A cheerful-looking woman wearing a smart cotton tabard over her jeans gave her a welcoming smile. “There you are,” she said. “Come on in and sit down. I’m Dawn.” She drew Ellie towards a chair in front of a big mirror with lots of cosmetics arranged on a trolley nearby. “A ten, Sarah!” Dawn called towards an inner door. “Maybe an eight for the tops. Do you know your hat size?” she added, addressing Ellie. “It doesn’t matter,” she went on before Ellie could reply.
Ellie sat down politely, and turned to Dawn. “I thought they might just want to take pictures of my feet,” she said awkwardly. “After all, I’m not a proper model.”
Dawn draped a bib around Ellie’s shoulders and looked at a notepad on the shelf in front of the mirror. “Is your name Ellie?”
Ellie nodded. “Yes.”
“That’s fine then. Here for the shoot. Jacob Frou shoes.”
Ellie nodded again.
Dawn smiled at Ellie. “So there you are. You might not be a proper model, but they’ve asked for you, and it’s up to me to make you look like one. Don’t worry!” she said when she saw Ellie’s expression. “I didn’t mean you were ugly, or anything like that! It’s just that it’s amazing how many little blemishes models have to cover up. What with that, and airbrushing the pictures afterwards, some photographs look nothing like real life. You’re cool though. Hardly a blemish in sight! I’ll have a look at your legs and feet once I’ve done your face.”
Ellie gave herself over to Dawn’s attention. She’d never had a makeover, or been to a spa, but imagined that it might be a little like this.
“Quite exciting, isn’t it,” said Dawn, “if you’ve never done this before?”
Ellie nodded, and Dawn put one hand on her head to steady her. She was already cleansing Ellie’s face. “Do you like Zone One? I think they’re fab.”
“Me too,” said Ellie. “I met them briefly downstairs.”
“I can’t wait to meet them,” said Dawn with an excited grin. “I get to check their faces for shine. Lucky me! Now, what shall we do for you? I’ve got an excellent young range of cosmetics here,” she told Ellie, “just right for your skin. Fresh summery colours, and no heavy foundation. You’ll look just right for Heart magazine.”
Once Ellie had relaxed, it was great fun having her make-up done. When Dawn had finished, she stood back and swivelled the chair, so Ellie could see her face in the mirror.
“Wow!” Ellie was thrilled. “My eyes look brilliant!”
Dawn had expertly blended several subtle colours to give Ellie’s eyes fantastic depth. It almost looked as if she wasn’t wearing make-up at all, but her eyes seemed larger, and the hazel colour of her pupils appeared to be much brighter. A spot that was appearing on Ellie’s chin had been expertly disguised, and Dawn had put a summery, pink gloss on her lips.
Dawn looked pleased. “You can try doing your eyes this way at home, Ellie. Subtle blending is the trick to this look. And most people use far too much foundation. Choose the right tone, and then use the tiniest amount. Your skin ought to look as if it hasn’t got anything on it at all. I can give you a little sample if you like. I’m always getting freebies from the cosmetic companies.”
“Thanks!” said Ellie. “That would be great.”
“Now,” said Dawn, smiling at her again. “Hair next. We don’t need to do a lot. It’s in great condition. Just a bit of this so it doesn’t get in a mess.” She brushed through Ellie’s long hair and sprayed it lightly. She looked critically at her and then nodded her satisfaction. “Perfect. Feet next. Can you take your shoes off for me, please?”
Ellie undid her shoes and took them off. Dawn was squeezing some cream onto her hands and soon she was rubbing it into Ellie’s feet. Ellie did her best not to pull her feet away, but she did have terribly ticklish feet! While the scented cream soaked in, Dawn was choosing a nail colour for her. Soon Ellie had pinky red nails on her hands and toes, and Dawn was removing the bib.
“That’s you then,” she said. “Do you feel like a real model now?”
Ellie laughed. She certainly felt very different with all the attention she’d had. “Perhaps I do,” she said, admiring her pearly toenails. “Thanks so much. It’s all brilliant.”
“Glad you like it,” said Dawn, sounding pleased. “Now, I really must go and get the shine off those boys’ faces. You nip through to see Sarah and she’ll fit you out with the clothes.”
Ellie felt a million dollars as she went through into the next room. Today wasn’t turning out anything like she had expected. She had thought it would be the best day of her life, but that had been when she had hoped to spend a few minutes meeting the band members if she was lucky. Now she was being turned into a temporary model for a shoot with them. How extraordinary was that? The last time she had appeared in the magazine, with Pop and Lolly, all her friends had been totally impressed, but this time, seeing her up close with boy band Zone One, they would go crazy!
Sarah, in the next room, presided over a couple of racks of clothes and a table full of accessories. She handed Ellie a pair of leggings not unlike Ellie’s own and a stunning tunic top in a mixture of zingy colours. “Pop those on, would you? And then we’ll get the shoes on.”
It was lucky Ellie wasn’t too shy, because there was no changing room. She supposed models got so used to constantly changing clothes for their work that they didn’t think about it, but it did feel a bit odd. And Ellie’s mum hadn’t dressed her for years and years, but Sarah was twitching and tugging the leggings to get them how she wanted as soon as Ellie had them on, and she did the same with the tunic. For a few seconds Ellie felt annoyed. Then she told herself not to be so silly. Of course the clothes must be perfect, and it was nice that it wasn’t her responsibility to make them that way!
Next, Sarah asked her to sit down. She took hold of Ellie’s heel and slid her foot into a wonderful pair of shoes that Ellie supposed might be called trainers, though the name by no means did them justice. The soft, green suede they were made of matched the green in the tunic, and when Ellie stood up, they were so comfortable she felt as if she was floating. Sarah adjusted the leggings at Ellie’s ankles and then made her turn round.
“You’ll do,” she said briskly. “Through that door. Don’t hang about after they’ve finished the shot. You’ve got three changes to get through this afternoon.”
Ellie walked through the door Sarah had indicated and stepped from an ordinary, plain dressing room into a tropical paradise.
The light was so strong, and the colours so bright, that for a few seconds Ellie simply had to stand still to get used to them. Of course the room wasn’t really a tropical paradise. It was a photographic studio, but for a moment the illusion had been irresistible.
There was a bank of lights, shining as brightly as the sun, and there were silver umbrellas, bouncing all the light onto the set, where a girl and one of the members of Zone One were. There was a brilliant green, artificial palm tree on one side, and a couple of large beach balls on the other. The people seemed to be standing on a huge piece of bright white paper, which hung behind them like a backdrop, and continued on under their feet.
Then Ellie noticed Joe, busy with several cameras, and Monsieur Frou, who was sitting on a wooden chair out of shot, leaning, as ever, on his silver-topped stick. He looked keenly interested in the people, the set and the lighting, but most of all he was keeping an eye on his shoes. He noticed Ellie almost at once, and beckoned to her. She made her way over to him, making sure to remain behind the cameras and lighting.
“Let me look.”
Ellie slowly turned round for him, so he could see the shoes on her feet from every angle. At last he nodded.
“Good.” There was a pause. “Thank you for indulging an old man,” he added. “Your feet in my shoes I like very much.”
Ellie felt flattered but a little awkward. “Thank you,” she said.
“You like the set?” he asked her. “They are going to make big feature out of my Pirate.”
“It’s amazing!” said Ellie. Then she hesitated. “But won’t what I’m wearing look a bit odd with a desert island background?”
Jacob Frou laughed. “You see the white sheet they are standing on?”
“Yes.”
“Watch, and you will see they change it to grey for your shot. Joe is taking close-ups, so you will not see the props in his pictures. They are for later.”
Sure enough, as Ellie and Monsieur Frou watched, a couple of assistants changed the colour of the backdrop to a very urban grey.
The model was leaving, and the boys, who were all wearing crisp, neutral coloured shirts and pale trousers, were in a huddle, talking together and having sips of water out of bottles that had been standing ready for them on a nearby table. Joe attended to his cameras and then turned round and saw Ellie.
“Over here, Ellie. It’s your turn.”
Ellie went to join him, feeling suddenly rather shy, but Joe didn’t give her a chance to worry about that.
“Okay. Now, I want you to sit on the floor there, and one of you – Jay? – to sit nearby, at an angle to Ellie. That’s it. A bit further away. Right.” He went back behind his camera and looked through the viewfinder. “Okay. Now, Ellie, put one of your feet on Jay’s shoulder and Jay, hold her other foot in your hands. Put your hands behind you on the floor, Ellie. Otherwise you’ll fall over!”
Ellie couldn’t help giggling, but Joe liked that. “Brilliant! That’s going to be a good, fun shot. Now try having one foot on the floor and the other in Jay’s hands. Great! Jay look at Ellie.”
Jay looked at Ellie and made a face. Ellie burst out laughing. She simply couldn’t help it, and when Joe asked her to look at the camera, she did so with such a happy, carefree expression Joe was very pleased indeed.
“We’ll make a model out of you yet,” he told her as they paused between shots.
“But I’m going to be a journalist,” she told him.
“Ah! But there’s nothing like experiencing different things to give you ideas for articles,” he told her.
“That’s true,” she agreed.
Then Ellie had to get changed for the next pair of shoes. This time she was with the young model, who was very professional indeed. She helped Ellie a lot with the shots. They were photographed on a green background with arms linked, as if they were going for a walk in the sunshine. The model, whose name was Milli, could put on any expression asked for, and still look totally genuine. She also worked very quickly, without needing lots of instructions, which Joe obviously appreciated.
Then, while they went to get changed for the Dorothy, Joe took some studio shots of the band. Al looked even more gorgeous under the bright lights than he had in the office, and Ellie realized that they’d all had their hair styled, as well as Dawn having taken the shine off their faces. She wished she could watch them having their pictures taken, but she and Milli were stuck in the back, changing into short, silky dresses – red for Milli and blue for Ellie. While Sarah was fussing over them, Ellie asked Milli how old she was.
“Fourteen,” said Milli with a grin.
Ellie was very impressed. Milli was the same age as her, and yet already had a glamorous career!
“How do you fit in schoolwork?” she asked. “Do you even go to school?”
“Yes,” said Milli. “I go to one here in London. I get time off for my job, but I have to study hard to keep up with the rest of the class. I wouldn’t want to give up school even if I could though,” she went on as Sarah fastened the buckles on her red Dorothy shoes. “I want to go on to university, so there’s no way I’m going to neglect my lessons.”
Now, Ellie was even more impressed, but Milli seemed to think that Ellie had her life pretty well sorted too. “I should think it’s sooo hard to get onto a magazine like Heart,” she told Ellie. “You must be seriously good.”
But there was no more time to talk. They had to get back out onto the set, where the boys were waiting. They’d changed out of their neutral shirts into silky ones in colours that were pale echoes of Milli and Ellie’s vibrant dresses and shoes. Jay and Ben were in red, while, to Ellie’s great delight, Al and Matt were in blue. This time, Joe wanted them to pretend they were going to a party, with the four boys accompanying them. “Oh my!” said Milli with a giggle. “Won’t all the readers envy us!”
The white backdrop behind them made them stand out brilliantly, and their Jacob Frou shoes positively sparkled under the lights. Ellie tried not to look at the blinding spotlights in case her eyes started to water. She didn’t want to spoil her fantastic eye make-up.
“Okay, boys. You have one girl between two. No fighting now!” Joe had the knack of saying just the right thing to get the mood perfect. The boys immediately began pretending to argue, and Joe banged off lots of shots while the girls laughed at their antics. Then Matt took Ellie’s hand, as if to lead her off to the dance floor. But Ellie was wishing Al had got there first. She glanced back at Al and he looked straight into her eyes. Ellie just melted and at that instant Joe snapped off another shot. Ellie hardly noticed. The silky feel of the wonderful dress she was wearing, the amazing shoes sparkling on her feet, and Al from Zone One gazing into her eyes had distracted her. She was sure she was falling in love!
The last shots were to be of the Pirate. Ellie and Milli were put into strappy, striped tops, with Milli in cut-offs and Ellie in a short, swinging skirt. At the last moment, Sarah popped a wide pirate hat onto Ellie’s head. Ellie had never liked wearing hats, and there was no time to look into a mirror to see what she looked like, so she simply hoped for the best.
The cameras had been pulled back, and the white paper rolled away, revealing a sandy yellow background. There was a messy pile of piratical props to play around with. Ellie was feeling a bit shy of Al now, since meeting his eyes in the last shot, but he picked up a toy telescope, pointed it at her and said, “I see no hardships!” That made her laugh, and her tension dissolved.
An assistant wheeled in a large box, painted to look like a pirate’s treasure chest. Spilling out of it amongst a froth of tissue were almost all the Jacob Frou shoes. Amongst them Ellie could see the three different colours of the Dorothy, the green shoes she’d modelled earlier, and several others. But Monsieur Frou didn’t want his shoes photographed unless they were on feet! Ellie looked anxiously over to where Jacob Frou was sitting, but he seemed perfectly happy. Could it be that the Art Director had been able to change his mind about that? Certainly the shoes were fantastic masquerading as treasure. The boys looked pretty good too. Jay was sporting an eyepatch, and Al was wearing a pair of huge, turned-down boots and, like the other three, a stripy T-shirt.
For one of the shots, Joe got Matt to pick one of the sparkly shoes out of the box and for Milli to pretend to try and snatch it from him. Ellie looked over towards Monsieur Frou again, but he was watching with a pleased expression on his face. Obviously he had changed his mind, thank goodness. Karen and Joe must have persuaded him that they knew what they were doing. And the Pirates, which he had so objected to being seen unworn, were on Ellie’s and Milli’s feet, not in the treasure chest, which was maybe what had swung it for Monsieur Frou.
All too soon the shoot was over. Joe professed himself happy with the shots he’d taken, the lights were switched off, and Ellie and Milli went back to change out of the borrowed clothes. While they were getting changed they promised to find each other on Facebook very soon. Milli’s mum arrived to take her home and Sarah was clearing away the clothes. Bohemia was there too, packing all the shoes back into their boxes.
“Dawn had to go, Ellie,” said Sarah. “Did you want to take your make-up off? She left some things out for you if you did.”
“No, it’s all right,” said Ellie. “The look she’s given me is so fab I can’t bear to take it off. I’m going to keep it on until my mum and my best friend have seen it.”
Sarah laughed. “Well she’s certainly done you proud,” she said. “Did you have fun, Ellie, being a mode
l for a couple of hours?”
“Yes!” said Ellie. “It was fantastic. I’m not sure I’d want to do it all the time though.” She looked apologetically at Milli. “It’s a great job, but just not for me.”
Milli grinned.
“Meeting the boys from Zone One was pretty cool, don’t you think?” said Ellie.
“Yes!” said Milli. “I had no idea that was going to happen. They were really nice, weren’t they? Oh, my friends at school are going to be so envious!”
“Mine too,” said Ellie.
Milli gave Ellie a quick hug and then she was gone.
Everything was being shut up in the photography suite. Dawn had left out a couple of samples of foundation in a sweet little bag, with a note for Ellie. Enjoy! it said. Ellie happily picked up the bag after peeping inside. There had been so much excitement today and she had a goodie bag to take home too. It felt like the most wonderful sort of party, even though she supposed it had been work really, of a kind. Except…now the excitement was over, she was conscious of a rather big hole where her stomach used to be. Then she remembered: she had managed to eat a banana and an ice cream, but she could hardly call that lunch! She really ought to go out and get herself a sandwich, otherwise she’d never survive for the rest of the day. Ellie headed for the lift and was soon being taken back down to the third floor.
She imagined how sober it would seem in the office after all the bright lights and chatter in the studio. Modelling seemed to be a bit like acting. In front of the camera, Milli appeared very slick and professional, bringing any expression asked of her to her face immediately, and holding any pose required with apparent ease. In the changing room though, she was just like any other normal fourteen year old, swooning over Zone One. And what about Zone One? Were they just normal boys really, apart from being so famous, of course? Ellie wanted to know what it was really like being famous. Was it possible to keep old friends from beforehand, or did it all get too celebrity-minded and complicated? She had heard famous people described as down-to-earth and grounded, but was that really possible when you had countless people telling you how wonderful you were?
Boys, Blues and Shoes Page 6