Rebirth of the Fashion King

May 27th, Paris, 6:40 AM.

Liu Yifei has woken up.

I woke up naturally without being woken by the alarm clock.

She opened her eyes, turned over, buried her face in the pillow, took a deep breath, and then sat up.

My heart is beating a little fast.

She herself felt baffled. It wasn't the first time she had met him. They had even talked on the phone the night before last. He said on the phone, "Then text me when you arrive." She said okay and hung up. Only after hanging up did she realize that she was holding her phone and laughing.

But things are different now.

Today is his birthday.

Liu Yifei threw off the covers and got out of bed. Her bare feet touched the cool wooden floor. She walked to the door of the dressing room, pushed it open, and turned on the light.

clothes.

She stood in the middle of the walk-in closet and slowly turned around, her gaze sweeping from the row of dresses hanging on the left to the row of folded cardigans on the right, and then to the T-shirts and jeans hanging at the very back.

Too much.

She bit her lower lip.

Five minutes later, six sets of clothes were spread out on the bed.

The first outfit is a white silk shirt paired with beige wide-leg pants; the second is a black turtleneck sleeveless knit top paired with a dark blue A-line skirt; the third is a light gray cashmere cardigan over a white camisole paired with jeans; the fourth is a navy blue fitted dress; the fifth is a beige cropped blazer over a black top paired with gray cigarette pants; the sixth is…

She hasn't decided on the lower half of the sixth outfit yet.

Liu Xiaoli heard rustling sounds coming from the next bedroom. She put down her teacup, glanced at the clock on the wall, and saw it was 6:30.

This child.

She stood up, put on her bathrobe, and walked to the door of Liu Yifei's bedroom. The door was ajar, and light was shining from inside.

Liu Xiaoli gently pushed open the door.

Liu Yifei stood in front of the bed, holding a beige trench coat in one hand and a light blue striped shirt in the other. The bed was covered with clothes, skirts and pants. All the lights in the dressing room were on. There were also two pairs of shoes on the floor: a pair of flat ballet flats and a pair of white low-heeled sandals.

"Sissi".

Liu Yifei turned her head, a rare look of tension in her eyes.

"Mommy, can you take a look at this for me?"

Liu Xiaoli walked in, her gaze sweeping over the clothes on the bed before landing on Liu Yifei's face.

My daughter is twenty-two years old this year, and her features have matured, but her expression at this moment is like when she was seventeen or eighteen and went to her first audition—expectant, nervous, and trying to hide her nervousness.

"Did they agree?"

  

Liu Yifei paused for a moment, then shook her head, her hair swaying slightly.

I won't tell you~

"Aren't you going to tell me?"

"But..." Liu Yifei put the shirt and skirt she was holding on the bed, turned to face her mother, and her lips moved slightly.

He invited me to his house...

Liu Xiaoli raised her eyebrows slightly.

"It's my birthday," Liu Yifei added. After saying those three words, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly, but she immediately pursed them, as if she felt that it was too obvious.

"You like him very much."

Liu Yifei did not refute.

"Did he mean that?" Liu Xiaoli asked.

"Anyway, they don't hate me, hmph."

Liu Xiaoli smiled softly, stood up, walked to the bedside, looked down at the clothes spread out, and then reached out and picked out one of the sets.

White shirt.

Light-colored bodycon maxi skirt.

"This set."

Liu Yifei tilted her head and looked at it.

"Wouldn't that be too formal?"

"Of course not." Liu Xiaoli picked up the shirt and examined the fabric against the light.

"Silk is the right choice. It's already getting hot in Paris. It's breathable, and the light color isn't too flashy. When you're with him, he won't feel like you're trying too hard. But the luster of silk looks beautiful in natural light, not in an artificial way."

She said with a smile.

"Like you chose it yourself."

Liu Yifei looked at the outfit and slowly nodded.

"Where are the shoes?"

"Flat-bottomed."

Why?

"Sisi," Liu Xiaoli handed her the shirt, "were you wearing high heels at the coffee shop last time?"

Liu Yifei shook her head.

"Then let's go for flat soles."

Liu Yifei took the shirt, hugged it to her chest, and didn't say anything.

Liu Xiaoli glanced at her, turned and walked out, pausing at the door.

Does he know where you live?

"Know."

"Is he coming to pick you up?"

"No, he told me to go directly there. He sent me the address, and he has a lot of things to prepare today; I'm not going alone."

Liu Xiaoli turned around and looked at her daughter.

"Where is the address?"

"The villa in the 16th arrondissement, and the apartment he also owns, all gifts from Chanel... There are a lot of people this time, so it's at the villa."

Liu Xiaoli remained silent for a while.

She knew that District 16 was a villa district.

But the location on Boulevard Saint-Germain, where Chanel gifted an apartment to a designer, goes beyond just "valuing" it.

"What did you eat for breakfast?" Liu Xiaoli didn't continue the conversation.

"I'm not eating anymore, it's too late."

"There's still time, it's only a few o'clock now."

"It'll be late by the time I change my clothes, and I still need to..." she paused, "and think about what to bring."

"Gift?"

Liu Yifei nodded.

"You weren't prepared?"

"Ready," she said, walking to the bedside table, opening the drawer, and taking out a box.

"But I don't know if it's suitable."

Liu Xiaoli looked at the box, but didn't open it or ask what was inside.

"Go eat breakfast when you're ready. I've made porridge."

After saying that, she walked out.

Liu Yifei stood by the bed, looking down at the white shirt and skirt in her arms, then buried her face in the soft fabric of the shirt and took a deep breath.

The shirt had a faint scent of laundry detergent, the brand my mother usually uses, a very light lavender scent.

She laid her shirt flat on the bed, took off her pajamas, and began to change.

After she finished dressing, she stood in front of the full-length mirror and looked at herself.

Silk feels cool against the skin and has a beautiful drape.

The skirt is exactly two centimeters above the ankle, revealing the thinnest part of the ankle.

She turned around and took out a pair of white flat shoes from the shoe cabinet.

After changing, she stood in front of the mirror for three seconds.

"Perfect."

She walked into the living room with a smile.

Liu Xiaoli sat at the dining table with a bowl of white porridge, a dish of pickles, two boiled eggs, and a cup of warm soy milk in front of her. The same breakfast was laid out on the table opposite her.

Liu Yifei sat down, picked up her chopsticks, placed a piece of pickled vegetables on top of the porridge, and then scooped up a spoonful of porridge.

The porridge was at the perfect temperature, not too hot to drink.

She ate very slowly, not because she wasn't hungry, but because of an inexplicable tension in her stomach.

Liu Xiaoli sat opposite, also drinking porridge, without asking any questions.

This is the tacit understanding between the mother and daughter. Before important things, the daughter needs quiet and space. What she needs is not a constant barrage of questions like "Are you nervous?", "What does he like?", or "How far have you two progressed?", but a bowl of porridge at just the right temperature and a quiet person sitting across from her.

After finishing the last mouthful of porridge, Liu Yifei put down her chopsticks and took a sip of soy milk.

"Mommy."

"Um."

"If he..."

She didn't finish speaking.

"If what?"

"It's nothing." She shook her head, finished her soy milk, stood up, and picked up the black leather bag next to her.

Liu Xiaoli also stood up, walked to her daughter, and gently smoothed the bow on her daughter's shirt collar.

"Remember to call."

"Um."

"Not for me to hit."

Liu Yifei looked at her mother.

"Have him call for you."

Liu Yifei paused for a moment, then smiled.

This time, she couldn't hold her mouth shut and laughed out loud. The sound wasn't loud, but it was very clear in the quiet apartment.

"Mommy."

"Um?"

"How do you know everything?"

"Because I raised you for twenty-one years." Liu Xiaoli took her hand off her daughter's collar.

"Let's go, don't be late."

Liu Yifei nodded, turned around and walked to the entrance, changed her shoes, and opened the door.

The door closed very quietly.

Liu Xiaoli stood there, staring at the closed door for about five seconds, then turned back to the dining table and continued drinking her bowl of porridge, which had already cooled down.

She unconsciously recalled the day Sisi first went to kindergarten. Sisi stood at the door like this, carrying her schoolbag, glanced back at her, and then pushed the door open and went out.

At that time, my daughter's eyes held curiosity and a little fear.

Now, there's no fear in my daughter's eyes; instead, there's anticipation, nervousness, and a certainty I've never seen before.

Liu Xiaoli looked down at the porridge in the bowl and gently stirred it with a spoon.

What kind of person is Li Xun?

She hasn't seen it in person yet, and doesn't know when she will, but judging from her daughter's recent behavior, it's not just that Xixi wants to find a boyfriend; she's choosing her future path.

These past few days, Xixi's father has told her a lot of things, and she herself has also been paying attention to Li Xun... That's how parents are, afraid that Xixi will be deceived.

Previously, she was considering whether the other party was worthy of Qianqian. After all, her daughter was only in her early twenties and had already achieved considerable success. Liu Xiaoli knew about the other party's family; they weren't a prominent one. But this Li Xun himself...

At such a young age, he actually bought a villa in Paris on his own.

It seems I need to find some time to meet him in person.

Liu Xiaoli's phone vibrated; it was a text message.

Tell them to look at the Chanel website.

She opened it and was shocked.

"My God, this is impressive."

……

May 27, 2009.

It was exactly midnight Paris time.

Chanel's official website homepage has quietly changed its banner.

There was no prior announcement or press release.

With white lettering on a black background, a black-and-white portrait of Karl Lagerfeld, photographed by the artist himself, occupies two-thirds of the image.

Li Xun in the photos is not smiling. He is leaning against the railing of the iconic mirrored staircase of Chanel, wearing a black tweed jacket from the Chanel workshop, with a brooch on his chest. The brooch is shaped like the camellia, which was Coco Chanel's favorite flower.

There are several lines of text on the right side of the portrait.

Rhine Li.

Crown Prince.

Senior Womenswear Designer at Chanel Creative Studio.

happy Birthday.

Click the banner to go to the title page.

The title consists of only one line: Rhine Li (Li Xun), the first senior designer in China for Chanel Haute Couture.

The content on the special page is very interesting.

Rhine Li

In May 2005, after receiving a special recommendation from Professor Louis Wilson, Head of the Fashion Department at Central Saint Martins, Virginie Viard visited the Rhine graduation exhibition in London and joined Chanel at the age of nineteen, becoming the youngest official designer in Chanel's history.

On July 29, 2005, she was transferred to Karl Lagerfeld's haute couture workshop to participate in the design of accessories for Chanel's Spring/Summer 2006 ready-to-wear collection. She was the only designer in that season to join the core creative team as an assistant.

In June 2006, the Himalaya series of handbags, designed entirely by the brand, was launched, becoming the brand's first original series in the leather goods division to be positioned as a collector's item.

In January 2007, he was promoted to Senior Designer of Chanel Métiers d'Art, becoming the youngest designer in the brand's history to achieve this position, and the first Chinese designer to enter the core design layer of Chanel Métiers d'Art.

In 2008, he spearheaded the development of subsequent derivative product lines for the Himalaya series, establishing it as a permanent collectible leather goods line for the brand.

Vogue editor Carlin Loffield once commented: "Rhine Li is one of the most noteworthy fashion designers of the new millennium. His understanding of materials and structure transcends mere craftsmanship, delving into a profound reflection on the essence of luxury."

This publication quotes Karl Lagerfeld's words in a 2008 Vogue article: "He is the quietest designer I have ever met, and also the most dangerous young man I have ever met. When he designs a handbag, he is thinking about the entire landscape of the leather goods industry."

……

The special page went live within an hour.

The traffic monitoring curve of Chanel's Asia Pacific website rose at an almost vertical angle, but the server did not crash. Three mirror nodes in Japan, Hong Kong and mainland China were used at the same time, indicating that Chanel had obviously made risk control plans.

But technical preparation is one thing, public reaction is another.

The first to explode was not fashion media, but the Xinlang Women's Channel.

In 2009, New Lang Women was one of the core portals for fashion information in mainland China. The editorial team had a sensitivity to the trends of multinational luxury brands that far exceeded the public's perception. Soon, the editor on duty issued a news flash without any formatting and with directly quoted pictures.

The title and wording were both filled with excitement.

"Chanel's official website has been updated, and its first senior designer from China has been officially revealed. She is only 23 years old."

Introduction: "At midnight on May 5.27, 2009, Paris time, Chanel's global website simultaneously updated a special page, introducing the brand's Métiers d'Art designer for the first time in a dedicated feature format."

The main text contains no comments; it is purely informational.

Shortly after, the new Langlaoshi magazine published a more formal article with a shorter headline: "Chanel officially announces 23-year-old Chinese designer Li Xun."

The accompanying image was a black-and-white portrait taken from the official website, and the comment section quickly flooded with more than two thousand messages.

There was no control over the comments, no guidance; it was all done spontaneously by the users.

"Would anyone in France have reached this position? And at such a young age. I had just graduated and was preparing for graduate school."

"After looking at his resume, does any of you know about that bag? The requirements for purchasing other items are even more outrageous than for a Birkin bag."

"The crown prince is too abnormal. Is he really Chinese?"

"He's so handsome, I'm drooling!"

"Wait a minute, wait a minute, isn't this Liu Yifei, the one from the Paris scandal? The one Hua Yi personally apologized to?"

"!!! Wow, a front-row invitation to Sissi's haute couture show, could it be that he got it?"

"Even if it wasn't him, it must be because of him."

"He's really handsome. What is Chanel trying to do by officially releasing his information at this time?"

"Make money, what else can you do? The economic crisis is over, and many brands are establishing a presence in the Chinese market."

"That makes sense, but didn't Chanel start planning this a while ago?"

"It's probably because of Li Xun."

"His resume is amazing! Hermès and LV must be green with envy!"

"When it comes to art, talent is indeed the most important factor. This is amazing."

……