1963-12-31 - New Years Dress
Summary: Log Summary
Related: none
Theme Song: none
janie julie quentin 



The small "Fashion's Boutique" was located pretty much at the north edge of Chinatown, the single window filled with two dresses on puppets and a few pictures and sketches of others. Behind them, a paravent prevented to look deeper into the shop but the light was showing that it was still open at this last day of the year. Text in the window offered quick changes to clothing just as much as new suits and dresses within a week as well as a 'well-stocked array of designs'.

Inside, Janie did wait behind the counter, her eyes watching a sketchbook where her hands idly traced outlines and contours, trying to make up a new design for the spring to follow, now that winter was closing in on its end. A lazy day so far, only some shirts to fix with new buttons and a skirt that she had to hurriedly adjust in size for a woman that had 'unexpectedly gained a little too much over the holidays' and needed to wear this skirt and no other for the evening. But by now the shop was devoided of life but for Janie herself.

Quentin meanders his way in idly, adjusting his spectacles as he takes a look about. He trails his fingers along some of the various clothes, his eyes seemingly a little dilated. That might be the Chinese herb mixture he picked up down the street, mixed up into tea, drank and then allowed to have a mild psychedelic effect on his brain chemistry. It might be making some of the purples taste like snozberries or some such.

"Do you have anything in a pink tuxedo? I've been thinking about crashing some parties…"

When you are done, don't forget to tag your log with the names of the participants as they appear on the game!

Janie lifts her eyes as the bell rings when the young man enters and passes along the suits and dresses, getting a feel for some of them. "Hello sir…" she greeted, then listening to his request. "A pink tuxedo? I am sorry, I don't have one readily available, as pink is quite a rare choice for such a thing. Would you have come a week earlier I would have had it ready by now, sir. But I do have a white one, which I probably could change in an hour or two to fit you, and together with a matching fedora, a red bowtie and tissue in the pocket it would look excellent, and possibly most suitable for this 'party crashing' you plan to do."

Quentin considers, "Pink really would be ideal, but I suppose white could work. It's a little boring, but so are most humans, so I suppose that's to be expected," he says. "Of course, white does show stains something fierce and it wouldn't be a proper party if I didn't get just a wee bit…spattered," he says.

"I really am rather fond of pink, though. Maybe we could formulate a dye that we could soak the tuxedo in? Do you have a spare tub, a chemistry set and a liberally fumigated room with a tile floor?"

Out in the alley, one of the delivery trucks is broken down again, and Uncle Sal's Garage a few blocks away has sent… a girl to get the driver set up with whatever he needs to get on with his day. Given traffic, Dizzy just walked it, but that means no CB radio, and so it is she meanders around to the front of the shop, poking her head in, then the rest of her, so as not to let the heat out. She gives a tentative wave as she glances around.

"Of course I could make you a pink suit, but that would take its time. I would need to measure you out, then either call another seamstress or the company if they got enough of the right fabric and finally cut and sew the whole thing, which all in all takes about a week. As for soaking and dying it, of course you could fill a bathtub with pink dye or red wine and then let it soak for an hour, but don't you think that would be an aweful waste? The result would be far on the uneven side probably, as the lower seams would dry much different than the upper ones, and nobody can guarantee that it will dry until the parties. A pink tissiue and Bowtie on the other hand would be a piece of cake, and I could make them together with the changes to the suit. Just for the fedora you might need to look over in little Italy, I can give you the adress of a hatter there, even provide you with the pink lace if you want to, Sir." Janie's explanations were accompanied by her coming around the counter with the old cashier on it and moving to the hanger where she pulled forth the white tux, presenting it to Quentin.

"Of course white is subject to stains, but it can also be bleached to white again, so unlike a black or grey. Would you like to try it on anyway?"

As she notices the girl slipping in, she smiles. "Hello Madame, can I help you?"

Julie ohs, and smiles apologetically, "Hey, sorry to bug ya, we need a bit of something out back: could I use your phone?" Her accent's the picture of local color, of the Brooklyn-raised Italian variety. Glances briefly to the customer. Maybe pink's in this year or something, she may be thinking.

Quentin has to honestly admit he tuned out about halfway through everything Janie said. Once he got that the gist was 'no', he got bored and began to look about for other things to interest him. "Why would it be a waste? It would be different than everyone else. The dampness thing might be a little much, though, I agree. Clammy is not attract—" he says, then furrows his brow as Julie interrupts.

"Customary to purchase something if you want to use a business phone. Can I suggest a big, floppy hat?"

Instead of a snarky remark, Janie gave Julie a smile and pulled up the phone to place it on the counter, the black bacelite shimmering. "Just make sure you call short and come back later? Us working girls got to hold together" she says with a little wink, then giving Quentin a short glare before putting back on the smile. "Well, would you want a suit that is not pink but more a burgundry or is much darker colored at the seams and lower hems? But if it musn't be a pink, I do have a light blue satin jacket that would fit with black or white suitpants here. Or would you prefer a pink shirt? I could make one in about two hours."

Quentin considers, "Burgundy, eh? Well, it's not what I intended, but it is booze and I can definitely be down with that," he says. He seems completely unperturbed by the glare. "Anything in the pink-purple-maroon range will do, with black and white as acceptable trimmings," he says. "You really should charge to let people use your phone, they'll stomp all over you."

Julie ahs, to Quentin, "I was thinking more like matching Easter bonnets," she says to Quentin's hat quip, with that sarcasm one hears in the area, and nods to the shopkeeper's rather more gracious reception. "Swell, lady, we should have em out of here before too much longer," and starts dialing the phone. Eyes Quentin again as it rings, "Ayy, Jimmy. Listen, we got any points for a 58 Harvester?" Pause. "Yeah, one of the eights. Looks like Lucas. Prolly only need a few if that's all we got. All right." And waits on the line.

"Maroon? Why didn't you say that earlier? Let me look something up for a moment…" Janie says as she vanishes behind a second paravant, to where her sewing machine can be seen halfway. some moments later, she comes back with a brownish crimson suit that has not yet been finished fully. "If you have a few hours, I could finish this one for you just in time for the 7 o'clock parties, but I'd have to put that on your bill."

"easter bonnets… sorry, those will only come in in February."

Quentin shakes his head, "Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhh…I'm not really a bonnet guy. Maybe if I were wearing a dres, but I'm not aiming to be -that- disruptive at this party. Maybe if you caught me in my cups by two or three in the morning, though. And I like your train of thought - kinky!" he says, pointing at Julie.

To Janie, he nods, "Yeah, yeah, blah blah blah, just get it done, money's not an issue," he says. If it were, he'd just mindwipe her anyway, but he figures he'll pay this time. "Do you have any sort of entertainment while your customers wait? Dancing girls, a floor show? Maybe a sauna?"

Julie is back on the phone, "Yeah, I'm there…" And, there's more comments from Quentin, she rolls her eyes a bit as she turns. …"Tell you what, how bout I meet you halfway," she says into the receiver. What follows is in Italian. Then "All right, gotcha."

"Not so much, but I have the catalogues here. If you don't want to spend the time I am fixing the seams here, I suggest you to take the chance to get a nice tea and probably a meal at Lungs down just a bit down the road. A small meal for just three dollars will probably prepare you better for the night of hard partying than getting a sauna or watching dances, and you might last much longer. Or you get your hair dressed in the meantime, Angelo's just around the corner in Little Italy is still open and I bet you would make a great impression if you appear at the party all styled up. But for now, would you mind to change into it, so I can pin down the suit to your size? The backroom is over here." Janie explained with a smile, pointing to a smaller room put up with a mirror in it.

To Julie Janie smiles just as she hangs up finally, moving the phone back to under the desk. "Got all you need? I am open till six if you want to pop in after your shift."

Julie nods, to the former, and smiles. "Yeah, maybe. Or maybe I'll see you in Times Square," she says to Janie. Small chance of that, given *that* crowd, but also, plenty of company there. It's like being in the same place even from behind TV screens, sometimes. Anyway, hey, happy New Year's, both of youse!"

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