(no subject)

[afirewithfashion]

Characters: Cinna and YOU!
Date: 1-10 through whenever
Location: Alcuin's clothing threads
Situation: Open catch-all for anyone who wanted to comission clothing from Cinna. Prediscussed comissions and new comissions welcome; let me know if you want a specific starter and I'll toss one up!
Warnings/Rating: None so far!



During business hours, Cinna likes to keep the shop open, bright. Having the windows open doesn't bother him, although the walk to work everymorning is still a challenge. But once he's inside, he doesn't have a problem pulling open the curtains and letting the room fill with natural light. It looks best on the fabric, after all.

He keeps his workspace tidy. It's hard to make a room look inviting, when it's filled with work tables and dress forms and bolts of fabric, but he does his best. It will never look like a place for anything other than work, for dressmaking, but at least it's neat and airy. Pleasant. He likes it.

Comments

Isky

[afirewithfashion]

Cinna had a pile of comissions nearly as tall as he was, but he also had a soft spot for the dragons. And, if he was being honest, Iskeria's request had been waiting much longer than some of the others here. That was why he'd sent a note to the dragon, inviting her to drop by -- though how, exactly, a dragon "dropped by," he wasn't sure. They seemed to do a decent job of integrating themselves into the flow of the city, for all their size.

He waited for Iskeria to arrive. Across his worktable, he'd spread a variety of fabrics he thought the dragon might enjoy. Lots of red and gold, of course, but some other bright jewel-tones as well. All fine silk. Cinna knew his audience, after all.

Temeraire

[afirewithfashion]

Designing a military uniform was a very different process from the other work he'd been doing. Everyone wanted suits, or simple dresses -- for a man like Cinna, the work was almost dull. He wasn't designing, just creating replicas of what people had at home.

At least Temeraire's uniforms presented more of a challenge -- both in design, and in their client. After all, he knew the dragons had a taste for... "extravagance" was probably the most polite way of putting it. Threading the needle between flair and practicality was a challenge for any designer. Luckily, it was one of Cinna's strengths.

He'd said two days, and by that time he had several pages of sketches laid out. There were some particulars that he'd need to discuss with Temeraire before he knew if the designs would work. For instance, the amount of wear against the cloth (they were going to be riding dragons.) The altitude they'd be flying at. Weather conditions. All those things would play into his final design.

He just hoped he'd been creative enough to satisfy the dragons themselves.

[dracobin]

Temeraire had seen Cinna's work before, of course: it was very difficult not to, when it seemed sometimes that half the foreigners on the turtle wore something of his design. But they were all so very different, originating as they did from dozens of different worlds, and different times. He found, as he landed outside the shop with a rustle of wings, that he had very little idea of what to expect.

He paused for a moment, eyeing the door--would it accommodate him?--and settled, in the end, for rapping a careful claw against the glass.

[afirewithfashion]

If Cinna was going to do much more work for the dragons, he was going to have to speak to Alcuin about rearranging the shop. This was getting ridiculous.

He came to the window and propped it open without much surprise. It wasn't like he could miss the giant dragon descending from the sky, after all.

"Hello, Temeraire." He really did love both the dragons. They had a grace and beauty to them that was so entirely unique -- even in a place as full of new experiances as this is, they were exceptional. (And, he was getting the feeling, loved hearing it.)

For now, though, he was focused on the human members of the Aerial Corps. As he'd promised Temeraire, he'd come up with several pages of sketches, different ideas for them to review. The dragon could choose one of the designs, or they could pick and choose elements from among them.

But not all the elements. Restraint, dragon!

[dracobin]

Temeraire inclined his head in greeting, curling himself up carefully outside the shop so as to block as little traffic as possible.

"Good afternoon, Mr Cinna," he returned, beaming down at the man. "I hope I am not disturbing you? Only I thought I might visit, and see how the designs are coming along, since I was passing through, anyway."

[afirewithfashion]

"Good afternoon, Temeraire." Something about the dragons made it impossible not to respond with the same old-fashioned courtesy. "You're not interrupting anything at all. I'm glad you're here, I had some designs to show you."

Cinna grabbed one of the smaller consultation tables and dragged it over to the window, so that they'd have a place to lay out the sketches. He took a chair for himself as well and sat down, laying out the sketches.

The uniforms he'd designed varied in how complex they were. For the sake of simplicity, he'd tried to make sure most of the elements were staples that could be found in any wardrobe. Then he'd embellished them with jackets, collars, sashes -- it seemed more practical than designing and producing a full set of uniforms for every member of what was, essentially, a volunteer guard.

One sketch clearly drew from the Kedan's fashion as implementation. It used a cloth-of-gold he strongly suspected would appeal to the dragons. Another, more somber design, was inspired by what Alcuin had told him of his world. It used neutral tones, charcoal mostly, accentuated with color to denote rank. A third was more along the lines of what Cinna had designed for Katniss's Mockingjay uniform. Black leather cuffs and arm bands for rank, with a high-collared jacket underneath.

None of them used jewels. Sorry.

Scott

[afirewithfashion]

In between his work on Tony and Hannibal's suits, Cinna had worked on Scott's. The other two men had given him a very clear idea of what they wanted. Cut, fabric, style -- neither piece deviated far from the standard of their homeworld, and while their suits were different than the suits Cinna'd made in the Capitol, they were still fairly basic.

For Scott, though, Tony had left him with the very vague instruction: "something to impress the ladies." He'd worked with less, but still. Which ladies? From the few conversations he'd had with Scott, he got the feeling that the man wasn't very invested in dating. And if he were, Cinna had absolutely no idea who he'd be trying to impress, or what they'd find impressive.

Add to it that he was trying to craft an outfit for a teenage girl, based on what her father thought she'd want. It had been an interesting week. But at least he had something to show for it.

[langsyne]

Scott has absolute faith in Cinna. Never mind that he's never seen the man's credentials or had more than five conversations with him in his life; the guy looks and sounds trustworthy and there'd been enough people vouching for him that Scott had thrown caution to the wind and blew a small fortune on clothes for Cassie, clothes he is now picking up, as he walks through the front door into a tailor's paradise.

It looks a little bit like the way his living room sometimes looks, if all the metal was replaced by swathes upon swathes of fabric. But it's nice. Kind of homey.

Upon spying Cinna, Scott waves. "How's it going?"

[afirewithfashion]

With the amount of business Scott is bringing in (even unwittingly), Cinna doesn't want to let him down. Cassie's clothes are all stacked neatly on a side table. In addition to the sweaters Scott originally requested, there are several long and short sleeved shirts suitable for layering, new pants and skirts, and even a few accessories. All of it is thoughtfully designed, so that Cassie can combine the pieces virtually any way imaginable.

And, hopefully, none of it will be too objectionable to father or daughter.

That just left Scott to clothe. Cinna raises a hand in return.

"Pretty well." Which is a lie, but a convincing one. "How are you?"

[langsyne]

On the bright side, Scott is cheerfully oblivious to whatever nefarious plans Tony and Cinna have cooked up. He hasn't the foggiest idea that anything is about to happen outside of him swinging by and picking up the things he ordered.

He doesn't know Cinna well enough to assume otherwise, so he takes the man's words at face value.

"Good to hear. And stuff's good on my end. Working a little extra now, with the whole two mouths to feed instead of one thing, but it's good work." There are faint bags under his eyes, but he looks chipper enough.

"Everything ready?"

[afirewithfashion]

Good. Cinna doesn't want his own difficulties weighing anyone else down. His problems are his problems, and part of why he keeps so many people at a friendly arms' length. It prevents prying.

"Almost," he says. It's not quite a lie. Everything he made for Cassie is done, except the coat. He's still putting the finishing touches on it.

Because he'd met the girl at Peeta's, during his brief time here, Cinna had a better feel for her style. Nothing was too prissy. He'd built off the tshirts and button downs she seemed to favor, but with small feminine twists. The way he'd placed the pockets, swapping oxford collars for more delicate key-holes and v-necks, seaming and darts. There was even a warm flannel shirt that she could wear over a tank top or tshirt. Nothing in the collection was overtly girly, but none of it could be mistaken for menswear.

As for Scott...

"I actually need to get your measurements."

[fearlessherosheart]

Tazendra has not had good luck with clothing since her arrival on the turtle. It doesn't help that her height means that it's a rare kedan off-the-rack shop that has anything that fits her -- and probably only because kedan are shapeshifters -- and it took her rather longer than one might expect to learn how to budget (and how to mend the clothing she brought to the Turtle).

So she is wandering around to look in the various shops that seem to sell clothing (or people who can make it). Eventually she wanders into Cinna's. "Is anyone present?"

[afirewithfashion]

Cinna is working toward the back of the shop, neck-deep (almost literally) in Temeraire's commission for the Aerial Corps. Human uniforms are one thing, but dragon-sized uniforms to match are completely another.

He steps away from the project when he hears someone enter the shop, moving into the open aisle to see who'd arrived. It's rare that he's alone, but Alcuin and Rapunzel are both out today. That leaves him with the customers, not that he minds.

"I'm here. Can I help you find something?"

[fearlessherosheart]

"I am interested in a commission," Tazendra said. "I have some trouble in purchasing clothing, and... well, I am uncertain as to styling. One wishes to be fashionable, after all, but the clothing here is rather different than what was in style in my homeland."

Tazendra's trouble is mostly her height; she's nearly eight feet tall. Her current outfit is a bit worn and almost all black, though clearly made from nice fabric and with a lot of detailing indicating someone worked hard on it. It's also well-tailored to her, with a stylistic resemblance to Western European Renaissance men's fashion (though fit to a female body).

[afirewithfashion]

"I think that's the case for many of us." Although the Kedan wouldn't look out of place in the capitol, their dress is still very different from what Cinna is used to seeing and designing. And worlds like Alcuin's and Rapunzel's are even further removed.

He takes in Tazendra's garb with a critical eye, noting the style -- and also the places needing repair. It's a good outfit, it fits her beautifully, and the piecework is exquisit.

"I'm happy to repair anything you brought from home, or custom-make outfits to suit you. Or, if you'd like, we can discuss some of the more popular styles here, and I could make you something in one of those."

[fearlessherosheart]

"Ah, but there is the manner of price, is there not?" Tazendra looked uncomfortable. Someone is not terribly good at budgeting, and newly in a position to have to be someone careful.

[ixis]

It was only a few days into his arrival, shortly after he'd finished forming his suite to his tastes, that Naugus realized he had only one change of clothing. That being the outfit he arrived in. When some currency was acquired, mainly through doing magical favours for the kedan surrounding his neighbourhood, did he realize buying off the rack wasn't going to suffice.

Even for a race of shape-shifters, they all kept to a relative size and type. Nothing suitable for someone as short, muscular and cape-preferring as him. The lack of holes for tails was a problem too and making your own in the seat of purchased pants rarely looked dignified. And what about his gloves?! The right hand was fine, but his clawed left? Not so much.

So eventually, when crafting and granting a crystalline trinket to a curious keedan, referral to a tailor, a foreign one! was made as juulan traded hands. Naugus had to take offense at it coming up unprompted, but later decided to investigate the matter.

With all that said, today is the day Ixis Naugus bursts into the shop. "I seek the tailor known as Cinna!" he declares, pointing his staff at whoever is unfortunate enough to be first in sight.

[afirewithfashion]

Cinna had been grabbed from his home, twice, and brought to the back of a giant floating turtle populated by colorful shapeshifters. And even he has to blink twice at the sight of the bi-pedal bearded... unicorn?... that bursts into the shop. Luckily, the staff is pointed at him, and not Alcuin or Rapunzel. Neither of them is as delicate as they look, but he still wouldn't want either of them to feel threatened.

"I'm Cinna," he says smoothly. "Can I help you with something?"

[ixis]

"Yes! I require clothing!" The staff is twirled handily, no longer pointing in such an accusing manner. The butt of it clacks onto the floor, back at the mage's side, as he grins toothily.

"I have been told by one of the kedan you are skilled in your craft and capable of various...hrrm, alterations and specifications. As you can see, I have a good number of variables present in how I must dress myself." Naugus waves over himself with his claw, standing up straight. "Are you able to help with this?"

[afirewithfashion]

"Well, we don't sell food, so that's good."

Yes, that was a subtle joke. Cinna gives a small smile in return, already thinking -- yes, there are plenty of challenges here. The tail is just the beginning. Not to mention Cinna would guess that those claws are pretty rough on fabric.

"We can design something to your specifications. What did you have in mind?"

[ixis]

Cinna's assumption on the claws is right. The right hand looks normal enough, a thumb and four fingers, as usual. And then there's that left hand that dearly resembles a crab pincer, the glove it's currently ensconced in made out of some kind of tough, grey leather. Why he gloves it is anyone's guess.

"A wardrobe would be best, as I am sorely lacking in options on this turtle, my good man. I prefer things that are functional, authoritative." He strokes his beard as he talks. "Durable is also ideal, as I work a great deal with fire, water and ice. I can salvage them to a degree and render them resistant to these elements, but it'd save me the effort, really."

Naugus is quiet for a moment, mulling over his specifications. What did he miss? Oh! He pipes up again after a few moments of pondering silently.

"...Also capes. Capes are a must."

[bindsthedead]

Sabriel had no problem wearing kedan-made clothing, although for formal occasions it felt a little odd... and while her surcoat was very nice, she wanted something else to wear over her armor.

Which was why she'd walked into Cinna's office wearing her hauberk and blue silk surcoat, though she'd decided to leave her bell bandolier and sword belt home today.

"Cinna, are you here?"

[afirewithfashion]

"Sabriel?"

Surprised, Cinna steps out from among the shelves of cloth bolts. He hadn't expected to encounter his teacher here -- so far, he'd sought her out. Not the other way around.

"Is everything alright?"

[bindsthedead]

"Oh- Everything's fine I'd just like to commission a few things- an outfit for formal occasions that I can still move in, and a few new surcoats," Sabriel explained gesturing at the one she wore. It was dark blue, with a pattern of silver keys embroidered all over it.

[afirewithfashion]

Well, now he felt rather foolish.

"Of course. Come sit down and we'll talk about what you need."

He grabbed a sketchbook from the pile and led her to a small table, pulling out a chair for her and taking his own. The surcoats were a simple matter.

"Do you want the same style and fabrics that you brought from home?"