The London Winter Fashion Show has always been synonymous with sexy in the UK.
This single word draws hordes of star-chasing fans and media every spring and winter season. Young or old, tall or short, fat or thin, crowds gather outside Somerset House in droves! On one hand, it's because of the endless parade of gorgeous models strutting their stuff. On the other, where there are women, there's drama—and where there's drama, there's news!
Just moments ago, Du Chan and Wang Shanshan had barely settled into their media seats for three minutes when a mob of early-arriving reporters witnessed a spectacle: two models, arguing over their runway order during rehearsal, threw all decorum out the window and started brawling right on the spot!
Du Chan overheard from nearby colleagues that one of the women was a famous American model named Karlie Kloss.
When the second rehearsal wrapped up, Du Chan still hadn't spotted her best friend. She leaned over and whispered to Wang Shanshan, "Why hasn't Dujuan come out yet?"
Wang Shanshan, ever-prepared, pulled out a London Winter Fashion Show program and explained, "Don't worry. The ones rehearsing are guest models—contracted by major clothing brands."
"They're different from Dujuan. Even though she's been grinding it out abroad for years, she probably hasn't landed a brand endorsement yet."
Du Chan, looking like a newbie fresh out of the tutorial zone, curiously flipped through the program Wang Shanshan handed her. "Wow, the London Winter Fashion Show must be loaded! They got so many celebrities!"
Wang Shanshan rolled her eyes at Du Chan's comment and set her straight. "Nonsense! It's not the fashion show that's loaded—it's the clothing brands. These celebrities here? They're all brand ambassadors!"
She flipped to the guest list page and pointed them out one by one for Du Chan. "Look, Kate Beckinsale—she's the face of LV's entire clothing line! Ever since she starred in Titanic, her status in the UK fashion scene has been untouchable!"
"And check out the new faces at this show! Megan Fox and Claire Lee—bet you've heard their names back in the UK already."
"Claire Lee might not be a big deal in the States, but here in the UK, those two are gossip central. One's a married woman, the other's Manchester United's hottest new star—and Claire Lee's by the way!"
"Most importantly, this is Claire Lee's first public media appearance! No clue what kind of money Jack Jones shelled out to get him here!"
Wang Shanshan, getting more excited, suddenly remembered something. "Wait, aren't you a sports reporter? Do you know this Claire Lee guy? I'm telling you, if I could get him on the cover of Fashion Bazaar, I might just get promoted from intern!"
"At Fashion Bazaar, connections are the top priority for interns—advertising sales come second."
Du Chan shot a weird glance at the suddenly chatty Wang Shanshan, then studied the program again, muttering to herself, "Claire's coming too? How did I not know?"
"What?" Wang Shanshan asked.
"Oh, nothing, nothing."
As the two kept gossiping below the runway, the venue filled up. Finally, Du Chan spotted her college roommate, Dujuan. Though Dujuan only appeared briefly backstage, Du Chan recognized her instantly! Kate Beckinsale, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Naomi Watts, and other Hollywood A-listers strutted out in their respective brand's outfits.
Every time a celebrity posed in front of the backdrop or major magazines, reporters and hosts swarmed for interviews. Meanwhile, Du Chan and Wang Shanshan sat quietly in the media section, like two nobodies.
"Hey," Wang Shanshan whispered, "are we supposed to interview before or after the show?" She stared at the nearly empty media seats, totally confused. Du Chan, even more lost, replied, "You don't know? How would I know?"
As waves of celebrities entered, the entrance suddenly erupted in chaos again. Du Chan and Wang Shanshan craned their necks to look. Every time the entrance got rowdy, it meant a major local celebrity was arriving.
"It's Megan Fox! The billion-dollar box office queen! Man, that figure—she's unreal!" Wang Shanshan gushed, eyeing Megan Fox as she glided in. Du Chan, watching the scene, couldn't help muttering, "Isn't Claire supposed to be here too? Why didn't they come in together?"
Wang Shanshan, catching Du Chan's comment, turned with a gossip-hungry grin. "Yeah, you're right!"
---
Megan Fox, strutting down the red carpet in her endorsed brand Jack Jones, flashed a radiant smile. Normally, for a big event like Fashion Week, you'd expect a male companion. Megan's top pick? Claire Lee, of course.
But who'd have thought Claire completely forgot about the Fashion Week schedule! Her agency had begged Jack Jones for ages to arrange this joint appearance, and Megan even ditched a movie audition in the States for it.
Thinking about it made Megan a little mad, but the media near the red carpet quickly voiced the question on her mind: "Didn't London Fashion Week invite Claire Lee in person? Why are you walking alone today?"
"Megan, your fiancé claimed on BBC that you're planning to divorce him because of Transformers' success—is that true?"
"Megan, is it true you're set to star in a DC Comics movie?"
The barrage of questions left Megan momentarily stunned, but her polished demeanor kept a smile plastered on her face. Her team of agents hustled her toward the main seating area.
What neither Megan nor the venue expected was the media's obsession with her and Claire. Reporters swarmed her, growing in number by the second.
"Did you come to the UK specifically for Claire Lee? Are you aware of his conflict with Benzema?"
"What do you think about you and Mr. Claire Lee being named one of the UK's top ten on-screen couples?"
Microphones thrust in her face left Megan overwhelmed. Venue security rushed to maintain order, but one of Megan's assistants tripped in the crowd, creating a gap. Reporters pounced on the opportunity.
"Megan!"
"Megan!"
The relentless questions made her flustered. But less than five minutes into the chaos, angry shouting erupted from the edge of the crowd. Megan, nervously glancing over, saw a familiar figure shoving through.
When she caught sight of him, a faint smile crept onto her face.
"Come here, hold onto me!"
Before Megan could react, the man grabbed her hands, placing them around his waist, while a strong hand steadied her back. Camera flashes and shutters went wild. Megan instinctively buried her face in his chest.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Mmm," Megan mumbled, eyes closed, her head still nestled against Claire Lee's chest. Claire, glancing down at the stunning woman in his arms, swallowed hard.
He scanned the circling reporters, a wry smile tugging at his lips. "Friends, I know my good friend Megan's been in the spotlight lately, but let's respect the venue and the other guests here. We're not the main event tonight. If you're interested, come to Old Trafford—I'll personally arrange for Megan and me to do interviews there, sound good?"
Claire's words lit up the crowd. The reporters caught his hint: Come to Old Trafford, and I'll not only get you tickets but also a joint interview with Megan!
Most of the journalists were local Brits—who wouldn't want free tickets to see a championship contender? Plus, this was Claire Lee's first public interview!
"You serious? After Fashion Week, where do we find you?" a reporter in a Playboy uniform shouted, holding a mic excitedly.
Claire, grinning, couldn't resist a jab. "If your boss can't snag you a media pass, just contact my agent, Mr. Costa. I'm sure he'll hook you up with a family package. I don't mind Manchester United gaining another reporter fan—after all, I'm not quite Ronaldo-level famous yet."
The crowd of reporters burst into laughter. Nearby, Costa Mayall raised his hand, signaling to swap business cards with anyone interested in Claire.
After this, most of the reporters around Claire and Megan dispersed, but Megan stayed nestled in his arms.
"Hey, you gotta get up," Claire teased. "Sure, I saw you when you weren't much to look at as a kid, but you're a grown woman now. Keep this up, and I'm gonna be the one embarrassed."
Blushing, Megan pulled away from his chest and playfully swatted him. "You're still as annoying as ever!"
"Alright, alright, let's grab a seat. We'll talk about that thing your agent mentioned after the show."
"Mhm," Megan nodded, letting Claire take her hand without protest, following him obediently.
The other celebrities, watching this unfold, settled into their seats, whispering among themselves. Only Tom Hardy and his wife, Charlotte Riley, sat in a corner, beaming with knowing smiles.
"They're like us when we were young," Charlotte said.
Tom grabbed her hand, planting a kiss on it. "Haha, no way, they're not as lucky as we were. I heard Claire and Megan missed their prime years because of an unexpected move."
"Did you hear about Claire's agent trying to rent Buckingham Palace for a charity event?" Charlotte asked.
"As a royal foundation ambassador, how could I not know? Word is, the royals are pretty interested. If Claire pulls this off, he might actually snag that knighthood he's been eyeing."
Backstage, Dujuan, despite having walked over twenty runway shows, still felt a flutter of nerves walking in the UK again—especially with so many Hollywood stars in the audience.
"Claire Lee and Megan Fox are like a match made in heaven!" Gisele Bündchen, standing nearby, gushed with envy.
Dujuan glanced at her, silently rolling her eyes. Gisele might be her senior, but everyone in the US and Europe knew about her drama. A boyfriend that handsome and famous? No one could miss their story.
Still, Dujuan thought Gisele and Leonardo DiCaprio's relationship was more transactional. Without Leo's boost, Gisele might not have risen so fast on the international modeling stage.
Her thoughts drifted as she glanced at Claire Lee and Megan Fox in the front row.
read my new story
Shameless : Rise of Boxing King
Support me by leaving a comment, review and voting
visit my P****on at belamy20