I Became a Clothing Designer in Another World - Chapter 24

"Pretty..."

Hayes muttered to herself, staring blankly at the dress.

Taking that as a signal, I slightly curved up the corners of my lips and began to explain.

"This dress is made with reference to clothing from the ancient empire era. The waistline is high, and it's loose so you can wear it comfortably."

"Dress?"

"Not a chemise?"

At the explanation that it was a dress, my mother and sister-in-law raised their eyebrows in surprise and asked.

"Yes, it's a dress to wear over a chemise. It was made so you can wear it without a corset or petticoat."

"Hmph~"

As I nodded right away and answered my sister-in-law's question, my mother made a small humming sound and nodded.

"So the reason the dress is loose and the waistline is high is to avoid constricting the stomach and make it easy to put on and take off?"

"Yes, that's right. And as time passes and the belly grows, there's no need to alter the dress."

"Not bad. Altering the dresses I used to wear one by one is quite a hassle."

"That's right. It's even more of a headache since there aren't just one or two dresses."

My mother, who knew the annoyance of having five children all too well, frowned and shook her head slightly from side to side.

"But I don't know how it will be for the new daughter-in-law."

And she glanced at my sister-in-law and asked tentatively.

At my mother's baton pass, my sister-in-law smiled with her eyes, as if she had been waiting for it, and clasped her hands together.

"Can I try it on right away?"

"Of course."

I smiled and handed the dress to Emily.

Emily, having received the dress, neatly folded it and put it in the basket.

"Emily, help my sister-in-law with her clothes, and show her how to put it on."

"Yes, madam, please come this way."

Emily, holding the basket, pointed to the door connecting to the next room and led the way.

_

- Click

Around the time the teacup showed its bottom.

The doorknob of the room that my sister-in-law and Emily had entered turned, and Emily appeared.

After opening the door wide, Emily grabbed the door, stuck close to the wall to make way for people to pass, and signaled to my sister-in-law inside the room that it was okay to come out.

"Haha..."

My sister-in-law, revealing herself with an awkward laugh, slightly lifted the hem of her skirt with both hands and carefully came out of the room, approaching us.

"Wow-!"

The first to react to my sister-in-law who came out after changing her clothes was Hayes.

Hayes, with her clasped hands close to her cheeks and her eyes twinkling, exclaimed in admiration and got up from her seat, walking towards my sister-in-law with hurried steps.

"How is it? Does it suit me?"

"Sister, you're so pretty! It goes so well with your red hair... You look like a lake fairy!"

"Isn't 'fairy' too much of an exaggeration?"

At Hayes' exaggerated compliment, my sister-in-law covered her cheeks with both hands, feeling embarrassed, yet smiling shyly.

Watching such a sister-in-law, my mother narrowed her eyes, brought her head close to mine, and whispered softly.

"It's all good, but it seems like your arms are too exposed."

"She's not just wearing that. It's meant to be worn with a shawl or coat on top."

Answering quietly with a confident smile, I turned my head to look at my sister-in-law and raised my voice.

"Sister-in-law, I should have given you a coat as well. Didn't you like it?"

"Ah, that was very pretty too. But the dress was so pretty that I wanted to show you this look first without putting it on."

As my sister-in-law, with a smile as fresh as a young girl, fluttered the hem of her skirt, Emily stealthily approached and draped a cardigan over my sister-in-law's shoulders.

My sister-in-law, with Emily's help, put her arms into the sleeves of the cardigan, smiled with her eyes at Emily to express her gratitude, and fastened the front of the cardigan.

"I was wondering how this was made. It's so soft."

And she smiled brightly, gently stroking her forearm with her hand.

"Sweater?"

"It's called a cardigan. It's a variation of a sweater, so they're like friends."

"You're bringing things I've never seen before again."

"Haha... I'm always thinking about things like that."

My mother looked at me as if she were amazed.

I awkwardly smiled and subtly avoided my mother's gaze.

It felt a bit embarrassing because it was possible thanks to my memories from my past life.

"Hmm..."

My mother, who had been gazing at me intently, eventually made a small groan, turned her head towards my sister-in-law, and brought her teacup to her lips.

"Brother, can you make me one of these dresses later?"

In a suddenly awkward atmosphere, as I was fiddling with my teacup, Hayes, who had turned her head sharply, looked at me with teary eyes, pointing to the dress my sister-in-law was wearing.

The kid who wasn't very interested in the knit dress my mother often wears these days must have liked that one quite a bit, seeing how she asked me to make it right away.

"Hmm..."

Come to think of it, she's been less prickly since I made her stockings, so her actions have become cuter.

It's not difficult to make, and she likes it that much, so I can make her one.

"Okay, if you tell me the color or decorations you want later, I'll make it for you."

"Really?! You said you'd make it? Don't pretend you don't know later?"

"Yeah."

"Heehee~"

As I chuckled and nodded, Hayes widened her eyes and fluttered her arms, rejoicing.

If my mother hadn't been there, she probably would have jumped up and down.

"Now, that's enough. Let's drink tea and chat. It's been a while since we've met, so we must have a lot to talk about. The tea I made with such effort is getting cold."

My mother's words fell on Hayes, who had been smiling brightly and rejoicing for a while.

"Yes, Mother."

"Yes~"

My sister-in-law and Hayes, with bright smiles, nodded and approached the table with light steps, sitting in their chairs.

_

The tea time, which continued as we shared trivial stories, came to an end, and just as everyone was getting up from their seats to return to their rooms.

"William, I have something to discuss with you alone, so stay behind."

"Yes..."

My mother, who had been sitting quietly, lightly grabbed my wrist.

I wondered what my mother could possibly have to talk about with me alone.

I wanted to ask for a reason, but at my mother's sharp gaze, I just obediently sat back down in my chair, quickly rolling my eyes to find the reason myself.

As I sat down in the chair, my mother slightly turned her head towards Hayes and my sister-in-law, giving them a smile.

"The new daughter-in-law must still be tired from her journey, so rest comfortably until dinner, and Hayes, go do your work."

"Yes."

"Yes."

At my mother's signal to leave quickly without being obvious, Hayes, my sister-in-law, and even Emily quickly left the room.

"I will be waiting outside, so if you need anything, please ring the bell."

"Okay."

And Emily left the words that a servant would formally say when leaving the room, closing the door.

Thankfully, my mother opened her mouth right away without hesitation or silence as soon as the door closed.

"I've been having a concern lately, my son."

"What kind of concern?"

"Lately, the age range of customers visiting the boutique I run has been biased. More and more, only mature women over thirty are starting to visit."

"Hmm... Could that be because there's quite a difference between the tastes of young ladies and noble ladies? It doesn't seem strange that only one side is visiting."

"Of course, I understand that, but if I'm not sad about missing out on the young ladies, that's not true. After all, I'm missing out on people who could become customers."

"I see..."

"So, as a solution to this, I'm considering creating a boutique for young ladies."

If she does the market research properly, my mother's plan could be considered orthodox.

Many companies rebrand or launch new brands to secure new customer bases.

"That sounds good. It could become ambiguous if you try to catch two rabbits at once by force."

"Really?"

As I nodded and agreed with my mother's words, my mother gave me a meaningful smile and stared intently into my eyes.

"I'm thinking of entrusting that boutique to you. What do you think?"

"Excuse me?"

At my mother's bewildered suggestion, I let out a dazed voice and blankly stared at my mother, blinking my eyes.

I've never learned about management, and I've never run a store.

I don't have a wide network, and I've never shown my mother a glimpse of sharp talent.

Why on earth?

I couldn't understand what she saw in me that made her want to entrust it to me.

After staring blankly at my mother for a while, I pointed to myself with my finger and said in a trembling voice.

"...Me?"

"Yes."

"A boutique?"

"Yes, a boutique. I'm going to entrust it to you."

"Why...?"

I threw out the question that I was genuinely curious about in a rather abbreviated way.

Then, my mother's expression twisted fiercely, and she pouted her lips, saying as if she were displeased.

"You don't want to do it?"

"No... That's not it..."

"Then?"

"I don't know anything about boutiques, and the same goes for management. So I don't know what you're trusting in to entrust the store to me."

"Ha."

My mother, who scoffed at my unconfident answer, raised one corner of her lips and looked at me, saying.

"The clothes you make, there are many that suit young ladies better than noble ladies. Hayes and the new daughter-in-law like them, and the young maids like your clothes too."

"Hmm... Is that so? I guess that's because I made them thinking about young people wearing them."

My mother tapped her eye with her finger, saying.

"The clothes sold at boutiques are important for their quality and luxurious materials, but the most important thing is 'how well do you grasp the trends?'"

"Yes."

"It's important to quickly read the trends and follow them."

My mother paused for a moment, then raised one finger and continued.

"But, what if you can lead the trends?"

"If you could do that, it would be the best, right? Because you can preempt everything before others follow."

"Yes, I thought that part was important."

My mother smiled and pointed at me with her finger.

"And I saw the possibility in your two eyes that can read the trends of young children, and in your hands that can realize them."

"......"

My mother's voice and gaze were full of conviction.

I couldn't continue speaking at that gaze full of pressure, and I could only blankly stare at my mother.