1836: I Became a Literary Giant in Great Britain

Jemin Street and Savile Street are only a few minutes apart.

Unlike the grandeur of Savile Row, the streets here are noticeably narrower.

There are no spacious floor-to-ceiling windows or eye-catching signs here, but there is a lot more of a down-to-earth atmosphere.

On the street corner, there was a tailor shop that looked unremarkable.

The shop has a small storefront with a simple wooden sign that reads "Samuel's Tailor Shop".

Samuel Bentley runs a tailor shop here.

He was slightly overweight and wore a faded but still neatly pressed dark gray work uniform. There were fine wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, but his gaze was gentle.

Her hands were covered with thin calluses, and her nails were neatly trimmed.

In Samuel's words, this is the most basic quality of a tailor.

The shop is small, and you could even say it's a bit crowded.

In the very center was a huge cutting table, covered with semi-finished fabrics and various tools.

The shelves along the wall were piled high with rolls of fabric in various colors, and two dressing mirrors stood in the corner.

Although the space was limited, everything was neatly organized and clean.

Samuel has been a tailor for twenty-eight years...

To be honest, their family could be considered a family of tailors...

Samuel's father was a small-time tailor in London's East End, with mediocre skills that barely allowed him to make ends meet.

But Samuel was different; he had a real talent for tailoring...

At the age of fourteen, his exquisite needlework caught the eye of the master tailor of Savile Row's top tailor shop, who took him on as an apprentice.

This study lasted for eight years...

During his eight years on Savile Row, he started by sewing on buttons and linings, learning the skills of master craftsmen.

He is particularly skilled at tailoring suits, and can make ordinary fabrics look high-end through subtle stitch adjustments, which has even earned him praise from important figures.

But while tailoring is said to rely on skill, it also depends on connections and social skills...

He was introverted and never good at ingratiating himself with influential people or navigating social situations, making him completely out of place in Savile Row's atmosphere. Furthermore, his humble origins meant he never received a promotion and was unable to open his own shop there...

After all, opening a shop on Savile Row was extremely difficult, requiring not only a huge amount of capital but also the guarantee of a noble family...

So, ten years ago, Samuel used his savings to rent a small shop on Jermyn Street and opened his own little tailor shop.

His clients were mostly writers, journalists, office workers, and young military officers from the area around Jermyn Street—people with limited budgets who wanted to dress decently but couldn’t afford Savile Row tailoring and looked down on the cheap ready-made clothes of the East End.

Samuel accurately grasped this demand: using Savile Row craftsmanship to make affordable semi-custom items at more than half the price of Savile Row products, with more flexible lead times...

Sometimes, he would even offer discounts or extend payment terms for customers in financial distress.

Although, sometimes it's difficult to collect this final payment...

He was always getting a severe scolding from his wife, but he remained unchanged...

Today, his shop has established itself on Jemin Street. He may not be rich, but he can make a living comfortably.

However, these two years have not been easy for Samuel.

Just last year, his wife was diagnosed with a terminal illness and passed away after spending almost all their savings.

Life must go on, but with his savings gone, Samuel's margin for error has drastically decreased...

As if things weren't bad enough, the economic situation has deteriorated rapidly in the past two years, and even the number of customers ordering custom-made clothing from Samuel has decreased significantly...

That day, as Samuel was sorting fabrics, two customers came into the tailor shop...

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"Samuel, my old friend, I've brought you a big deal!"

Michael walked up to him warmly and gave him a hug.

When Michael was a fledgling reporter, he had clothes custom-made here...

They were old acquaintances.

"This is Mr. Michel, the hottest novelist in London right now!"

Michael went to great lengths to introduce it.

Samuel's gaze then shifted to Michel, who nodded politely, his eyes filled with curiosity, but lacking the excitement one would expect from an ordinary citizen meeting a celebrity...

"Good afternoon, Mr. Michel. I really enjoyed your 'My Uncle John,' it's a wonderful story."

Michelle was surprised to run into one of her readers here; it was a bit unexpected, but also a bit heartwarming.

"You flatter me, Mr. Samuel."

"Don't be so polite," Michael interrupted their small talk and got straight to the point.

"Samuel, we're in trouble. Only you can help us."

He briefly recounted what had happened, emphasizing the urgency of the situation.

After listening, Samuel frowned slightly.

"Three days...that's really too tight," he mused.

"And it's for the Countess of Brethington's salon, where the dress code is exceptionally high."

"That's why we came to find you!" Michael patted his chest.

"In all of London, aside from those old fogies on Savile Row, I only trust your craftsmanship!"

Samuel was a little embarrassed by the praise. He waved his hand and turned his gaze back to Michel, scrutinizing him carefully.

This is the scrutiny of a professional tailor, as if to say, "My eyes are the ruler."

"Mr. Michel has a great figure and is a natural clothes hanger. If it's just a regular evening suit, three days would be more than enough to rush it."

(A typical men's three-piece suit from the Victorian era; picture two is a still from the movie where Sherlock Holmes travels to the Victorian era.)

Upon hearing this, Michael breathed a sigh of relief.

However, Michelle's next words made the atmosphere in the tailor shop strange.

"Mr. Samuel, I'd like to make some modifications to the standard formal attire..."

As Michelle spoke, she took a piece of paper from her pocket and handed it over.

That was the sketch he drew last night while staying up all night.

This was based on the basic drawing skills he learned in an extracurricular class when he was a child.

Although the drawing is crooked and the lines are not smooth, the key details are marked.

To Victorian tailors, this so-called dress was utterly outlandish.

It eliminates the cumbersome swallowtail and exaggerated shoulder lines of traditional dresses, resulting in a simpler and more fitted overall silhouette.

The lapel of the suit was made narrower, and the position of the buttons was different from the popular styles at the time.

Most importantly, Michelle's waistline was cinched higher, and the pants were cut to fit her leg lines more closely.

This design is based entirely on the silhouette of a modern suit...

Michael leaned over for a look and immediately looked completely bewildered.

"Michelle, what are you drawing? It looks... kind of like riding clothes?"

Samuel remained silent, not in a hurry to refute Michel's wild ideas.

Instead, he took the rough sketch, put on his reading glasses, and studied it carefully in the light.

His gaze swept lightly across the drawings, his brows sometimes furrowing and sometimes relaxing.

Michelle was also a little nervous.

He was well aware of how unconventional his designs were in this era.

But since I'm spending so much money on these clothes, they definitely need to be good-looking and comfortable...

Michelle even prepared a whole set of explanations to illustrate her design philosophy.

However, Samuel's reaction was unexpected.

After a long while, the old tailor raised his head, his eyes not showing confusion, but rather a gleam of wonder at the sight of something new...

"A very interesting design."

He spoke, a hint of admiration in his voice. "Very bold, but... not without reason."

"You... understood it?" Michelle asked, somewhat incredulous.

"Of course," Samuel said, pointing to the waistline on the drawing.

"You raised the waistline, which visually lengthens the legs and makes you look taller. Also, the shoulder design here has eliminated the heavy shoulder pads and used more natural lines. This requires a good posture, but if worn well, it will make you look very energetic and neat."

He analyzed each point meticulously, and surprisingly, he managed to pinpoint Michel's modern aesthetic concepts hidden behind his designs with remarkable accuracy.

Wow! That's amazing!

Michelle was completely stunned.

He originally thought he would have to spend a lot of time explaining, but the other party saw through the essence of it at a glance.

This old tailor on Jemin Street is indeed a hidden master!

"How is it, Samuel?" Michael asked eagerly from the side.

"Can you do it?"

Samuel pondered for a moment, then nodded solemnly.

"It can be done. However, I need to re-make the pattern, which requires extremely high precision in cutting; there can be no mistakes whatsoever."

He looked at Michelle and continued.

"Moreover, this kind of close-fitting cut requires very precise measurements. Mr. Michel, I'm afraid you'll have to come here frequently to try it on over the next three days."

"No problem!" Michelle agreed without hesitation.

"Then it's settled!" Michael made the final decision.

"Money is no problem, Samuel. This time, we'll charge you the Savile Row rate!"

Samuel smiled and shook his head.

"Mr. Michael, you know my rules. I only take what I'm owed for my labor and materials."

He picked up a measuring tape and gestured for Michelle to stand in front of the dressing mirror.

"Alright, Mr. Michel, let's begin, time is of the essence..."

P.S.: There were many things to do during the Spring Festival, but I will resume normal updates starting today.

Chapter Two, 3 words, is here!