make ourselves at home, Morgan sits down at the table and starts to ge t her things out of her bag. I follow suit.
“ Oh don't bother getting those out right now, Jess. Why don't you just watch me for the first few clients to see how to do it, hmmm?” Morgan says.
Although I feel slightly put out, I agree with her it's probably best if I just watch and learn for now. After all, I remind myself, she's been doing this for a year and Stephanie is my very first client. I have a lot to learn.
After Stephanie returns with the drinks and some beautiful little pale pink and lemon cupcakes we settle down and start the session.
Morgan asks her about her wardrobe, her lifestyle, and what she wants to change. She then pulls out her colour charts and informs her the bright colours she favours aren't helping her look her best, and steers her towards a soft autumn palette of oranges, rusts and greens. She then pulls out a tape measure and measures the obvious things like her bust, hips and waist, and more obscure things, like her shoulders and wrists.
“ I need these measurements so I can determine your body type as well as whether you have a small, medium or large bone structure, Stephanie. That way we'll know what we're working with and the styles that'll suit you the best. We want to put you in clothes that'll make you sparkle - on the outside and on the inside,” Morgan comments, efficiency itself.
She’s good, I think, as I watch Stephanie relax into her chair with a small smile on her face. She’s professional, she knows how to put people at their ease, and she knows how to get them excited about how good they could look in her hands. Thankfully she’s dropped the mildly annoying “totes” and “amaze” in her flurry of professionalism.
Measurements taken , Morgan continues. “You have a small bone structure and a classic hourglass figure, Stephanie. You must be the envy of all your friends!”
Stephanie beams at the compliment. “Oh I hardly think that ,” she replies, but I can tell she’s already starting to feel good about herself.
“ Can we find a full-length mirror so you can see what I'm talking about? That way I can show you what you need to emphasize with your clothing and what you could do with minimizing.”
“ Sure, let's go to my wardrobe, there's a large mirror in there, although you'll need to excuse the mess,” Stephanie replies as we push our chairs out from the table to stand up.
Morgan pauses to check her phone and then jumps up out of her chair, suddenly looking on edge.
“ What is it? Everything all right?” I whisper as we follow Stephanie down the hallway.
“ Oh, fine, Jess.” She nods at me briskly and then walks hurriedly ahead to catch up with Stephanie.
I pause momentarily on the way to look at a few of the myriads of black and white photos adorning the hallway walls. There are several of Cici the crazy, barking terrier, as well as candid photos of Stephanie with a couple of children, who I assume must be hers. There are a couple of gaps with exposed hooks and slightly brighter wall paint where photos once were, and I can only assume these were photos of her ex-husband. Times she clearly wants to forget now but once cherished enough to have in pride of place on the wall.
I realis e I've been perusing Stephanie's photos for a little too long so rush to join the others in the bedroom at the end of the hall, where I can hear Morgan’s voice ringing out loudly.
Stephanie's bedroom is just beautiful, with a massive bed covered in sumptuous cream cushions with gold piping and a large possum fur throw, set against a feature wall of pale beige ‘ fleur de lis’ wallpaper. My mother could certainly learn a thing or two about ‘less is more’ interior design from this woman. The attached walk-in wardrobe is about the size of my entire bedroom, complete with rows of hanging clothes and an ottoman in the middle of the room.
Oh to be rich.
The alleged mess she’d mentioned
Learning to Kill: Stories