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Delicate lace decorated the plunging slope of a deep neckline. Oversized sleeves of a satin robe billowed in a dramatic fashion. Chiffon, tinted black with the same lace detailing, ruched together to make delicate ruffles at the waistline of a thong.
Olivia tapped through images of her presentation, silently practicing carefully prepared notes and assessing if there were any missed details. She took a sip from the Starbucks cup on her desk─a tall double soy latte─and swiped through the designs on her tablet. The first half were already were already in sample production, and the others were potential designs; she always jotted down things that inspired her, and in this mix lived daring straps, dramatic florals, sumptuous silks, and layered fabrics. The last sketch was a simple design of a bridal bustier set. Dainty dots crept up the white tulle, interrupted by cutouts on the hips that hinted at something sexier.
"I love that one," someone said behind her, an effeminate lilt to the man's voice, "but not enough to be late for this meeting." He glanced at the watch on his wrist.
Olivia swiveled halfway in her chair, throwing him an amused look. Todd Beaumont was a hard man to please, but apparently, she'd done something right with the creative director. He was the one that sought her out, and now she was sitting pretty as Du Cane Chateaux's lead designer for their upcoming lingerie label, Blanc & Eclare.
"It's not too simple, is it?" she asked, scooping up the iPad, dropping it into her bag and grabbing the drink. "I figured we should introduce bridals too. Huge market."
Todd shook his head softly. "The classics are classics for a reason," he said, raising an eyebrow at her. The label release was still some months away. A little more than half a year away, in fact, but there was so much to be done, especially with a relatively new designer on board. "You have an eye for trends, but you also understand longevity. That's good."
He said it plainly like it was the most obvious thing in the world, but his terseness was far from the insult most people would have perceived it to be. If what the people around here said was true, Olivia was only supposed to be concerned when he was saying too much. But she liked that he was a man of few words, hands-off and committed to letting his designers do their work. Nothing was more of a nightmare than a creative director that micromanaged, but so far she had no complaints. Then again, she'd only been there a few months, a replacement for the last lead lingerie designer who had quit rather abruptly.
The two of them exited her office into the open design studio. Clothing was hung on various racks around the room, fabric strewn on tables with sewing machines, and partially made pieces draped mannequins in designs similar to the ones on the iPad. A team of junior designers and tailors moved swiftly around them, many saying hello as they passed by.
"...The carbs are so good, though," Todd said dramatically after he finished telling her about the new bagel place a couple of blocks away from the building.
Olivia feigned horror. "Think of the [it]calories[/i], Todd!" she giggled, rolling her eyes.
They rounded a corner, the elevators coming into view. A short while later, they were on their way up to the 18th floor, the doors opening to a sharp ding. Usually there was something very clinical about office buildings. Not so for this one. While the executive space lacked all the eclectic energy of the design floors below, it was still well-designed and well-decorated. Todd led the way to the large, glass conference room, and Olivia caught sight of the people already inside.
Leon, the company's CEO, sat at the head of the white table with two people flanking him on his left, and a few others on his right. She recognized some of the faces: Kristen, the VP of Marketing; Gia, the Global Creative Director; and someone whose name she couldn't quite remember, but she knew he was the CFO. Adam? Aaron? Something like that.
Laughter floated through as Todd opened the door and Olivia strode through, both of them taking a seat near the others who were part of the design and marketing staff.
"You've been in New York for months and you're still getting Starbucks?" Gia grinned at her then shot a flirty look to Leon. "Girl can pick clothes but not her coffee. Maybe we need to show her where all the good spots are."
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