Being in the modeling industry, my information is updated daily.

Chapter 156 Spending Five Million on a Single Piece of Clothing

Inside the teahouse.

"Old Lin, it's actually like this."

Qin Lan put down her teacup, glanced at Zhang Ruonan across from her, and finally composed herself before saying, "I'm going to attend a fashion event soon, and the company plans for me to wear a haute couture outfit. But as you know, my fashion resources are pretty limited, and it's hard to borrow one. I heard you mention before that you're quite familiar with Lisa, the designer at Lu Boting. Could you help me out?"

She paused for a moment, then added, "Of course, if it's too much of a problem for you, then forget it. But if you're willing to help, I'll definitely have the company pay the public relations fees you're owed."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ruonan's eyes widened.

Although she had overestimated Lin Qingsong's status in the fashion industry, she now realized that she seemed to have underestimated him.

Qin Lan, a veteran who has been hovering between the first and second tiers of the industry for many years, actually wanted to ask Lin Qingsong for help in connecting with and borrowing haute couture?
You should know this is haute couture!
Before entering the industry, she didn't really have much of a feeling about haute couture.

But after entering the industry and walking the red carpet for the first time, I instantly understood what haute couture and status meant.

First of all, 99% of the haute couture worn by celebrities is borrowed from the brands.

Because the customers of haute couture gowns are not celebrities, they return the gowns to the brands immediately after each event.

After all, a single haute couture gown can cost millions, and their clientele consists mainly of royalty and celebrities with purchasing power. There are only a few thousand clients worldwide, who are either nobles or nouveau riche.

The reason they lend the money to celebrities is because they can generate buzz.

In addition, haute couture dresses have extra room for internal size adjustment, so lending them out wouldn't have any impact.

Therefore, these brands are happy to lend their clothes to celebrities with high profiles.

The type of haute couture a celebrity wears—whether it's from the current season, out-of-season, or even the last season—and whether they're the first person in the world to wear it, all these factors reveal their significance in the fashion world.

Under normal circumstances, as long as a top-tier celebrity asks for a gift, the brand will immediately offer them their haute couture.

For some celebrities who aren't high-profile enough, no matter how much they beg, they basically have no chance with haute couture.

After all, haute couture brands need to maintain their superior status in order to retain their appeal to customers.

As for why I say "basically"...

Zhang Ruonan thought of a widely circulated legend in the industry.

A woman named Da Tian Tian wore an out-of-season Elie Saab haute couture gown at a Bazaar charity gala a few years ago.

Bingbing, who has always been a leading figure in the domestic fashion scene and has maintained a long-term collaboration with Elie Saab, wore only their current season's haute couture that evening.

The moment the two appeared, they sparked widespread discussion within the industry.

Rumor has it that this powerful woman named Da Tian Tian, ​​unable to borrow Elie Saab's haute couture due to her insufficient status in the fashion industry, spent over five million yuan to buy it in a fit of pique.

Of course, Zhang Ruonan didn't know whether it was true or not.

But she also understood from this legend that haute couture is awesome!
If she can wear a haute couture brand, it means she has at least reached the upper echelons of the industry.

Hearing this, Lin Qingsong couldn't help but laugh and said, "Sister Lan, I can only talk about this, but I can't make the decision on whether we can borrow it or not. Besides, even if we can borrow it, it will probably be an out-of-season haute couture."

He also knew the impression that haute couture had on celebrities, and was also well aware of how snobbish haute couture was.

However, as a female star who has been hovering around the first or second tier for many years, even if Qin Lan can't borrow the current season's haute couture, she must still have a way to get out-of-season haute couture.

After all, she's not exactly a low-profile celebrity.

But she still came to me, asking for my help to find a solution, which was clearly an attempt to use the opportunity to get involved with Lisa.

After borrowing the haute couture, I told myself that I would like to thank Lisa for her help when I have the chance.

Wouldn't that give me a chance to get in touch with this top luxury designer privately?

Even if they can't become spokespeople, they have the opportunity to meet privately.

It's still possible to get some endorsements with very low value, such as "brand ambassador," "chief experience officer," or "chief surprise officer."

Even if releasing a press release doesn't elevate the fashion standing within the industry, it's still good to convince a wide audience of netizens to improve the fashion standing outside the industry.

However, Lin Qingsong didn't mind, since Qin Lan coveted the resources he might have, while he coveted Qin Lan's beauty.

After saying that, he casually added, "Actually, Sister Lan, I don't think your recent haute couture pieces from other brands are particularly suitable."

"Huh?" Qin Lan looked at Lin Qingsong in confusion. "Old Lin, why do you say that?"

“I heard from a friend that Tory Burch is currently investigating the Chinese market. They plan to sign a Chinese actress as their brand ambassador next April, and one of the candidates they are considering is…”

At this point, Lin Qingsong paused, then pointed a finger with a smile at Qin Lan, who was slightly stunned. "It's you, Sister Lan."

"Tom Riviera?" Qin Lan looked at Lin Qingsong's slender, white finger and, barely suppressing her excitement, asked, "Is that the American accessible luxury brand?"

“Yes, my friend said you participated in their 19 Fall/Winter New York Fashion Show and collaborated on several photoshoots afterward. They internally think you’re quite suitable and your style matches the brand.” Lin Qingsong made up something out of nothing.

"Old Lin, is your friend someone working inside their company?" Qin Lan couldn't help but ask curiously.

Normally, this kind of information wouldn't be known to anyone who isn't on the inside.

"Shh, you know, these kinds of things aren't something you can just say casually." Lin Qingsong withdrew his finger, put it to his lips, and blew on it. "I can only say that my friend's information is absolutely reliable, but of course, if you don't believe me, there's nothing I can do."

"I believe it, I believe it, how could I not believe it!" Qin Lan nodded quickly, using body language to show that she absolutely believed it.

She had only known Lin Qingsong for a short time, yet she had already witnessed two top luxury designers developing such close relationships with him.

He said that he had friends who knew inside information about Tommy Perry, and that information was more reliable than real gold.

After hearing her words, Lin Qingsong continued, "So in this situation, I think it would be very beneficial for you to wear more of their ready-to-wear clothes at future fashion events, or to communicate with them to borrow some custom-made pieces."

"Of course, I think you, Sister Lan, definitely know better than me how to build a good relationship with the brand and further deepen your relationship."

"However, if you really want to wear Lupertin's haute couture, I can talk to Lisa for you right now. But she took a flight yesterday and is probably still jet-lagged in New York, so I might not be able to get back to you until tomorrow."

"Old Lin, then I won't trouble you to go find Lisa for now. I'll go back and discuss it with the company to see if I can contact Tommy Hilfiger and ask them to lend me a custom-made dress."

Qin Lan wasn't stupid; of course she knew that what she could grasp right now was the best.

The chances for Lu Boting are clearly not as great as those for Tommy Boch.

Furthermore, Lin Qingsong just mentioned that Tory Burch is preparing to sign a brand ambassador, a title that carries far more weight than so-called brand friends, chief experience officers, or chief surprise officers. Although today's visit to Lin Qingsong didn't achieve the planned goal, Tory Burch was an even bigger surprise.

At the same time, it further solidified her belief in Lin Qingsong's status in the fashion industry. He was definitely a veteran in the fashion world, and this fashion world wasn't just in mainland China, but in the global fashion world.

After this matter was settled, the three of them drank a few more sips of tea. Qin Lan said that she had heard such good news today and wanted to treat them to a meal.

Zhang Ruonan certainly wouldn't object; she not only wanted to have more contact with Lin Qingsong, but also with Qin Lan.

They even took the initiative to ask for a photo together.

Out of respect for Lin Qingsong, Qin Lan did not refuse and even added her as a friend.

She also suggested that she could tag her when she posts on Weibo, so they could interact on Weibo.

Upon hearing Qin Lan's words, Zhang Ruonan repeatedly expressed her gratitude.

Qin Lan needs to consider her status in the fashion industry now, but she is different.

She wants to improve her status in every way!

The photos of him drinking tea and eating cookies with Qin Lan were posted online, and he was also able to interact with her on Weibo.

While her status in the entertainment industry may not rise dramatically, it will definitely improve subtly over time.

At least Qin Lan's fans will pay some attention to her.

The reason Qin Lan was so approachable and even offered to tag her on Weibo so they could interact was something Zhang Ruonan knew was definitely related to Lin Qingsong.

When Qin Lan went to the restroom, Zhang Ruonan quickly said to Lin Qingsong, "Brother Lin, thank you! If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been able to get in touch with Sister Lan."

"There's nothing to thank me for, I didn't do anything special." Lin Qingsong said with a smile, "But what have you been busy with lately? I see on your WeChat Moments that besides studying baking, you've also been studying cooking."

On his way here, he casually checked Zhang Ruonan's WeChat Moments and found that she had been sharing cooking videos since last month.

Zhang Ruonan said somewhat awkwardly, "I haven't had any acting roles lately, so the company found me a variety show called Chinese Restaurant, which is why I'm practicing my cooking skills."

The more she interacted with Lin Qingsong, the more she realized that she had somehow managed to curry favor with him.

At first, she and her agent just wanted to have a legitimate reason to attend Paris Fashion Week.

As the model agent who was invited to attend Fashion Week, Lin Qingsong still needed to cultivate good relationships with the models.

Before she could get ready, she turned around and found Lin Qingsong drinking with several top luxury designers.

This rapidly elevated Lin Qingsong's standing in her and her agent's eyes, prompting them to immediately abandon their previous attempts to win him over.

Just as she was almost finished preparing, she discovered that Lin Qingsong's status in the fashion industry seemed to be higher than they had expected.

Not only can she attend a private dinner prepared by Harper's Bazaar with Valentino designer Vivian, but she can also take people to dinners that they can't get to attend in the end.

This led Zhang Ruonan and her agent Zhang Ye to scrap their previous plans and start preparing again.

That's why she said she wanted to meet Lin Qingsong a long time ago, but she kept putting it off until now.

It was entirely because Lin Qingsong repeatedly surprised her and her agent.

In this situation, they had to carefully plan their first private meeting.

Because Lin Qingsong is probably the most influential figure in the fashion industry she can get in touch with right now.

Even though she and her agent had tried their best to overestimate Lin Qingsong's status, this meeting changed her expectations once again.

She wasn't surprised that he had contact with people in the entertainment industry like Qin Lan.

But the fact that she could influence the haute couture of top luxury brands and know the attitudes of American brands towards their mainland brand ambassadors more than six months in advance was quite unexpected.

After all, at best, she and her agent believed that Lin Qingsong was a big shot in the mainland fashion industry.

But now it seems that Lin Qingsong is definitely an international fashion icon!

The show "Chinese Restaurant" became a hit because of Huang Xiaoming's line: "I don't want you to think, I want me to think!"

Lin Qingsong knew about the show, and he couldn't help but laugh and say, "Ruonan, that cult leader is not easy to get along with. You might suffer."

"No way," Zhang Ruonan said weakly, "I'm just a nobody, he shouldn't make things difficult for me, right?"

After she finished speaking, she suddenly remembered something and quickly said, "Brother Lin, all of our guests will be gathering in Shanghai in a few days. Would you like to have a meal with us then?"

"Me?" Lin Qingsong said with a hint of helplessness, "Do you really think that cult leader would let me off the hook and make things difficult for you?"

Although he had a decent relationship with Vivian and Lisa, and could even use their connections when he was with them, he couldn't use them anymore without them.

"Huh? Brother Lin, I remember you posted a video on your WeChat Moments of drinking with a Gucci designer? That 'leader' was a Gucci spokesperson back in the early 2000s."

Upon hearing this, Lin Qingsong remembered that Pete had indeed invited several designers to the bar for drinks, but his attention was mostly on the female designers. However, it seemed that one of them was a Gucci designer.

But during meals, he couldn't possibly take out that video all the time and say to Huang Xiaoming, "Look, I have a good relationship with Gucci's designer, so you'd better give me some face and not bully Zhang Ruonan."

Isn't that pure idiot?

Just then, Qin Lan returned from outside and asked curiously, "Old Lin, are you guys talking about Huang Xiaoming?"

"Yes, Ruonan has a variety show coming up where she'll be working with Huang Xiaoming, but I'm a little worried about his temper."

After Lin Qingsong finished speaking, Qin Lan said calmly, "It's okay. If I have time, I can take Ruonan there."

at the same time.

Inside a villa in Kyoto.

Huang Xiaoming flipped through the script while listening to the upcoming schedule.

"Xiaoming, aren't you going to Shanghai? Coach's designer is preparing to hold a party, and I heard he'll invite many top luxury designers to attend. I'll get you a spot then."

"Okay, I have indeed been less popular in the fashion world lately. Have someone prepare a press release for me."

(End of this chapter)