Free The Fashion Princess by Janey Louise Jones Page B

bankrupt. Anyway, enough about me! Why don’t I let you know what your schedule for the whole trip looks like? Oh, and I should warn you, my little brother, Orlando, is with us too. He’s having a swimming lesson just now in the hotel pool.”
    â€œI’ll tell you a little bit about Orlando so that it’s not such a nasty surprise when he does turn up!” said Berry. “Let’s see now. He’s a little creep with a passion for spiders and worms –
and
putting them ingirls’ beds. He specializes in wrestling and making Formula One car noises. He hardly ever reads proper books but talks non-stop about superheroes. He’s always just slightly grubby and only eats chicken, cheese or chocolate. He’s an expert on the solar system and has been known to dip dog biscuits in chocolate spread as a snack. But otherwise he’s adorable and you’ll just love him!” she concluded, dripping with sarcasm.

    Poppy’s face dropped. “Is there
anything
good about Orlando?” she asked.
    â€œHe’s away doing sport a lot?” offered Berry. “And he always has a spare square of chocolate when you get the munchies. Even if it is stuck to bubble-gum and whatever else he’s got at the bottom of his bag!”
    Poppy smiled. In a funny way, she couldn’t wait to meet Orlando. Surely he couldn’t be
that
bad!
    Bryony passed Saffron an information sheet about the trip: they had an absolutely packed schedule.
    â€œI don’t think I’ve brought enough pretty clothes with me for all these things,” worried Poppy, feeling both nervous and excited about the week ahead.
    â€œDon’t worry, sweetheart,” said Saffron. “I’ve brought lots of accessories with me – I’m sure we’ll work out excellent outfits for everything.”

    â€œYou’ll look just great, Poppy,” said Berry. “Plus you can borrow some of my stuff if it fits. My sister gets loads of freebies to try to make her write nice things about the designers, and if the clothes are too small for her, she gives them to me!”
    â€œWow, that’s really amazing. You’re so lucky!” replied Poppy, wishing that she had a big sister like Bryony.
    Bryony had lots of glossy magazines with her, including, of course, several issues of
Buttons
and
Bows
, and while they waited for their food to arrive, she showed everyone the sorts of designs they would be seeing and which fabulous new designers to watch out for.
    â€œYou know what’s really ‘in’ just now?” Bryony told them. “A bit of a sailor theme with a splash of vibrant citrus.Sounds vile, yeah? But it works sooooo well! In fashion, we’re always one whole season ahead, so even though it’s springtime just now, here in New York we’re looking at the autumn/winter collections. Some of the new themes are just to die for. Especially Ned Carew’s stuff. His ideas are at the forefront of haute couture. Shabby-chic meets structured, with a hint of sci-fi – which is, you know, so innovative. And his muse is the most gorgeous of all the supermodels, Tallulah Melage.”

    â€œWe saw her on our flight!” said Poppy excitedly, suddenly feeling very involved in the conversation. “She looked amazing – even prettier than she does in the magazines!”
    Berry’s eyes shone. “Wow, I’d love to see Tallulah in the flesh. She makes everything she wears look so good.But the thing about Ned Carew’s designs is that they are so ridiculous – just like fancy dress. You could never wear any of his stuff in real life.”
    Bryony pulled a face. “But that’s the whole point of haute couture, little sister,” she said, feeling defensive about Ned Carew – she admired him so much and had achieved a real scoop by securing an interview with him for the next morning. “Anyway, it’s my job to follow new trends.