people who want to look reasonably fashionable without having to spend too much time in the morning worrying how to dress. She smiles at Janet as she shakes the proferred hand. "Miss Van Dyne, this is an unexpected pleasure."

    As she follows Janet into the office, she continues. "I was hoping to make an appointment for a new dress after the last one got unavoidably damaged, and Captain Rogers recommended JVD as an excellent source..."

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
Click. Tumblers roll into place and Janet returns the handshake without overthinking it. "Cranstooon," Janet says, drawing the name out. "Natasha Cranston. You were with Steve the night that he ruined the tuxedo I gave him." A person would need advanced sensor equipment to pick up the minute change in tone, but there's definitely a shift towards glacial in the way she addresses Natasha. Perfectly Polite, of course, but with a flickering evaluation head-to-toe like a tigress who just found someone else playing in her favorite bed.

"That must have been quite the night! Steve showed up looking like he lost a fight with a blender." She laughs, though it's lacking much in the way of real amusement. "He mentioned you ran into some trouble too. Sorry to hear about it. I make some exceptions in my schedule for the capes and tights crowd," Janet assures Natasha, and seats herself on the edge of her white desk. Gold accents gleam under the skylights. "I take it you're looking for a formal affair, not something for PTA night at the elementary?""

Shadow has posed:
    "No blenders were involved, but several guns were. We were lucky that Stan had managed to convince Captain Rogers to attend, or things would have gone quite badly." Natasha's smile slips for a moment. A few dozen of New York's wealthiest, armed goons and a villain willing to use nerve gas. Not a pretty mental picture.

    "All told, I consider it a blessing that clothing was the only real casualty, but that doesn't change the fact that I got about a third of a bottle of red wine on my dress, and my drycleaner doesn't believe it's salvageable... And there's a charity gala next week that I've been asked to attend. So I'm hoping you can help."

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
"Evening gowns are a pain that way. One accident with a bottle of wine, one person getting overzealous with a bleach pen-- calamity," Janet agrees. "That's very doable. I take it you're not looking for an off-the-rack solution?" she hedges, looking at Natasha. "Not that I don't love doing custom work but JVD does have a full line of evening and formal wear you can get at Sak's 5th or Barney's. Granted it's all cluttered up next to Azria's /ghastly/ fashion sense," she remarks with a theatrical eyeroll. "But you could have something tomorrow, run it to a tailor, get it fitted for the event. When is this gala? Here in the tri-cities or are you going out of town for it?"

Shadow has posed:
    "Respectfully, miss Van Dyne, if I wanted second-rate or off-the-rack I wouldn't have come to JVD in the first place," Natasha replies. "It's a costume-optional charity gala in Gotham, next Saturday night."

    She smiles. "I admit, there was a moment of temptation when I considered getting something fancy and colorful in spandex and a cape, but I fear I'd look ridiculous. I mean no disrespect to people who put their lives on the line on our behalf on a daily basis, but not everyone has the physique to carry that off well..."

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
"Side effect of metahuman capabilities," Janet says, poo-pooing aside Natasha's flattery with an insincere wave. She's as amenable to kind words as anyone else. "Everyone's got a boosted metabolism. I burn calories like crazy when I'm on the tiny side of things. You should see Captain Marvel working out, the woman's got thighs like anchor hawsers."

"Tell me more about the charity event. It helps to have some context when we're planning-- say. This isn't Miss Kyle's Big Cat charity thing is it?" she inquires, wagging a thoughtful finger at Natasha. "She was in here just a few days ago for her fitting. We went all out, everyone's gonna go *wild* for it," Janet says, hands flipping emphatically. "What sort of look are you going for? 'Classy, conservative?' 'Aimin' to hook me a man?' 'Think of the kitties?'" She leaves her work desk and walks to a messy, overcluttered drafting table. Charcoal is held in one hand and she perches on a tall stool to start sketching, black carbon streaking on the heavy artist's paper.

Shadow has posed:
    Natasha nods understandingly at Janet's explanation of the biology involved, her lips quirking slightly at the... colorful... description of Carol's thighs, then laughs. "Oh, classy, please. I'm not interested in... 'hooking'.. a man - or anyone, frankly - at the moment."

    She toys with her hair, the girasol ring on her finger catching the light for a moment. "I'm looking for elegant but mobile; while I enjoyed going as Morticia Addams for last Halloween's ball the dress was just a bit more restrictive than was entirely comfortable..."

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
"Elegant but mobile, ditch the plunging neckline and the tight kneeline," Janet agrees. She eyes her work, then rips the page off and tosses it aside onto a pile of presumably other abandoned concepts. She starts over, glancing at Natasha frequently.

"I'm seeing you in black. Full length gown, front split skirt right above your knees. Shelf collar, very modest, BUT-- backless diamond cutout," she says. "I love natural fabrics but for this, we need a special kind of polyester. Very soft, feels like cotton, but it clings wonderfully and it has some naturally reflective properties. Glitters very subtly under illumination, really makes some *depth* happen." She flips the sketch around. "And I'm thinking, leopard spotted peek-toe pumps and a loose silver braided belt. Just for that little extra something."

Shadow has posed:
    Natasha studies the sketch, her eyes going slightly unfocused as she tries to visualize the result from Janet's description and drawing. "I'm not opposed to /some/ neckline, I suppose," she allows. "I've nothing to feel ashamed or inferior about in that department, but I don't feel the need to, ah, /advertise/ either..."

    She falls silent as Janet continues describing, nodding. "That sounds quite impressive. Can you keep the heels as low as possible while still being acceptably fashionable? There'll be dancing, and with all respect to Ginger Rogers, I'd prefer to keep my ankles uninjured if at all possible..."

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
"Anything under three inches and you might as well rock some nontraditional flats," Janet opines. "But then again, you'll see me in a full body cast before I go to a formal event in anything but heels," she points out.

"The beauty of dancing is that no one expects you to be Ginger Rogers. Walk smoothly, look bored, and most of the time your partner won't be on beat anyway. So just keep looking bored and focus on not rolling an ankle. We could go with a much more flamboyant dress if you want to rock some lower-key accessories... you can do the outfit or the jewelry, but you can't do both," she explains.

Shadow has posed:
    Natasha nods as Janet lays out the possibilities. "Heels it is, then," she decides. "And may the powers that be have mercy upon my ankles."

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
"Stretch the night before and practice wearing them around your apartment," Janet advises Natasha. "It'll help a lot. Just don't scuff them up, it's a pain in the rear to fix the protective varnish." She sets aside her sketchpad. "Listen, why don't you come by later this week? Say, Friday, before noon? We'll do a fitting and make sure you're dressed for success when the ball comes around."

Shadow has posed:
    "That sounds good," Natasha nods, rising and extending her hand. "I should be able to make room in my schedule. How long a time should I have my secretary pencil in?"

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
"Two hours should be more than enough." Janet gives Natasha's hand a gentle squeeze with both of hers, and smiles at her in a friendly fashion. "It was very nice meeting you today, Natasha, and... thanks. For keeping Steve in one piece," she says, wryly. "I know that can be a challenge with him sometimes."

Shadow has posed:
    "Likewise, miss van Dyne," Natasha replies. "And do convey my gratitude to him for keeping the rest of us in one piece as well. It was highly appreciated. I'll see your tailors on Friday."

    And with that, she turns to leave.