Glow up


    “Curiously, as wild as the world went about superheroes in the very beginning, not many became fashion icons. While many heroes would wear flamboyant uniforms or costumes, depending on the reader''s preference, these didn’t become popular on the civilian clothing front.”


    “Partially this could be due to the practical elements that such costumes had, such as utility belts or helmets which caused people to shy away. Hairstyles were a bit more common to see picked up by fans, but even then, hero practicality kept them away from even the most basic of updos.”


    “This isn’t to say there wasn’t a closet community of stylists who focused on the hero set. This is likely where the war on the cape started.”


    The next day found Solaris smiling, almost dancing, through the hotel room. “I am so glad we are going shopping today. While these sweatpants and t-shirts are comfortable, I feel like I am running around in my night clothes, and the laundress here is going to wear them out with how often she’d have to wash them otherwise.”


    “I think they’ll hold up a little longer.” Penny teased, “but based on the reputation of Bergdorf Goodman I am sure they will get you set up properly. Whatever that means for terrifyingly rich people.” Penny mentioned. “They apparently still had your file from previous visits in their archive!”


    “Truly, you can’t beat the service there on this side of the pond. In London we would go to Selfridges or Harrods. There are perhaps some specialty stores in Paris that are worth hitting but then we’d have to go to France. And most stores certainly can’t get one set up with everything they might need in one stop, barring the technology everyone seems to think is essential now.”


    Solaris paused, realizing she was rambling and considered Penny. “Mmm, maybe I’ll have them do a wardrobe for you as well.” Her eyes were slightly mischievous. “After all, if you do decide to be my assistant, and companion you will want to look the part.”


    Penny panicked, and pointed at Marcus “Then do him too! Look at the boy, driving dressed like a hoodlum.”


    “I am wearing a Yankees t-shirt. “


    “We can do that, he should look a bit sharper when he’s driving, especially for special occasions. I was thinking of siccing the butler on him if he made it to England with me, But no reason not to start polishing him up now.”


    “Does that mean I get to come into this place? I was getting used to living in the car.”


    “Yes I think that would be good.” Solaris said, “We will have to get a before and after photograph.”


    “Oh lord. You’re as bad as Grandma. Oh, we are going to need to take a small detour. Apparently, some c list villain tried to rob a bank. I mean, what is this, LA?”


    “From your statement, it sounds like they were promptly stopped.”


    “Idiot didn’t notice the Empire Girl in the line next to him. He barely got “this is a stickup” out before she fried him.


    “Empire Girl? Tell me a bit about her. I’ll admit I am so happy I didn’t end up with ‘girl’ as part of my main nom de guerre.”


    “Daughter of The Empire Statesman. Technically she is semi-retired as a public face. Flight and lightning, with remarkably fast reflexes, where her father was a growth size-shifter. She got stuck with the name as a kid sidekick.“ Penny said knowing all the local capes was part of her job.


    “Ahh, her face went soft, remembering the junior hero’s she’d worked with. I take it papa was a big enough name she couldn’t choose a new one?”


    “Literally.” Marcus said. “Then he went to congress. And then, he slept with his secretary or intern or something. It was a whole thing, and all over the media for like six months last year. “


    “To be fair he was divorced. By then. “


    Solaris made a slightly disgusted face “It’s never a good look, it''s just so…cheap.” How hard do you think it will be to find parking in the area?”


    “I’d let their valet deal with it. That''s Fifth avenue. I wouldn’t expect to find parking for multiple blocks.”


    Penny’s gaze went to one of the famous display windows of Berghman "Okay, even I know this is an Icon in the city, and I''m not exactly high fashion." Penny admitted.


    “Oh you’ll love it.” Solaris promised. “And treating oneself can make you feel unstoppable.”


    “To be fair, you kind of are unstoppable.” Penny muttered.


    The Bergdhoff Goodman windows in view were, as usual, artwork dedicated to the height of fashion and consumerism, and stepping into the store was different. Displays were almost museum quality, in spite of being dedicated to consumer goods to buy, and even the building itself was styled, not the plain white of most department stores.


    A quick trip to the third floor saw them signing in at the personal shoppers’ desk, quickly being led to a private room where the consultants were already awaiting them. "Lady Summers, a pleasure to have such a legendary client return after so long. I am your personal shopper and Stylist Pooja." The middle-aged woman greeted a pair of younger assistants setting out items on tables. A champagne flute was offered to her immediately, with one of the assistants offering drinks, not alcoholic but bubbly and sweet, to Penny and Marcus. "And we were warned you needed the full service."


    "Yes, it seems I am almost a century out of mode, so please do your worst. Also my companions will need some new things as well, day to day and event clothing for my assistant. Then I will also want some daily wear and special event clothing for my driver. and of course a couple of proper suits” Solaris took the Champaign with a smile, gesturing with it at Marcus and Penny. This she knew how to do, the slight fear on their faces amusing her.


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    "I''m assuming we should do the classic set for the driver. A good looking young gentleman is such a pleasure to dress. Wallace, You can handle him, take him over to menswear and start pulling together a collection . I''ll send a list in a bit, but he''ll need a few good suits. Sari, you can summon one of the juniors to assist you and handle this young lady. May I have your name?"


    "Um, Penny."


    "Ohhh, named after money. Excellent. Let''s get your sizes. I already have you scheduled for the Salon for a time while we pick, and I''m sure they can fit you in as well, Penny." With the amount the consultant estimated Solaris was going to spend, they damn well better be able to, or someone was getting stabbed with scissors.


    “Thank you.” Solaris said with a smile. “Now where do you want to start? These clothes are comfortable around the house, but I do not like being out in public in them. It almost feels like wandering around in my night things. While still feeling overly masculine.”


    "First, of course, measurements. While getting those I''d like to find out what sort of styles you might like and events you''re planning for in the near future." The Pooja explained, gesturing at several magazines showing recent fashion trends. "For example, considering who you are, you''ll begin to get invitations to events, so I''d suggest some gowns. Business wear is a must, based on what we know of your reputation. And, of course, the more casual day to day wear for yourself, if not for your Penny or young Marcus.”


    “That all sounds lovely.” Solaris said, climbing on top of a small podium, allowing her measurements to be taken, though as far as she knew her measurements hadn''t changed since 1944. “I am a bit nervous about the day to day clothing. It''s much less formal than I remember and more revealing.”


    "Ahh, yes, you''re not quite ready for some of the more aggressive styles. We will definitely take that into account." The stylist agreed. "We’ll keep things a bit more conservative for you. In fact, I''m going to aim for more fall, winter set for you for now, just to get you a head start."


    Solaris nodded. “It was spring when I was last around.” Not that she noticed temperatures anymore, she was pretty much comfortable anywhere. She took another bracing sip of champagne “Alright where do we start?”


    "Well, I thought we''d start with the side pieces that I wager you haven’t even thought about yet. I''ve taken the opportunity to select a basic beauty kit for you here, assorted hair brushes, combs, makeup brushes, and other tools and accessories for primping. The hardware, if you will." She said, gesturing at one of the rolling tables, covered with brushes, combs, trimmers. "These are all going to be things you''re familiar with, at least similar tools, and I thought would be a good place to start."


    Solaris smiled, “Bless you, I didn''t even think about all that.” she admitted. “I got a little overfocused on clothing” She picked up some odd stretchy circles. “What are these?”


    "“Hair bands, essentially rubber bands, but designed to not damage your hair when putting it up.” She gestured to her younger assistant, who did her long hair up quickly into a ponytail. They are a must for when one is on the go, and just needs to throw her hair up... much as I would deny ever doing such myself."


    “That would be wonderful for working out, ribbons never did very well for holding my hair back without a lot of pins. She eagerly followed the assistant''s example and did her golden hair into a ponytail.


    Pooja, the stylist, nodded. "You''ll find them in there too, don''t worry. And I''ll have more brought in to add to the sundries." she chuckled. "Now, handbags... while I have obviously not started selecting for specific outfits quite yet, and I would never deny a woman the joy of hunting the perfect bag for herself, I thought some stand byes for the time being would be good." She pulled another cart over.


    "Of course, we also selected a small travel case, as well as a larger luggage case for your items, as we were told you are in the market for a new residence." She explained, gesturing to a larger, and smaller, make up bag.”


    "Now for the fun part. “First, an evening bag. The clutch is falling more to the wayside due to cell phones, and I thought this might fill that role better for you." The bag was a muted gold tone, smallish but more than a clutch, with a gold chain. "It’s chain is designed so you can wear it more as a wristlet, or a cross-body bag depending on how you orient it. As for the color, I thought it would go well with your own hair and skin tones."


    Solaris nodded, “This is nice. I like the chain detail. I was in the apple store yesterday and I just felt naked without some sort of handbag. I like this. It can go in the approved pile. She caressed purses enjoying the feeling of leather and Luxury fabric. I will say this for the new times, the purses are divine, so many styles and materials. It''s going to be hard not to be horribly naughty and buy them all."


    "Speaking of which, in a style that might be a bit of a surprise, backpacks." She chuckled. "In this case, designed by Akris, these are designed cleverly." She lifted a black, vaguely diamond shaped backpack, and by redoing a few snaps turned it into more of a ''shopping'' bag arrangement. "Good for when you''re going to be running about all day or carrying a large amount with you. This is big enough to suit even a laptop or tablet in need. I fetched both the black and this lovely blue version."


    “What interesting detailing.” she tried it on feeling how it would hang. "It''s quite sleek, and black is a good neutral, go with anything sort of color.” She set it next to the gold purse. “It looks like an excellent day to day bag.”


    "Exactly my thought, and the blue would go well with brighter outfits, though a basic black is never out of style." Pooja said, lifting the same purse in a bright royal blue.


    “Oh, you devil! I was eyeing that one. The color is so bright and cheerful. And blue is still my favorite color. Depending on what I''m wearing when I leave, that very well may be the one on my shoulder!”


    "Excellent! Then I chose well for these." She gestured and three hard-cased suitcases were brought over. ranging from a larger to smaller size, each was a blue tone, but sturdy looking case. "Porsche may be known mostly for automobiles, but these are their line of travel cases which we carry. They are extremely durable, something I thought you would appreciate, while remaining stylish if austere, and very secure. And again, something I thought you''d need."


    Solaris nodded, tapping a finger on the case pleased with how sturdy it felt. “Interesting. It looks a bit like a jerry can with wheels. she laughed. "But this would keep one''s shoes safe. I do like the little handle and I can see how the wheels would be helpful." To other people, since she could carry a 500 pound barbell one handed like a purse but Marcus or Penny may have to deal with it so the wheels were still useful.


    "There is also a larger garment bag, not as sturdy but not as rough on delicates, and this clever little wallet. Your cards go in this aluminum sleeve to pop up for you," She displayed the feature" and you can open it to reveal other documents or IDs and it''s protected from pesky electronic pickpockets who might try to scan and steal your information. And of course, a passport carrier of the same design. I fetched out three sizes to give you options when traveling. With all three, let''s just say you should be able to carry whatever you need to the field of beauty and battle, with the garment bag for delicates. If you like I could have one or two pulled for your assistant or driver, if you think they might need them."


    “Oh yes, I doubt Marcus has a set, and Penny’s likely to be a left over from college. Do one set of each. I''m planning on taking a ship over to England once I have things settled here. Do you have anything like my Louis Vuitton steamer trunk?” I need to find that… Maybe it''s wherever they stored my clothing and apartment goods…


    "Of course, and I''ll note cruise wear as something they''ll need a bit of." The stylist noted. "Let me look into the trunk. I admit, I''m not an expert at our luggage collection."


    "For now, I think we have the basics together, and I see we are close to the salon appointment. Off you go, I shall have marvelous things collected for you.”