by Chloe Taylor
“So, is this your first time in Paris?” Cat asked Zoey and Sean.
Zoey nodded. “It’s my first time anywhere!” Zoey told her. “I can’t wait to see the Eiffel Tower and the Jardin de Tuileries.”
“The whole city’s amazing,” Cat said. “I came on a student exchange last summer.”
“Milan is great too, though,” Leanne said. “My dad’s Italian, and he took me a few years ago.”
When neither Sean nor Zoey replied, Leanne looked them both over carefully. “How young are you guys?” she asked.
“We’re both in middle school,” Sean answered with just the right amount of confidence.
Zoey was relieved he’d answered. She knew she would have stuttered and sounded embarrassed in front of these two older girls who seemed so worldly.
“Wow,” said Cat. “You must be pretty good, then.” She winked and motioned to the door, where a large bus had pulled up with a Fashion Showdown Junior sign in its window. One of Rashida’s assistants began corralling them onto the bus, and minutes later they were riding through the streets of Paris.
Zoey wished the ride would go on forever. She loved the narrow streets, sidewalk cafés, and amazing window displays. It was still early morning, but people were out and about, heading to work, meeting for breakfast, stopping for croissants at boulangeries. She couldn’t wait to get out and explore.
Too soon, they crossed a bridge onto an island and the bus stopped.
“This is Île de la Cité, which means City Island,” Cat explained, turning to point at a huge cathedral. “And that is the Notre-Dame, one of the most famous cathedrals in the world.”
Zoey was awestruck by the enormous gothic structure, full of stained-glass windows, gargoyles, and arched supports that Cat said were called “flying buttresses.” Zoey couldn’t quite stifle a laugh at the phrase.
“Funny, right?” admitted Cat. “But that’s what my architecture teacher said they’re called.”
Soon, they were walking into a large stone building across from the Notre-Dame that looked several hundred years old. Zoey looked for Sean and noticed him chatting up ahead with a boy named Todd, who looked to be about fourteen or fifteen years old. There were so many new faces, and Zoey was getting really curious about their sewing and designing skills.
The contestants were led up an old staircase to a bright workroom with big windows facing the Notre-Dame. The room had ample workstations for each contestant, with shiny sewing machines and stacks of sketchpads and pencils. On one wall there were several shelves holding things like scissors, trim, and notions. On another were shoes, jewelry, hats, and other accessories. It was a sewing dreamland.
Rashida stepped to the front of the room. “Welcome to Fashion Showdown Junior! I know you must be jetlagged, but hang in there because in just a moment, we’re going to begin filming our first challenge. I know it’s fast, but we want to hit the ground running. Does anyone have questions?”
Everyone was quiet, and Zoey wondered if they were as excited and nervous—and tired—as she was. She settled herself at the nearest workstation and tried to force her brain to wake up.
Rashida went over some rules about how everything would work and what to do if there was a problem. As she talked, the camera crew streamed into the room, adjusting the lights, setting up the boom, and wheeling in several large cameras. Meanwhile, a makeup artist quickly freshened up the older girls’ makeup; applied natural-looking lip gloss, blush, and powder to the younger girls’ faces; and insisted on powdering the boys’ faces too, so they wouldn’t look shiny on camera.
When it was Zoey’s turn, she asked the makeup artist if she could use her own lucky lip gloss. It was a gift from Daphne Shaw, her fashion fairy godmother, when Zoey was a judge on the original Fashion Showdown, and she had made sure to bring it to Paris. The makeup artist agreed, dabbed some on Zoey’s lips, and headed to the next contestant.
That was when Rashida pulled Zoey aside. “Zoey, everyone you worked with on Fashion Showdown wants you to know how happy we are that you’re here, and they wish you luck. Myself included,” she said. “They all want to come say hi, but we have to treat you like the other contestants to make sure things are fair, especially with the judges. Okay?”
Zoey nodded. “I get it,” she said.
Rashida whispered “good luck” and ducked out of the way as the countdown to filming began.
Someone yelled, “Action!” Then the host of the show, Oscar Bradesco, appeared. He quickly explained how the mini-season would work and then gave the orders for their first challenge. Zoey made notes on her sketchpad, so she wouldn’t forget anything.
All ten contestants would be given the same two fabrics to use: one bold print and one plain. The challenge was for each of them to make an outfit with these fabrics that showed their skills, creativity, and personal style. They had eight hours to work today, and a few more the next day, followed by a runway judging in the afternoon. Real models were going to wear the outfits on a real runway!
Sean, who sat one table away from Zoey, muttered, “Wow, they weren’t kidding about this being a ‘fast production,’ huh?”
Zoey nodded but didn’t speak. Her mind was already whirling with possibilities as she received her allotment of the two kinds of fabric. One was a geometric print, and the other was an iridescent solid that tied into the printed fabric. Such a striking print, however, almost guaranteed that most of the outfits would look similar.
Zoey began sketching, focusing mostly on pieces she knew she could sew well, and quickly, and that felt like her style.
About an hour later she began to cut her fabric to fit her model’s measurements. As she worked, she couldn’t help overhearing Oscar checking in with Sean, whom Zoey had noticed had zoomed ahead and was already sewing a dress. She felt bad for even thinking it, but she thought it looked kind of boring, especially for someone with Sean’s quirky fashion sense.
Oscar and Sean had a quiet conversation, with a camera right in Sean’s face. Zoey could see his cheeks were slightly red.
“You don’t have to do a dress, you know,” Oscar was explaining to Sean. “Any type of outfit showcasing your style is allowed.”
Sean looked frustrated but kept his cool. When Oscar and the camera had moved away to a girl named Ellen, who had a cute, blond pixie haircut, Zoey scurried over to him. “Sean, what’s wrong?”
He shook his head. “It’s just . . . I haven’t designed much stuff by myself, Zo. I can sew really well and make costumes and follow a pattern. But I don’t really have big ideas for my own designs. So I just cut out a dress. And I don’t even like dresses!”
“Then try and do something else!” Zoey suggested. “There’s time. Not a lot, but there’s time.”
“But I’ve already cut the fabric, and we don’t get more,” Sean explained. He was whispering so softly, she could barely hear him. “And all these cameras are making me nervous.”
“It gets easier. Soon, you’ll forget the cameras are there,” Zoey said. She hated to see Sean so stressed. Not when she knew how badly he wanted to be there! And someone would get voted off tomorrow. She couldn’t let it be Sean. “If you really want to start over, maybe you could cut the fabric into strips and then layer them on muslin to make anything you want,” she suggested.
Sean’s spirits seemed to lift. “Great idea! Thanks, Zoey.”
Zoey returned to her station and got to work on her own project. The clock seemed to move relentlessly, with another hour gone every time she picked up her head. She couldn’t decide if she wanted more time or less, so she could go to sleep sooner. Plus, for some reason, their workroom was freezing, so Zoey was both tired and cold. Sean noticed her chattering teeth and offered her his cashmere sweater-vest, which she layered over her outfit. It looked a little odd, but she was grateful.
Finally, it was time to stop for lunch and a break. Since the contestants were considered child actors, they were only allowed to work a certain number of hours at a time bef
ore scheduled downtime.
Zoey wolfed down lunch—cheese on a baguette, and a yummy, fizzy orange drink called Orangina—so she could take a quick nap. But when Sean asked her for advice on how to fix part of an armhole, she helped him instead and didn’t get a chance to nap.
Soon, the end of their workday approached. Zoey had made a swingy tank top and a pair of high-waisted shorts. She was happy with the overall look, but it still needed excellent finishing work to look good on the runway.
When the bell rang signaling the end of the challenge, Zoey felt ready to collapse. She’d barely slept on the plane, even though Rashida had told them to sleep since they’d be starting filming soon after landing in Paris. It had been just too exciting.
Zoey overheard some of the other contestants making plans to meet in the common room when they got back to the hotel, to hang out and order food.
“Are you going to go?” Sean asked Zoey.
Zoey shook her head. All she wanted to do was e-mail her dad and Marcus and give them a quick update, take a hot shower, and go to bed. “I’m so tired, and I still have so much to do tomorrow!”
“Me too,” said Sean. “But I feel much better about my outfit for the challenge. Thanks for saving me, Zoey! You’re a true friend.”
Zoey, who was still wearing his sweater-vest, said, “Believe me, Sean, I need you just as much as you need me!”
Zoey woke up the next morning feeling almost normal. She’d slept almost eleven hours! She quickly answered a few e-mails from her family, Kate, Libby, and Priti, and she was happy to see that her aunt Lulu had sent her a good-luck e-card.
Today was her first judging! It was a big day, and she wanted to dress right. Remembering how cold it had been while they were working yesterday, Zoey opened her suitcase, hoping she’d packed a thick, wooly sweater instead of one light shrug. Unfortunately, she hadn’t planned on an arctic freeze in the workroom.
Oh well, she thought. I guess I’ll just have to put everything on!
And with that, she began layering on clothes, reasoning it would be easy to remove a layer later if she was too warm. She wore a pair of black leggings; a pleated skirt; a long-sleeve shirt with a tank over it, worn like a vest; and then on top—a knit cowl she’d made when she’d taught herself to knit a few months before. It wasn’t the most chic outfit ever, but she’d be warmer than yesterday, and be able to focus on her work instead of on shivering.
She took extra time brushing her hair, and put on earrings. Then, with a last look in the mirror, she crossed her fingers and wished herself luck.
Back in the studio the contestants would have an hour to work and then an hour to meet with their models for a fitting, and then some time to make alterations while the models got their hair and makeup done. With the judging just a few hours away, Zoey got to work, trying to make sure the waist of the shorts was lying flat and not puckered, and the swingy top had the right movement to it.
“Zoey—help!” Sean called.
Zoey, who was right in the middle of fixing a seam, felt a momentary fit of frustration. Being interrupted at this stage could have really messed things up. But she stopped her machine and then stepped over to his station. “What’s up?”
“I still can’t get this armhole to work,” he said.
Zoey looked at the garment, which was a sporty one-shouldered top, and realized the fabric had been cut a bit too short on one side. “You’ll have to just tighten up the whole armhole and hope the model has a small arm,” she said.
Zoey got back to work and was amazed when only a few minutes later, the models came in. There was still so much to do!
Zoey’s model was from Martinique and about fifteen years old. Her name was Anne-Thérèse, and she had dark brown hair, honey-colored skin, freckles, and a bright smile.
“You have made a lovely outfit,” Anne-Thérèse said in perfect English. “I would wear this anywhere!”
“Merci!” Zoey replied as she adjusted the garment. “I think I need to take the waist in a bit, but that should be easy enough.”
Zoey spent a few minutes pinning and then waited anxiously as Anne-Thérèse went to the changing room to carefully undress without getting hurt by the pins. Finally, Anne-Thérèse returned with the shorts and top and then left with the other models to get her hair and makeup done for the show. Zoey hurried to begin work on adjusting the shorts to fit her model perfectly. She’d lost some time helping Sean and then waiting for Anne-Thérèse to change, and didn’t realize just how fast the hours before the show would really go. She wanted to look around and see how the other contestants were doing, but she didn’t dare lift her head up from her own work.
The judging was held on another floor of the old building, which had been set up with a runway, folding chairs for the contestants and judges, and a small backstage area. Zoey was allowed to do some final primping on Anne-Thérèse, but then she had to go and sit in the audience to watch the show. She couldn’t help feeling terrified. Her outfit, which had been hastily produced in less than a day, was about to walk down a real runway and be recorded for a real television show. It was so overwhelming, she decided to just push it out of her mind and enjoy watching everyone’s outfits. After all, it wasn’t often she got to attend a fashion show!
Once seated beside Sean, she noticed the judges file in. Two were from the regular show: Christophe LeFrak and Aubrey Miller, both of whom Zoey had met when she was a guest judge on Fashion Showdown. The third was a designer named Solo.
When the production crew yelled action, Oscar stepped out onto the runway and introduced the show. The music came on, and the models began to walk.
Cat’s outfit was an adorable jumpsuit, and Leanne’s was a formal dress. A lot of contestants had sewn dresses, but one stood out to Zoey: A girl named Maude had made a retro dress out of the patterned fabric and added kick pleats that showed off the other fabric as the model walked.
Todd, the boy Sean had become friends with, had made flat-front shorts with a bandeau top from the bold fabric and layered them under a relaxed Hawaiian-style shirt made of the patterned fabric. Then Sean’s model came out, wearing the one-shouldered top and slim pants with bold geometric stripes that he had made using the fabric salvaged from his first design. The pants looked like they fit a little better than the top, but his model had the best walk.
When it was Anne-Thérèse’s turn to walk down the runway in Zoey’s outfit, Zoey was proud. Her swingy top swung just right, and the high-waisted shorts were darling. Still, she was surprised to hear some oohs and aahs.
But as Anne-Thérèse turned to walk back, Zoey could see a flaw she was hoping wouldn’t be noticeable. Zoey had had so little time to alter the shorts that the waist wasn’t perfectly flat.
She knew she wouldn’t get to hear the judges discussing her work in-depth until she saw the episode, because all the contestants waited backstage after the show while the judges talked. She decided that was probably for the best, in case they said anything really negative and the camera zoomed in on her for a reaction! It was going to be hard enough to keep her face calm when they announced the winner and who was going to be voted off.
The judges met together for more than an hour. In the green room, as the production team called it, the contestants were served food and drinks, and Zoey tried to relax and not worry. But she’d seen so many great designs; she had no idea where she’d be in the pack. At home, she was usually the best young fashion designer around, but here, she would have to really push herself to stand out. Zoey noticed Sean and Todd spending the whole break talking, but she just ate and absentmindedly flipped through a magazine.
At last, the contestants were called back into the runway area to hear the results. Oscar spoke a bit about the challenge and what a talented group of young designers they had. Sean reached over and squeezed Zoey’s hand for good luck. She squeezed his hand back. One of the ten contestants was going to be voted off, and she hoped fervently it wouldn’t be her or Sean.
Christop
he spoke first. He announced the contestants who were in the middle of the pack, and therefore “safe.” Sean, Leanne, Todd, and a girl named Pia were all safe. They each got up, joined their models on stage for a bow, and then walked out together. Zoey, Cat, and four others were left, either about to win or be in danger of being eliminated from the competition.
Zoey was thrilled Sean was safe, but she felt even more nervous that she was now sitting alone. She imagined her poor dad, having to watch this at home in a few days.
Zoey sat on her hands and bit her lip, trying not to look terrified. She didn’t think Cat would be going home; everyone had liked her outfit.
The judges talked for a few minutes, discussing the remaining outfits. Zoey tried to listen carefully, but the words sounded like bees buzzing in her ear. They complimented Zoey’s outfit, and its originality, but mentioned the ill-fitting waist several times and said she needed to take more time to finish the garment properly.
Finally, they announced that a boy named Martin, who’d made a sack dress that was too short on the model, was the one going home. Zoey couldn’t help feeling sympathetic, as leaving first in front of everyone would be so hard. But he handled it well. He gave each contestant a hug and wished them luck and walked off the runway to go backstage.
Two others were declared safe, which left Zoey, Cat, and Maude as potential winners. Zoey said a quick prayer that she wouldn’t pass out on the stage in front of everyone.
Then Aubrey said, “The winner of this challenge, whose outfit showcases a delightful joie de vivre, as they say in Paris, is . . . Miss Zoey Webber.”
Zoey felt all the blood rush to her head, and she felt so dizzy, she was worried she’d fall over. Cat nicely put a hand under her elbow to steady her. Zoey took a quick bow, remembering to thank the judges. She was shocked that in a room full of incredibly talented people, and in spite of the flaw in the shorts, she had won!