Designer Drama Read Free Page B

stifled a yawn. “Can we make it quick? The real designers here are waiting to show their work.”
    Mickey stood up and pulled her favorite sketch out of her binder. “This is inspired by a painting called A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of Le Grande Jatte . Sunday is my favorite day of the week because Aunt Olive and I go bird-watching in the park. So you can see the feathers on the shoulders and the green dotted fabric…”
    Jade wrinkled her nose. “What’s with all the polka dots? It looks like your dress has a rash! Poison ivy from the park, maybe?” She elbowed Jake to laugh at her joke.
    â€œGood one, sis!” he chimed in.
    â€œIt’s a painting technique based on the one used by the French artist Georges Seurat. I’m going to use fabric paints to create a custom textile.”
    Mr. Kaye nodded. “Interesting concept. And I’m glad you mentioned textiles. Tomorrow, I’m taking you all on a field trip to Plush Fabric in the Fashion District.”
    â€œOoh,” Mars said. “Plush is the fabric store.”
    â€œIt is,” Mr. Kaye replied. “There are thousands upon thousands of textiles to choose from.”
    Mickey’s hand shot up. “But I kinda wanted to make my own fabric. Would that be okay?”
    Jade snickered. “Of course you do. You probably want to use some old sheets you found in the scrap bin—or the garbage. Good luck with that. I’ll be buying silk and cashmere.”
    â€œYou’ll be buying or using whatever you want—as long as it doesn’t total more than fifty dollars,” Mr. Kaye insisted. “Those are the rules of the International Student Runway competition.”
    â€œFifty?” Jade gasped. “That won’t even cover my zippers and thread!”
    Mr. Kaye rubbed his temples. “Then I suggest you get creative. What are you thinking for your design?”
    Jade held up her sketch, and Mickey’s mouth dropped. “It’s inspired by the architecture of Paris,” Jade explained. “The A-line skirt represents the shape of the Eiffel Tower. And the corset back is inspired by the steel crossbeams.”
    â€œWhat? That’s what I was doing!” Mickey protested. She pulled out several other sketches from her binder.
    â€œWell, I thought of it first,” Jade insisted.
    â€œYou did not!” Mickey fired back. “You must have seen my sketches or heard me talking to JC and copied.”
    Jade laughed. “Me? Copy? As if! I’ve been to Paris dozens of times, and I know the architecture inside and out.”
    Mr. Kaye held up his hand. “Ladies, ladies! Enough bickering. Brilliant minds sometimes think alike. One of you will simply have to rethink your collection, or you’ll both be out of the running.”
    â€¢ • •
    Mickey texted JC to meet her after Apparel Arts. She could barely contain her anger.
    â€œIt’s so unfair!” she shouted the minute she spotted him making his way toward her locker. “Jade stole my whole Paris architecture idea.”
    â€œDo you want my opinion?” JC asked.
    Mickey rolled her eyes. “Am I gonna like it?”
    â€œYour idea was, well, not all that original, Mick. I mean, everyone will probably design collections based on the Eiffel Tower. It’s almost a cliché.”
    Mickey paused to consider. “Ya think?”
    â€œI think we can do better. What about that sketch you love? The green dots?”
    â€œI know, I do love the pointillism dress,” she said. “But Jade said it looked like a rash. I can’t do a whole collection covered in dots.”
    â€œAnd since when do we care what other people think?” JC reminded her.
    â€œI know, but it is a bit much—even for me,” Mickey said. “And it would take forever to paint enough fabric for three looks. We only have a week.”
    â€œOkay,” JC said, taking his sketchbook