Chapter 236 Insights on Fashion
Anna held her champagne glass with a flawless smile on her face as she walked toward the center of attention.
Several socialites immediately followed her, looking ready to enjoy the show.
This small move successfully caught the attention of many guests around them.
"Amelia."
Anna's voice was sickeningly sweet as she raised her glass toward Cecilia.
"I've been hearing you were coming, and I've been waiting for you."
She blinked in a fake friendly way.
"I thought you'd be nervous at your first event like this, but you seem to be handling it so well."
On the surface it was a compliment, but every word had a hidden barb.
"First event"? The hidden meaning in Anna's words was: you're just a country girl who doesn't belong here, and you should be grateful just to be allowed in.
Before Cecilia could respond, Vincent laughed.
Despite his age, his hearing was sharp, and he could clearly catch the edge in the young woman's words.
"Anna, you've got that wrong."
Vincent patted Cecilia's shoulder firmly, his tone full of admiration and pride.
"Echo has seen truly big occasions!"
"At the design competition finals, facing dozens of international judges and global media, she was calm and composed, speaking with confidence. Today's little gathering? That's nothing to her."
Vincent turned to face all the guests, his voice booming.
"Everyone, let me introduce her properly again!"
"This is the pride of our country's design world, Echo, Ms. Amelia Martinez!"
He deliberately emphasized his words.
"And she is my most important and honored guest today!"
As Vincent's words fell, a wave of suppressed commotion swept through the hall, and countless amazed and curious eyes instantly focused on Cecilia.
Anna's smile completely froze.
Her carefully planned attack felt like punching cotton—not only did it not hurt her target at all, it left her own hand aching.
Seeing Anna lose ground, Elise grew anxious and immediately tried to turn things around using her own specialty.
"Echo's designs are certainly admirable, but if I may say so, what really stands out today is your outfit."
Elise deliberately raised her voice, her eyes greedily fixed on the pink diamond around Cecilia's neck.
"This 'Heart of Venus'—I know it so well. At the Geneva Auction, my dad wanted to buy it for my birthday gift, but someone beat him to it."
"I never expected it would end up in Mr. Hensley's hands, and now on your neck. You're so lucky."
Her words seemed like praise on the surface, but underneath she was putting Cecilia down, suggesting she was just an accessory who only got all this through Stefan.
After speaking, Elise put on an expert's attitude and started criticizing Cecilia's outfit.
"But isn't pairing such a simple black dress with the 'Heart of Venus' a bit too plain?"
"This diamond shines so brightly, I think it should be paired with something more glamorous, like Elie Saab's latest haute couture feather gown—that would do it justice. Black velvet is classic, sure, but it's ultimately too dull. It's practically wasting this priceless diamond."
Elise was smugly pleased, waiting to see Cecilia speechless and embarrassed.
In Elise's view, Amelia, as a designer from humble origins, might have won the competition, but how much could she really know about true high fashion?
However, Cecilia just glanced at Elise coolly. That look was like watching a clown perform.
"Ms. Russell, you have quite the eye for fashion."
Cecilia spoke, her voice soft but instantly cutting through the room's chatter.
"Unfortunately, your eye is still stuck at the beginner stage of piling up money and brands."
Elise's expression changed abruptly: "What do you mean?"
"I mean, real fashion is about people wearing clothes, not clothes wearing people."
Cecilia's gaze calmly swept over Elise's frilly pink princess dress.
"The 'Heart of Venus' does shine brilliantly, but its beauty lies in its purity and uniqueness."
"If you pair it with an equally elaborate and glamorous gown, they'll just compete for attention, with no clear focus, and end up looking tacky."
"It's called going overboard. Ms. Russell should understand that, right?"
Cecilia paused, then continued:
"Black velvet is the perfect canvas."
"Its calm and depth can best accommodate and highlight the diamond's brilliance, focusing all attention on the diamond itself."
"Black and pink, calm and dazzling—it's an extreme contrast and balance."
"This isn't waste, it's complementary perfection."
Cecilia looked at Elise's flushed face, her voice taking on a colder edge.
"Fashion isn't about wearing the most expensive things all at once."
"Without enough depth and taste to carry it off, even the most expensive jewelry and clothes just turn you into a walking price tag."
"Ms. Russell, your outfit today..."
Cecilia smiled slightly, enunciating each word.
"Perfectly demonstrates this point."
"You!"
Elise was so humiliated by these words that her face turned red and she trembled with anger.
The surrounding guests instinctively looked at Elise's elaborate pink lace dress, then compared it to Cecilia's simple yet sophisticated outfit, their expressions becoming meaningful.
Elise's pride in her taste had been torn to shreds.
Stefan, who had been silent, chuckled softly. He reached out to put his arm around Cecilia's shoulder, the gesture full of possession and approval.
"Well said."
He first whispered to Cecilia, then raised his eyes, his cold gaze sweeping over Elise and Anna, his tone indifferent yet carrying tremendous weight:
"My companion, the outfit I personally selected for her—when did it become your place to judge?"
Anna's face darkened completely. She immediately stepped forward, putting on an act of accusing Cecilia of being unreasonable.
"Amelia, Elise meant no harm, she was just joking with you. How can you say such things to her?"
"Joking?" Cecilia laughed coldly, her gaze piercing Anna like a blade.
"In front of all these people, openly and subtly mocking my background, questioning my taste—that's joking?"
"Ms. Clark, are all jokes in high society this special?"
Cecilia's voice suddenly turned cold, carrying an intimidating force.
"Or is it that in your eyes, Anna Clark, me and my family only deserve to be treated as a joke?"
Anna was struck speechless by her question.
Looking at the intimidating Cecilia before her, Anna felt a chill for the first time.
She wasn't a pushover who could be manipulated at will.