recolle | Are You Ready for that Catwalk?

Are You Ready for that Catwalk?

WHO: Yogi & Kasen
WHERE: At Kasen's studio at Recolle University
WHEN: April 3
WHAT: Kasen asked to see Yogi's newest collection, and Yogi has been happy to oblige!
WARNINGS: cuteness, fashion

Yogi trotted quickly across the campus, panting as he tugged along a rather large rolling suitcase, a half as large duffle bag pouncing against his hip. The suitcase rattle and rolled behind him, and he kept looking back to check that it wasn't somehow coming open and spilling contents. Gosh, how embarrassing would that be? Not to mention make him cry, because of what was inside. The gown he had nearly complete to compliment the suits, though he had only brought the one today, and his sketches.

Looking ahead again his heart jumped and his belly flipped, working into the building and checking the directory before going to take the elevator up and make his way to Kasen's studio. He paused again to gather himself and check his belongings, wanting to put his best foot forward for someone who had specifically asked to see his work.

Right. Time to shine. He stepped up and knocked. "Kasen? It's me, Yogi."

_{[ooc: for quick reference, the gown he is bringing looks like this]}

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There was a brief moment before the door was finally opened, with Kasen standing on the other side in a simple, ink stained apron and slightly disheveled hair, trying his best to put on a charismatic smile for his visitor, despite his appearance. Hey, Yogi knew he was an artist, it wasn't as if Kasen needed to justify not looking his aesthetic best when he was in a work space.

"Ah, yes, just in time. Please, please, come in, make yourself comfortable!" Kasen opened the door and stepped aside, gesturing for Yogi to enter. Within the studio itself, while the one on campus wasn't as much of a disaster area as the one he kept in town, there was definitely an aura of 'controlled chaos' in the room, with several half-finished or nearly-finished projects littering the area, though the central work spaces were kept largely clear. The windows at furthest wall were covered in draped tulle of various colors, though the main overhead lights were on and the effects of the spectrum they cast into the room arranged like that could only be guessed at...

And speaking of the walls, they were absolutely covered, floor to ceiling, in minimalist nature works, depicting mostly local flowers, like the sort one would find on shoji panels back in the man's home country...

Yogi stepped inside, pausing to admire the space. The chaos was obvious, but considering the state his own workspaces could get into he had no room to judge. He understood even. Art could be messy sometimes. Whatever space let a person be creative, he liked to say.

He drew his little rolling back into the room and set down the large duffle, turning to look at a particular piece on the wall.

“Did you paint all of these?” He asked Kasen, a creeping touch of admiration in his tone.

"Most of them. Some of the finished ones are part of portfolio submissions from students, that I will in turn submit to various patrons and galleries around town," Kasen moved to what appeared to be a storage area in the room, pulling out two chairs (neither of which seemed to belong to the same set) and setting them out, plopping himself into one of them.

Yogi continued to admire as Kasen pulled out the chairs, finally looking over when the scrape caught his attention. He looked around briefly, wondering if there was a mannequin on which to display the outfits, though he could technically wear them himself too. The female silhoutte wouldn't quite have the same impact considering his lack of womanly curves, but it would come across.

"Do you have a dress form, or should I model the pieces myself for you?" he inquired, coming over to the chairs and laying down the suitcase and the duffle with care, his backpack following.

"Ah," oh right. "My apologies, I don't have any at this studio. I do have a rack with hangers, if you need it, though?" It was normally used for dressing models, but he supposed it could fit Yogi's purposes. If not, well...

“No, that’s all right. I’ll just show them one at a time!” He nodded, looking around. “Uh, do you have a room I could change in?” He asked. He figured he would do that suit first and then the dress, which would take more time to position given its volume.

"I don't, but I do have a privacy screen... I take it that means you intend to model your own works? A very bold choice, I must say," Kasen chuckled slightly, getting up again to fetch the aforementioned screen...

“Hangars just never quite do the forms justice,” Yogi insisted, gathering the duffle and situating himself behind the screen once Kasen had settled it.

“This will take a minute,” he said over the screen as he tugged off his shirt, the zipper hissing as he worked open the bag.

The suit was a sleek black, a counterpoint to the white one he had also created. A slim cut, with angular colorblocking of electric blue guiding the viewer through the asymmetrical jacket design. The electric blue was further enhanced by the faintest of patters like twisting vines. Unless you were right up on the suit the pattern wouldn’t be truly visible, but from further back it gave the sense of texture to counter the smoother black material.

Properly fastened, Yogi coughed to announce he was ready and stepped out, feet bare, doing his best model walk for Kasen.

“This is the lead male piece,” he explained as he walked. “The most mature and reserved, but still interesting and has some flare.”

In the time Yogi was changing into the outfit, he'd helped himself to the other materials, sorting through them and taking note of the flats and illustrations, as well as the fabric samples. He was particularly impressed by the blue, getting a chance to roll it in his fingers before looking up to see Yogi presenting the whole outfit.

"Eye catching... The colors are dramatic, but still elegant and dark. It captures a flare for modern masculinity, I think, branching outside of those old Edwardian rules but not so far as to be unrecognizable...," Kasen tapped his chin.

"That is to say... I love it."

A happy flush rushed across his cheeks at Kasen’s praise, smoothing down the lines of the fabric. It needed to be fitted better to his body, but it wasn’t much off. Then again, he hadn’t been intending to wear it so the slight amount of slack was acceptable.

“The next suit has a more dramatic hem like a hi-lo,” he explained, opening the sketchbook to the drawing. “Move the color into a dark jewel green accented in black as a kind of reverse to this one. The last one is white with the green lining and the most dramatic angle at the front.”

He looked up at Kasen, eyes shining and eager, awaiting his opinion.

Perhaps more than the design itself, what Kasen noticed and appreciated was just how passionate Yogi seemed to be about his creations. The way he spoke about his designs, his fabric and color choices. It really did shine through, practically lit up the room, and kasen found himself smiling widely, the energy infectuous.

"The shape and tailoring combined with the bold colors draw one in, just like with the last one. It's dramatic, as you say, but not oppressive to the eyes either."

Yogi pinked all the way to his ears in pleasure at the praise, at someone enjoying his ideas and his sketches. It really did mean the world to him. He practically glowed, scratching the back of his neck and chuckling.

"Most of all I just hope that, whomever ends up wearing the pieces, they end up enjoying themselves. That's all I really want," Yogi said. "I wanted to make a formal affair more fun with this collection, where people feel more energetic and less stiff." He left Kasen with the book before turning to take the rolling case. "And now for the female silhouette!"

He rolled it back behind the screen and began the process of changing, which was quite the affair given the fabric and such. The piece was not really made for his figure, but it worked. It shared the coloring of the black suit, but more reverse, with larger swathes of the electric blue, lined with black and white. Clearly the male and female sets came in pairs, meant for a couple to attend the evening together and look like they were together without being perfect patches.

A rustle of fabric and Yogi came out from behind the screen about fifteen minutes later, the dress slightly off his shoulders and dipping slightly in the back, a mix of classic elegance with more modern fitting.

"Haha, obviously it would look better on a fuller figure, but this is the female silhouette."

Honestly he'd been about to protest Yogi's need to wear the dress himself, but the guy seemed comfortable enough doing it... But when he finally came out, well, that was when Kasen's jaw seemed to drop.

Sure, it didn't fit Yogi perfectly, but perhaps that was part of the appeal. A very basic part of himself, one that melded with his aesthetic appreciation for Yogi's work rather nicely at the moment, had him briefly just lost, staring in reverie at the sight of the young man.

"I... I'm stunned, really...," he let out a nervous laugh, still not quite able to bring himself to look away.

At first Yogi shifted nervously, smoothing the fabric over his hips and thighs. He wasn’t sure what to make of Kasen’s sudden silence, but the words made him relax and his cheeks took in a warm rosy color, right up to his eyes. He looked down shyly for a minute, laughing softly.

“Thank you,” he said and then gasped, turning back behind the screen and coming back out with his arms dressed in sleek black gloves, electric blue roses at the top near his upper arm. “Sorry, I almost forgot these.” He gripped the edges of the dress and turned, the layers trailing slightly behind.

“This has been one of my favorites to work on,” he explained and as he gave Kasen a three sixty view. “I love the drama of it, but it’s not dramatic you know? It feels romantic and stylish.”

"Does romance factor into your aesthetic often?" Kasen reached to take up the skirt of the dress, examining the hem first and then simply taking in the rest of the details.

He considered the question, remaining still as Kasen examined the dress. The material was a mix of a thicker brocade and lighter silks, allowing the dress to move freely without becoming a burden for the wearer and retain its structure.

“Not all the time,” he finally said. “This collection is meant for a grand evening or an event, and I think those sorts of things always have a bit of romance to them, either for yourself or with a partner.

"But these designs in particular... Is this your ideal of romance?" He was certain his questions might be coming off as strange, but getting past the material into something deeper, something that reflected the spirit or even subconscious instead.

Again he took his time to ponder the question. It was not one he was usually asked for sure and not one he had given a lot of thought to, honestly. Mostly because he felt he lacked quite a bit of experience in that area, but...

“I think it is one of my ideas of romance,” he finally said. “It’s about the magic of a moment and in romance I think there’s always a kind of magic. In this dress, I want someone to feel like the belle of the ball, as if were, and there’s magic in that I think, a fantasy. Fantastical romance, I think you could call it.”

"I guess I can safely say you've created that magic with this, Yogi," Kasen set down the hem, returning to his seat and crossing his legs, just taking in another look of the whole package, but perhaps more keenly, the person wearing the dress itself.

This really was... a remarkable guy.

Yogi flushed happily at the praise, at someone who had listened to him and his vision and seemed to both get it and appreciate it. He stood before Kasen, hands folded in front of him, at ease in the dress. It was something he had made after all.

“Oh, I have sketches for the other dresses too,” he nodded at his sketchbook. “The white dress pairs with the emerald tuxedo and the emerald dress with the white tuxedo.”

The blue dress he had on was the most dramatic in skirting, with the white dress focused on dramatic sleeving and the emerald dress with drama in the bodice with a cape. Different accents, but all somehow looking like they belonged with their asymmetrical lines.

“Those I’ve just begun to pin, so I couldn’t bring them today,” he explained.

Kasen paid as much attention as he could to the illustrations and flats being presented, but he couldn't help the fact that his gaze kept wandering back to Yogi himself. The energy he had when presenting his art, the aesthetic of him literally wearing it, all of it just sparked a deeper curiosity within Kasen.

"I look forward to them. Tell me, what exactly draws you to fashion as a medium?"

A bright glow came across Yogi at the praise, standing before Kasen with the biggest smile. After a few minutes he smoothed the material and looked to the screen. "Well I'll go ahead and get this off then. Knowing me, I'd manage to snag it on something or spill some paint if I stayed in it to long."

He bustled behind the screen as he said, fabric rustling and crinkling as he worked himself out of the piece. He came back around, gently cradling the mass of fabric, kneeling to begin working it back into its carrier.

"If you ever want to come by my apartment, I can show you more," he told him. "I'll definitely send you pics when I get the whole collection done for class."

"Well, we... don't necessarily need to meet again just in the context of showing off your work, though I absolutely want to see the finished set," Kasen let out a slightly nervous laugh.

"Like... we could meet for coffee or something, sometime? Just sort of... discuss art in general?"

"Oh, oh yes I would love that!" Yogi paused in his packing to give a clap of excitement over the idea. He did like Kasen - he totally got his vision, his aesthetic, and he was a friend of Jirou's. One could never have to many friends in his mind, either.

"When I don't have practice or I'm not at work or class, I'm free. Which sounds like practically no time at all, but I promise I can definitely make time to meet with you," he hurried to assure Kasen, pink dusting his cheeks and making his slight smattering of freckles come to the fore.

"If anything, I'd be happy to be a means of de-stressing for you. I know the end of the semester in a project-based major can be draining. But mostly I'd just really would like to spend more time with you. I love people I can discuss art with, on some level."

"I would really like that too," Yogi sealed the bag with the dress, carefully watching the edges. The last thing he needed was for an edge to catch. He looked over to Kasen, rocking on his heels a bit. "If we drop off these pieces in the senior work room, we could grab coffee now if you like."

"Oh, ah... W-well, I suppose we could, ha ha!" And now he was getting that same color in his cheeks that Yogi had been. It wasn't as if he had any excuse not to go. He'd finished his work for the day specifically so he'd have no other responsibilities hanging over this meeting, and he had kept his schedule relatively clear and...

... Why was he even thinking he'd need an excuse to duck out? Wasn't that sort of behavior the kind of thing that was spiraling his loneliness out of control in the first place? He was falling into old habits, the ones Jirou had worked to help him break...

He let out a sigh, his smile growing at least less nervous, though not quite confident. "Actually, yes. I'd love that."

For a moment Yogi wondered if he had been to forward, or if he had taken a merely polite offer seriously. He had done that more than once and caused a few awkward pauses in conversation. When Kasen agreed he lit up again, moving to start folding up the suit back into the bag.

"Awesome! The building isn't far from here. So do you want to come with me, or I can drop it off and come back?" he asked, carefully zipping up the bag and gathering is things, making sure he hadn't left anything behind or potentially left some sort of mess in Kasen's studio. God, that would be so embarrassing and totally unforgivable!

"I'd be happy too. Give me a moment to lock up here and I'll walk you the whole way."

He still had butterflies, but things were going very well, and Yogi seemed enthusiastic about the whole idea. Hell he'd proposed it, even. He'd definitely have to thank Jirou later...

Yogi nodded eagerly and gathered his things, heading for the door and standing outside so that he wouldn't be in the way of Kasen's locking up routine, taking a last look at the studio as he did so. It was such a lovely space. He hoped he would get to come see it again.

"Do you have a place in mind for coffee?" Yogi asked Kasen. "I mostly just know the ones around campus."

"A place around campus is fine! Ah, most of the ones I can think of are downtown, anyways, and that's a bit out of our way," Kasen laughed, a bit nervously.

"All right, campus it is," Yogi beamed, turning to walk his things down the stairs and out of the building. Luckily they were rather light despite the clothing inside them - relatively speaking. The dress did have some weight, but it would have to with all those layers.

"There's one that's next to a sort of garden-relaxing area we could go too. That one's always nice," he suggested. "I like to go there sometimes and get some inspiration from the greenery and the people."

"I know exactly which one you're talking about. It's just at the right angle to get a full spectrum of the quad, and all the goings on there. Excellent for people-watching," Kasen chuckled. "I've done a few practice paintings there."

"Really? Haha, I wonder if I've been in any of them!" he joked, but his cheeks pinked a little as he looked over at Kasen, a touch of shyness creeping in as they aimed for the fashion arts building.

"I can't say for certain. I'm afraid to say I never really fully notice the people I'm drawing in situations like that... But I'm glad I'm noticing you now."

Yogi's eyes widened a fraction, his cheeks going darker and he glanced away. Even so, he smiled, brushing a hand through his hair in an attempt to hide his sudden bought of shyness.

"Yeah, I'm glad I'm getting to meet you - know you, I mean. I was so surprised when you wanted to see my stuff, and I wasn't sure what to expected," he admitted, coming to the door of the building and opening it up, working his suitcase over the steps. Almost done! Luckily the senior rooms were on the main floor and given the most space to work in.

It was amazing, how naturally some of that came to him, those sort of words. He supposed, as a poet, it made sense, but the reactions he was getting from Yogi just fueled them on even more. But he had to keep reminding himself to not take things too far, but...

Heh. His heart was racing, wasn't it? It had been so long...

"I'll wait outside while you put your work away."

Quickly Yogi dashed inside and went down to the senior work space, going inside and working the dress and suit onto their dress forms with care. He hoped Kasen didn't mind him taking a bit, but damaging the pieces would simply break his own heart and probably make him cry a little for a minute. Pieces arranged and bags stowed, he went to a mirror and ran a hand through his hair, messing with it before laughing at himself and shaking his head.

Silly, Yogi. Stop being silly.

He trotted back out quickly to his companion, the flush still on his cheeks. "Ah, sorry, I hope I didn't make you wait to long! But the cafe is close at least."

Considering Kasen checked himself in the reflection of one of the windows, they both were at least a little silly. But by the time Yogi was back out, he'd put back on a more confident smile.

"Not at all! Shall we, then? While we're walking, you can tell me a bit more about yourself..."

"Oh, hahah, a bit more? Um... well, I guess the most interesting thing is that I do gymnastics when I'm not designing clothes. It's how I got my scholarship. I used to make my own competition clothes," he grinned sheepishly, scratching at his cheek. "Some of the other kids' too. And I was one of the costume designers in high school theatre club."

"Goodness, that must have kept you busy. Between being an active athlete and doing design work, I mean," though it sounded like Yogi often had energy to spare. He envied that, in a way.

"Yeah, but that was for the best. I don't like not having something to do," he admitted. "And gymnastics is a way to exercise my body, while fashion exercises my mind. It sort of balances things out, you know?" He looked to Kasen, rubbing his arm in a sudden fit of butterflies. "What about you? You're obviously a wonderful painter. How did you start with that?"

"I've been painting since I was very little, actually. My parents originally bought my a water color set as a toy, but I took to it like an obsession as I entered middle school. And it didn't stop there. I got into all sorts of forms of creative expression, though my paintings were what paid my way through university."

"What other forms do you participate in?" Yogi asked, eyes wide with genuine curiosity as he opened the door to the cafe for Kasen. It was rather quiet, given the time, but the smell of coffee was still rich and thick in the air.

"Sculpture, music, even a bit of fashion, ha ha!" Kasen took in a deep breath of the scent, letting out a sigh.

"But mostly, I think I've focused on poetry."

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Are You Ready for that Catwalk?

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