Time to spruce up the Nexus - with Fashion!

[lecouturier]

It feels as if a bazaar is going up in the Plaza today, what with the way a sharply dressed man is toting about tables, bins, and bags stuffed with fabrics, trims, buttons, and other necessities for his trade. It's a one-man-bazaar, but the man doesn't seem at all concerned with what any passersby think of him. There's too many fabrics to put on display and barely enough time to think of the trims!

He 'hmm's and 'no no no's often as he arranges all of his things across the tables he's brought, his head tilting to and fro as he debates the best way to show off his supplies. Once he's satisfied with the table situation, he pulls out a few dress forms from a bin and sets them up with a few examples of his work. These properly arranged and his vanity appeased by the general feel of the entire display, Alex smiles proudly at the setup before turning around and gesturing to the Plaza with arms held high and wide.

"Nexus visitors and residents! Winter's been a dreary time for all of us. Too much gray, cold, and hardship. What do you say to a little something to brighten your outlook? Spring is a time of colors and casting out the old for the new." His smile melts seamlessly into a bright, giddy grin. "How about a new look to ease the transition? I promise my best work to help you along."

The Tailor, dear Nexus, is ready and waiting for your patronage.

Comments

[lecouturier]

"It is a bit of a mouthful," Alex agrees with a chuckle, "and Cricket seems a much better fit for you. Admittedly we've only just met, but the confidence you offer it with tells me you like it and enjoy being known by it." And for a man who does his best to bring out a person's inner confidence with clothes? Well, what more could he ask for in a name!

"I'll be very careful as I take your measurements." It's a promise that's obviously kept with how light Alex's touch is as he makes his way around Cricket to grab all of the necessary measurements. He takes a few extra as he goes along so they don't have to do too much again when it comes time to make Cricket his suit as well, even if the tailor knows he'll retake a few of measurements anyway out of habit. Measuring twice is never an issue in his mind!

Damn. Winter was harder than he thought if he's being asked to leave room for gaining weight. Alex holds back a frown and nods along with the request as he finishes up all of the measurements and takes down the last numbers in his sketchbook. "I'll be making a mock up of the shirt pattern for you, so you can let me know if there's enough extra room or if you want a little more. I'd caution against going too far with that, though. I'm happy to make more shirts if the ones that come out of this round end up getting tight." Wearing something that's far too big and without any promise of fitting into it later is unseemly in Alex's mind and he refuses to go to any extremes for anyone.

With the part requiring Cricket to stand over, Alex motions for the young man to sit down again. "Before I let you go today, let's find a few fabrics you like. Once we have those picked out, we'll set up a time for you to come by my shop to try on the test shirt and then I can pull together your shirts in an hour or so while you're there." He smiles and offers Cricket his hand to seal the deal. "Is that a fair plan for you?"

[alittlehinky]

"Yeah, my mama was kind of church-y," he says with a wry smile. "But everyone called me Cricket since I was a toddler."

Cricket stands patiently still for the measuring. He's only done it once before, for that suit he bought for Christmas, but he knows roughly how it all works, even if it makes him a little sheepish. And indeed, Alex may notice just how bony Cricket looks closer up, wrists too thin, clavicles standing out. He's not kidding; he was close to starvation, as were many others.

"Okay," he agrees with Alex's suggestion gamely. "I mean, I reckon my arms ain't gonna get no longer. Just might need more room in the collar and chest."

From his seated position, once the measuring is done, Cricket shakes hands with enthusiasm. "Sure does, sir. I wasn't looking for clothes, I gotta say, but you're awful easy to work with."

[lecouturier]

After getting up close and personal with Cricket's whole figure, Alex understands why the young man wants more room to grow into his clothes. Still, the tailor is a little less eager to make things that are obviously too big for anyone. It goes against his morals as a man who lives and thrives on fashion.

"Plenty of space to breathe when you get the first round of clothes," he promises, "with allowances based on the fitting we do." No need to guess at how much room to leave when he hasn't put any of his own work on Cricket. All things in due time!

He chuckles at Cricket's exuberance. If he didn't like this one already, this would definitely put Alex squarely in the mood to do so. "Thank you! I find optimism and a breezy attitude go very far in my line of work. Being flexible is good too, of course, but I like to offer lots of suggestions up front to make it easier on everyone. More choices mean less chance of neither of us coming out of this with something we're happy with. And you being happy is my goal."

As he speaks, the tailor digs through some of his nearby fabrics. Many of them are too dark or too light for someone with Cricket's complexion, but eventually he's able to find a few bolts he likes in the range of blue and green they spoke about earlier.

"I'm thinking khaki for your pants to start, though we can add denim to the lot if you'd like. But for shirts, I have these to offer." Turning around he offers two bolts of fabric for Cricket to examine. "If you don't like the texture, I can find some cottons instead of linen. And if you're not a fan of the colors, I've got plenty more to choose from."

[alittlehinky]

"I guess anyone who's sellin' anything has to be good at putting folks at ease," Cricket muses. There's probably a big difference between selling moonshine and selling hand-tailored clothing, but Cricket has found some key behaviors that help him, and he can see how some of them are reflected in Alex's warm, upbeat approach.

"Especially if you have to have 'em stand still and be measured." He smiles a little, leaning forward to study the fabric he pulls out. "Oh! No, linen is perfect! It'll be nicer when the weather gets hot."

He reaches out to touch the light green thoughtfully, smile widening. "I like that. That's awful pretty, and I bet Loki will like it, too. Ain't nothin' wrong with the blue, but there's one that's kind of violet over there, d'you think that'd be okay? Or one of the stripey ones?"