Fashion has been around since the dawn of time. Those who could afford more than one garment of clothing would take pains to ensure that what they wore was up to date with the trends of the day. Primarily those of royal blood were the ones that called the shots on what was “in” and what was “so last season.”
It is interesting to note, then, that Paris Fashion Week was started by Marie Antoinette and her husband, King Louis XVI. The year that Paris Fashion Week started was a memorable one, for it set about a series of events that would change France forever. The whole week of Fashion Week had gone by smoothly, with aristocrats drooling over the latest lace collars and silk dresses. The men, not to be forgotten, viewed an immense variety of trousers, shirts and jackets, all stitched by the finest paupers in France. The King and Queen had saved the best designer for last. He called himself Hector Protector because, in his mind, his mission in life was to protect those most fortunate from looking like the lower class or worse, the British. He was sent to them from the kingdom in Austria in order to further propel their fashion to the next level, and they could not wait to see what he had in store for them.
When the first model set foot on the runway, it seemed as though time had stopped. The clothing was immaculate, and the blue bloods were actively wiping the drool off of their faces with their fashionable silk hankies. Each model after the first was just as exquisite, and the King and Queen were extremely pleased in their choice to save Hector Protector for last.
Just as they stopped saying to each other that the day couldn’t get any better, Hector stepped on the runway. There was a collective gasp. Hector was dressed in head-to-toe green with green leather shoes greener than the mold on the peasants’ bread. Marie Antoinette’s stomach dropped. She felt sick. Did this Hector Protector not realize that green was in LAST season? How dare he show himself in such shameful garb, which in her mind completely discredited all of his work that she had seen on the runway. She turned to the King. His face was ashen. He had been let down by the designer in whom he had placed all of his faith. In his mind, only those inarticulate Siberians would do such a shameful thing as wear last season’s color on this season’s runway.
What happened next was a blur. Tables and chairs were flipped. Windows were broken. Hector Protector was dragged away by the guards and told that he would never be welcome in France EVER again. Weeks later, as word spread of the atrocity that had occurred at the Paris Fashion Week, events for the country as a whole turned dire. Mounting tension between France and Austria occurred because of how Hector Protector had been treated. Eventually, Prussia sided with Austria, which then resulted in the insulted King declaring war on their former fashion friends. The rest, as they say, is history. History which can be read about in any and all books on the French Revolution. The moral of the story: NEVER double cross true fashion lovers, no matter how unintentional your motives may be.
Author's Note: I based my story on this nursery rhyme about Hector Protector:
“Hector Protector was dressed all in green;
Hector Protector was sent to the Queen.
The Queen did not like him,
Nor more did the King;
So Hector Protector was sent back again.”
So Hector Protector was sent back again.”
I found this nursery rhyme in The Nursery Rhyme Book, which was edited by Andrew Lang in 1897. I wanted to make this a historical account because this was written about a King and Queen. Also, I thought that if the King and Queen didn't like Hector Protector, it could be because of a fashion faux pas he committed when he decided to wear green. This is how I got the idea to include Paris Fashion Week and then tied it in to the start of the French Revolution.
Hey, Tatyana! I have to say, when I started reading this story I had no idea where it was going. I quickly scrolled down to the bottom to read the original rhyme, then jumped back up into the action.
ReplyDeleteYou portrayed this scene in such a vivid way, depicting both the emotions of the characters watching the show and the elegance and beauty of the fashion on display. The imagery really made the story, and the absurdity of the escalation in tensions between the countries brought a very fairy-tale-esque tone to the tale.
Great job!!
I love the idea of making this a historical account of how the French Revolution started out of a nursery rhyme. Your plot was so creative and I never would have thought of creating this nursery rhyme into this type of story. I never would have thought of fashion week but I think that it worked out well. I feel that your background was described quite well and I could really picture what was going on in the story. I think that one thing you could add would be to have the characters have just a couple of talking parts. I think that it would make it just a little easier to read if it were to be broken down into just a couple added lines such as adding what it was that the Queen says when she realizes that Hector is in last year’s colors. Besides that, I really liked your story and I feel that it did flow well.
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