Excerpt: Blue and Green Should Never Be Seen

Blue and Green Should Never Be Seen! (Or so Mother Says) by Colette Kebell

Published by Skittish Endeavours on December 25, 2014

Genre: Chick Lit

 

A Chick Lit Lover’s Delight.

Fashion may be the central theme; along with a nagging mother, but with friendships, intrigue, a villain, romance, food and laughter too. 

GiGi is a woman with a mission: to help people improve the way they look, increase their self-esteem, and eventually, make them happier people. Being a personal shopper is a dark art, with few tangible rewards. Spread by word of mouth, her clients would never admit they needed her assistance. Let us be honest, who would admit to being in need of a style consultant? 

The first step is to admit you need help with your wardrobe. When you have recognised that, you are on the path to recovery, and GiGi’s services will help you, despite her mother nagging that she is not doing a “real” job. 

So, is it just a matter of going around and helping people buy clothes and shoes? 

Not quite so. Money is tight; GiGi has to work with wealthy and eccentric people, who often do not have any idea about what they want. She and her business partner Ritchie are in a constant struggle to keep the business afloat, but as they say in Dragon’s Den, she is very investable. But, with success comes the difficulties, the Battersea Fashion Center is going to open soon, and they claim they will be fierce competitors. 

With the constant struggle to keep her business afloat; a powerful enemy lining up ready to make a meal out of her, knowing well that GiGi’s approach, eventually, will make her successful. The business expands, and they take onboard new partners, making them one of the most influential fashion consultancy firms in London. But, with a very demanding job, hours spent working, will she be able to balance her career and her private life?

Check out an excerpt:

I started by chance, when I was in my late twenties. I’m a compulsive shopper, and I don’t mean that in a derogatory way. The right to shop should be up there in the constitution (if I still lived in America, that is), just below the “free exercise of religion” and the “freedom of speech”, and above the “right to keep and bear arms” (unless they come in different colours).

A sort of Amendment 1B: Congress shall make no law in respect of the free exercise of shopping; or abridging the freedom of a shopping spree; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble (except during the sales period), and spend on clothes and shoes. Banks shall invest in the people’s right to their pursuit of happiness, by means of fashion design.

So the big question is, do I satisfy a potential customer – someone who might have thousands of pounds to spend – and forget my beliefs? Is it worth bending my ethics to please a client, just because we are in a post-recession period (and I actually need the money)?

The simple answer is, “NO. Never. Not a chance in hell. Zilch.”

Dear Jasper,

Thank you for contacting me at GiGi-Personal Shopper. I reviewed your request for helping you to find a Norwegian jumper for this Christmas but, unfortunately, I have to decline the request.

As a Personal Shopper, I should inform you that we do not shop for specific items upon request. We prefer a more personal approach, where we spend time understanding our customer needs and have a full review of their current style in order to then propose suitable alternatives. It’s a slow process, I suppose, that would not fit your requirements.

I appreciate the difficulties you might have encountered in finding the above-mentioned item. To be honest, I recollect my grandfather having one, a long time ago, but since then they seem to have entirely disappeared from the face of the earth.

I definitely have in my memory a scene from the Norwegian film “Troll i Ord”, 1954, where they wear one. Since “The Eiger Sanction” (starring Clint Eastwood, 1975), where the main character moved on to wearing a neck jumper, fashion seems to have evolved, somewhat, inexplicably.

I asked my partner to research the matter, and I understand there are niche markets for the item you requested. Please see the attached list for websites and shops (mostly in Norway) that could fulfil your desire for tradition.

Warmest (if you find your jumper) regards

GiGi Griswald.

About Colette Kebell

Colette Kebell is an author of Chicklit, though a relatively new one and thus far has self-published her books. Her books are light-hearted, fun and quirky and even considered by some to be inspirational. She has also found avenues to translate both into Italian (thanks to her husband), and one, thus far, into French, Spanish and Portuguese via Babelcube.

As a career, Colette spent her later years as a legal secretary. After a first attempt at writing many years ago (a book that still remains in her drawer) she resumed this passion a few years back, following being made redundant. After a few book signing events and a book talk, which almost caused her to collapse with nerves, Colette now spends her time between her home in the UK and her home in France.

Colette has two adorable dogs and spends some time, when not writing and marketing her books, cooking for herself and her husband, gardening or designing various items for their home. Amongst her other hobbies, she has also experimented with furniture upholstery, and she might, from time to time, have a paintbrush in her hand.

She can be found on twitter @ColetteKebell though doesn’t tweet a vast amount.

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