#york pinafore

[the-fiction-witch]

The Chess Boy

Media The Queens Gambit

Character Benny Watts

Couple Benny X Reader

Rating Flirty

I walked the rather dismal New York streets it was grey, and rainy as it often is and for once I had journeyed out of my basement. I headed down the street a couple of blocks and turned down an alley making sure to turn where I needed to having long since learnt the path. Until I saw the little shop off the main street with its small sign above. 

'Y/ns' 

I headed inside the little shop and immediately felt fairly comfortable, Y/n's is a weird place. But I Like the place, It's hard to explain what it is, It sells magazines but it's not a newsagent, it sells sex toys but it's not a sex shop, it sells movies but it's not a rental place, they do tattoos but it's not really a tattoo parlour, it's kind of just... anything somewhat taboo it kind of does. And if they don't have something you can very easily ask for it and things will be found for you. I like the place it's a very accepting kind of place, I looked over a few magazines and glanced at some clothes they had when I caught behind the counter the beaded curtain separates and outstepped her Y/n herself. Let's face it the actual reason I come here. 

She stepped through in a pair of platform knee-high black buckle boots, a white tight, a white shirt with long ruffled cuffs around her elbows, and a black and white plaid pinafore dress the skirt of which barely hit her mid-thigh, silver jewellery all over her wrists and chest, long red coffin shaped nails that matched her blood red lips, intense almost grey contour and eye shadow with black graphic liner, her hair black with smooth glamourous curls and a V-shaped set of bangs, A few black tattoo's up her arms. She held the beaded certain in her hands above her head as she looked out into the shop. God damn, she looked like an album cover... And I loved it! 

She cracked a smile, "Well, well, If it isn't The Chess Boy." 

I smiled, "Yeah, yeah it's me." I nodded slipping my hat off and going to the counter with her, leaning my elbows on the wooden glass counter filled with various honestly frightening-looking items. "It's uhh it's Benny by the way."

"I remember." She cooed leaning on the counter too "So? Talk to me about chess Benny." She whispered in a hush seductive tone,

... well that might be the quickest way to turn me on.

"Well, I just got back from a tournament in Houston."

"Ohh?"

I told her every last detail of the games, who they were against, how I beat them all and she hung on my every word as if I was reading her romantic sonnets and nothing could make me more attracted to her than her listening to me like this, She always did this when I saw her always took such interest in what I had to say even if I know from playing chess with her she doesn't really get it. 

 "So, yeah seasons all done back here for a bit," I told her, "And I hustled Whice out of thirty bucks." 

"Humm good, I missed you," she smiled and played with my hair, 

I held my breath as she plaid with my hair, doing my best not to reveal the effect she had on me, "you uhh you did?"

"Hmm, what brings you in today?"

"I just fancied seeing you," I shrug, 

"Humm aren't you sweet." She smiled, "Well I happen to know of some very interesting magazines just come in."

"ohh I saw, very interesting... I'm liking this new, mini skirt thing going on."

"I bet you do," she smirked, fixing my jacket collar before she headed across the shop, "In the magazines or on me?" She smiled, 

I smirked turning to lean my elbow on the counter so I could watch her move, fuck her ass nearly slips out the bottom of that damn dress, "Both."

"Humm quiet the charmer aren't you?" 

"I try," I shrug, "What uhh what have you got going on today?" 

"Nothing much, a client at four for a tattoo, and a shipment of leather is coming in from across town at six," she explained, 

"I uhh I don't mind hanging around, giving you a hand." 

"You're welcome to stay Benny I'm not gonna kick you out you're too much fun to have around," she smirked, 

"I am?"

"Yeah, just one day you have to let me do something to you," she smirked coming back to the counter, 

"Something like what?" 

"Hummm... what is the question." she cooed, "I think, you'd look very cute with dark hair."

"Oh? You wanna dye my hair?"

"Kinda." 

"or is it just because you're still isn't that few weeks you can't dye your hair."

"...I mean that's probably part of it yeah." she shrugged, 

"No thanks, I like my hair."

"Fine," she pouts, "Would you let me... I've you a tattoo,"

"Of what?"

"Whatever," she shrugged, "I could do you a chess piece. or a poker chip. Or... if you really wanted to get cool I could checkerboard your leg that would be cool."

"Wouldn't that hurt? Like... a lot."  

"Yeah, but it would be cool."

"No thanks Y/n."

she pouted again, "What about a piercing? maybe you'd look hot with your ear done?" 

"You are just determined to make the stand out at the next tournament aren't you?" 

"I think you'd look cool." She smiled, "Plus you are kinda running out of areas to accessorize." she laughed taking some stock and heading to the back to do work, 

"True," I nodded watching her climb a small stool to stock some magazines I admit my eyes lingered longer than they should but... fuck she looked good. "I know I need something doing,"

"Oh? enlighten me?" 

"I need to trim my damn face its bugging me."

"Noooo!" She whined, 

"What?"

"No, You shave I'm kicking you in the crotch."

"Really?" I asked going over,

"Yeah, I love your little tickly face." She cooed, "You can't shave I'll be devastated."

"I won't shave then, just for you. I will trim it though it's getting too long."

"Not too much," she warns,

"Not too much, just for you." 

"Good," She smirked, playfully petting my hair before she leant down and gave my lips a kiss which was enough to make me jump a little, "Yeah good point you are kinda getting straggly," She said pinching my chin a little before she went back up, 

"How would you know? you've not kissed me before, maybe I'm just always like this?"

"Maybe," she smirked as she finished up her stocking throwing the box in the corner before she sighed and acted as if she was fainting falling off the steps which gave me a heart attack as I only just managed to catch her holding her like a bride in my arms, "Maybe I need a little more research," She smirked wrapping her arms lazily around my neck, 

"Well, research is always very important, no greater tool in chess than studying."

"Humm shut up Benny." She smirked pulling us together to connect our lips, I happily and early kissed her holding her body tight as our kiss very quickly became passionate. 

"Uhh am I interrupting something?" A voice spoke up which made us pull back seeing a man at the door, 

"Hey Mark, you're good go on back I'll be there in a sec." She smiled getting herself down from my arms, The guy headed back to the tattoo section of the shop and she got some stuff from her counter, "Now, you think you can be helpful Benny?"

"How helpful?"

"Can you watch the counter for me while I go doddle a spider on that guys arm?" 

"Am I getting paid,"

"You'll be... reimbursed." 

"oh yeah? How?"

"Use your imagination." she smirked 

"Yeah, sure,"

"Thank you," she smiled giving my lips another kiss before she scampered back, 

[chic-a-gigot]

Beaux-arts des modes, no. 4, juillet 1935 (New York, Paris, London, Milano, Wien, Bruxelles). Bibliothèque nationale de France

1163 Afternoon dress of crêpe Maroc. Fan shaped incrustration of the material, topped by light coloured crêpe and flower. Matching sleeve effects. Pinafore tunic. — 1163a Wrapped broad-cloth coat. Yoke, high collar and cuffs of caracul.

[san-sews-seams]

Used up my stash of corduroy! One machine embroidered pinafore dress (Helen's Closet York) and three pencil skirts (Blueprints for Sewing A-Frame)! (The skirts look much better on than they do on the hangar, but I'm not really up to trying to get satisfactory photos of myself.)

Including fun pocket details!

[opera-ghosts]

OTD in Music History: “The Pirates of Penzance,” a “topsy-turvy” comic opera with lyrics by dramatist W.S. Gilbert (1836 – 1911) and music by composer Arthur Sullivan (1842 – 1900), receives its New York premiere in 1879. Gilbert and Sullivan are still widely recognized as one of the all-time-great teams in musical history, churning out more than a dozen classic comic operas (including “H.M.S. Pinafore” and “The Mikado”) between 1871 – 1896, many of which continue to delight audiences nearly a century and a half later. In 1922, conductor Sir Henry Wood (1869 – 1944) explained the enduring success of their remarkable collaboration as follows: “Sullivan has never had an equal for brightness and drollery, for humour without coarseness and without vulgarity, and for charm and grace. His orchestration is delightful: he wrote with full understanding of every orchestral voice. Above all, his music is perfectly appropriate to the words of which it is the setting.... He found the right, the only cadences to fit Gilbert's happy and original rhythms, and to match Gilbert's fun or to throw Gilbert's frequent irony, pointed although not savage, into relief. Sullivan's music is much more than the accompaniment of Gilbert's libretti, just as Gilbert's libretti are far more than words to Sullivan's music. We have two masters who are playing a concerto. Neither is subordinate to the other; each gives what is original, but the two, while neither predominates, are in perfect correspondence. This rare harmony of words and music is what makes these operas entirely unique. They are the work not of a musician and his librettist nor of a poet and one who sets his words to music, but of two geniuses..." PICTURED: Two short autograph letters, handwritten and signed (separately) by Gilbert and Sullivan, respectively.

[literaryreference]

This remained a thing pretty much through the advent of recording devices that could be smuggled into theaters, and people even did it for opera, which is wild. If they could they'd bribe cast and orchestra members to share their sheet music, but if all else failed they would transcribe by ear. They'd go back repeatedly until they could get a reasonably complete version. It makes today's purveyors of slime tutorials look like they're half-assing it.

Gilbert & Sullivan, notably, had huge issues with piracy of their shows, not helped by the fact that at the time it was legal to mount unauthorized productions in the US if a show hadn't officially premiered there. They personally went on an extended trip to New York to officially premiere HMS Pinafore and set up touring companies. They wrote most of Pirates of Penzance in their hotel there.

(Source: the intro to the G. Schirmer libretto of Pirates of Penzance)

One of my favourite bits of media history trivia is that back in the Elizabethan period, people used to publish unauthorised copies of plays by sending someone who was good with shorthand to discretely write down all of the play's dialogue while they watched it, then reconstructing the play by combining those notes with audience interviews to recover the stage directions; in some cases, these unauthorised copies are the only record of a given play that survives to the present day. It's one of my favourites for two reasons:

It demonstrates that piracy has always lay at the heart of media preservation; and

Imagine being the 1603 equivalent of the guy with the cell phone camera in the movie theatre, furtively scribbling down notes in a little book and hoping Shakespeare himself doesn't catch you.

[kbworthsaving]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Jones New York Sleeveless Button Front Pinafore Midi Dress 16 Aqua Floral Retro.

[raheltade]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Kate Spade New York Crepe Bow Tie A-Line Dress in Black/Cream Size 10.

[micro-expressions]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Modcloth Double-Breasted Button Tan Brown Mini Pinafore Suspender Dress/Skirt.

[hvbris]

𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐎 & 𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐓 @multipleoccupancy

Violet healed slowly. Not just the many cuts that covered her hands and legs -which were blamed on the roller skates- but her heart, too. The fear was settled too deeply in her chest, now. Guarding her, rolled up in her ribcage like a sleeping beast. She never stood too close to the living room window anymore. And for a few weeks, she would sometimes drift off, eyes glossy while the sound of the wind rushed in her ears. Many nights, she woke up screaming, with vertigo in her stomach.

But as the days passed, and she spent time home, safe, with her family, the beast in her ribcage let go a little bit. It stopped suffocating her. She even seemed like herself again, after a while. But she still didn't approach the living room window. She always sat on the far end of the sofa, with a foot always on the floor. To make sure it was still there. To make sure she wasn't falling.

She had gotten used to sleeping a normal sleep, with normal dreams. She had gotten used to waking up in her bed, with the amulet looking at her, almost telling her "see, I can be nice, too." Sometimes, Violet missed travelling, though she never missed the Evil timeline. But she wondered about the Theo from Ophir. She wondered about the other realities, too. But when she went to bed that night, after kissing her parents goodnight, she expected to sleep the same normal sleep she had slept for weeks now.

Her head hit her pillow, darkness swallowing her whole. The knife still tucked safely next to her. She opened her eyes. She wasn't in her room anymore. But she wasn't sure she even was in New York either. Violet squinted, confused. She was standing in a large dirt road, surrounded by a few buildings -old, like the ones in western movies she sometimes watched with her Dad. This wasn't a dream, she could tell. She was used to the feeling, now. She was travelling.

Jolting away from the road as a carriage rolled through, dragged by horses, Violet stumbled on what was supposed to be a sidewalk -more dirt, and some pieces of wood. It didn't take long for her to realise that everyone was watching her. She stood out like a sore thumb, in her purple pinafore dress (short!) and black mary-janes.

Am I... In the past again? she wondered, awkwardly taking a step back. But if she was in the past, then why was a man who looked exactly like her dad walking toward her?

Unaware that he had been spared what would have been a greatly upsetting reminder that it had been his voice blaming her, his hands throwing her from the window, his eyes looking to her in an unhinged rage. Theo just stood as he was, feeling her settling and not daring to move as it slowly morphed into her feeling comfortable enough to fall back to sleep.

He wanted to stay and hold her while she slept, to guard her and make sure she didn't travel anywhere again, as if he had any chance of preventing it in the first place. He couldn't be there all day though and once it was clear that Violet had well and truly dozed off, no doubt from emotional exhaustion. Theo carefully moved himself so he could scoop her up from the chair.

Once she was secure in his arms, he took her back through to her own room and set her back down in her bed, carefully tucking the blanket back over her and pressing a small kiss to the top of her head, wishing for it to be the case that she could just rest and she wouldn't go anywhere.

He wrote a quick note on a spare page in one of her note pads, propping it up beside her bed so she would see it when she woke.

You're safe and at home, I'm just in the other room, not far away at all. Love Dad x

[playbillz]

“H.M.S. Pinafore” (New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players) @ The Kaye Playhouse - New York City - 12.30.2022

[frkwibergab]

Men jag håller mig vid liv Jag håller mig vid liv

Jag är vad som ibland beskrivs som stark-skör eller “highly sensitive personality”. Det betyder att jag är en mix av oerhört känslig och väldigt stark och att jag emellanåt är helt och hållet hudlös. Ofta behöver jag skydda det där hudlösa med en hård yta, vilket kan få folk att tro att jag är en tuff jävel fullt ut. Det är jag inte - jag är en tuff jävel också och ibland, men i perioder är jag bara väldigt liten. Och ensam. ”Jag är ingen ensamvarg, bara en väldigt ensam varg.”

I alla fall, i mina sköraste perioder så tycker jag att människor gör ont. Ont när det fräser eller snäser av, ont när de inte bryr sig om att jag blir ledsen, även när jag säger det (vilket jag ju inte alltid gör). 

Men vet ni, det går fint att cykla fulgrinandes genom stan, det är ju i själva verket mycket bättre än att sitta och gråta på tunnelbanan. Cyklar man tillräckligt fort så är det ju ingen som egentligen hinner se att man gråter. Det blir lite som min gamla devis “Om man går fort och skrattar mycket så syns det inte att man är ful”. Den nya devisen kanske är “Om man cyklar fort och trampar ihärdigt så syns det inte att man bryter ihop”?

Det i sin tur påminner mig om när jag var nyskild och gick på ständiga spinningpass, inte minst på lunchen. När man svettas som en gris och grinar illa av ansträngningen så är det inte en jäkel som ser om man passar på att gråta ut samtidigt.  Det är praktiskt för folk tycker att det är så himla jobbigt när man grinar, och måste ibland tala om en massa saker för en som man gör fel och som de tycker orsakar gråten, eller det man gråter för. Det orkar man inte när man är ledsen.

Anledningen till att jag cyklar är förresten att SL har lagt ner tunnelbanetrafiken från de södra förorterna sen en vecka tillbaka och fram till i mitten av augusti. Helt har de ju inte lagt ner, men i praktiken har de det. Min linje går i 20-minuterstrafik till Skärmarbrink. Där får man byta till Farstalinjen som nu går i begränsad trafik och bara till Gullmarsplan. På Gullmars ska alla människor byta tåg till linje 19 som går in till stan, men från en annan perrong, bara för att skoja till det lite extra. Det har tydligen varit på gränsen till upplopp där på mornarna när alla människor ska uppför trapporna, igenom spärrarna, igenom spärrarna igen och så nerför trapporna på andra sidan. 

Jag gör det helt enkelt inte utan cyklar till Mosebacke i stället och tar röda linjen till jobbet därifrån. Jag cyklar inte hela vägen dels på grund av att jag hatar att cykla över Slussen i vanliga fall pga trafikhetsen hos alla trafikslag, nu när det byggs tycker jag att det är olidligt. Sen får konsulter bara begränsat tillträde till gym och duschar så det går bort även av den anledningen.

Som ni fattar är min mentala status inte särskilt god just nu - det känns som om jag har ett svart serietidningsmoln runt huvudet - och i morse förstärktes upplevelsen av TOTALT JÄVLA TRAFIKKAOS på Söder. Alla skulle visst  med bil till Moskén vid Björns Trädgård (och vi pratar om smågator här, Östgötagatan och Kapellgränd framför allt) , jag antar för att fira att Ramadan är över... 

Bilar överallt och bråk och skrik från dem som satt fast i köerna, som gick ut och skrek åt dem som stod i vägen och ja.... kombinera det med alla som likt mig cyklar genom området och ni fattar upploppsstämningen. 

När jag sen kom till jobbet så sitter det en kvinna på marken utanför Gärdets tunnelbanan, på övergångsstället, med överkroppen nedblodad och ena armen i en vinkel som inte är möjlig på naturlig väg. Då kändes det lite som att det räcker för idag, redan klockan nio på morgonen var jag färdig med den här dagen. Suck.

Men det går ju inte att ge upp eller att hoppa av, så jag fokuserar på det som är bra och roligt i mitt liv, nämligen sömnaden och det som kommer med den i form av vänskaper och möjligheter. Klänningen som var med på gårdagens “äventyr” är en variant av York Pinafore dress från Helens Closet, men jag har ritat om fickorna och topstitchat sömmarna med vitt. Detta efter att ha sneglat på min dotters nya byxor i “work-wear-look” från Urban outfitters. Jag har insnitt i ryggen på den här också, och jag har dessutom gjort en infodring upptill och fodrat den!

Jag kallar den en New York pinafore dress och innan botten gick ur min självkänsla och mitt mående så var jag väldigt nöjd med den. :/

[san-sews-seams]

Knocked out some York pinafores for a friend! Including machine embroidery at the back neck in place of a tag, and a motif on the pockets of one!

[grits-galraisedinthesouth]

Once an iconic New York City street food, the Charlotte Russe is a Push Pop–style confection encased in a cardboard shell with a movable bottom.

https://citylore.org/taste-charlotte-russe-from-holtermanns-bakery/

Once an iconic New York City street food, the Charlotte Russe is a Push Pop–style confection encased in a cardboard shell with a movable bottom. Inside, a disc of sponge cake is topped with a dollop of jam and crowned with spirals of whipped cream and a nut-dusted Maraschino cherry. As you eat it, you push the bottom up with your thumb, permitting access to the pastry’s deeper layers.

My search for the elusive treat led me to Holtermann’s Bakery, reportedly the only place in the five boroughs to make Charlotte Russes today (until a few years ago, Bay Ridge’s Leske’s sold a delicious version available by pre-order). Founded in 1878, Holtermann’s is the oldest family-owned bakery on Staten Island.

The pastry, however, receives no fanfare at Holtermann’s: there’s no banner proclaiming the shop the last bastion of Charlotte Russes in New York; the little turbaned pastries are not set apart on a golden tray. In fact, they sit in a corner of the display case on a plastic tray alongside their pastry peers. While I’d raced across the Verrazano, afraid they’d sell out, on the day of my visit the other customers were buying rye bread, doughnuts, and apple cake.

According to an article on the lost foods of New York, the Charlotte Russe—reportedly pronounced “Charley Roosh” and nicknamed “the Brooklyn Ambrosia”—was sold in the early to mid-1900s from street carts, candy stores, and bakeries as a quick after-school treat. Kids loved the novelty of pushing the cake upward, licking their way through the layers of cream, jam, and cake, and the challenge of achieving the right proportions of each in a single bite.

Though it looks heavy, the Charlotte Russe is actually airy. Removing the cherry—and savoring its waxy, syrupy, one-bite burst—reveals the enticing hole at the center of the cream spiral. The only way to eat the cream is to scoop at it with one’s top lip, rotating the cardboard shell as you go. Once the cream has leveled out with the scalloped top of the cardboard (which can be licked clean later), you start to crave a new texture. It’s time to start pushing it!

You position your thumb at the center of the bottom of the shell and urge the pastry upward. With a squeaky rasp of waxed cardboard, the concoction rises like an elevator, revealing the golden coin of cake and leaving the Swiss-dotted cardboard behind like a discarded pinafore.

After conquering the pastry’s crown, the real joy of the Charlotte Russe begins: the contrast of textures between the cloud of cream; the cool, sticky dab of jam; and the spongy, grainy cake. As one schoolchild I know observed, it’s not unlike a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, the Charlotte Russe’s successor in the realm of after-school treats: sweet and salty; smooth and crumbly; creamy and acidic. No matter how many times we’ve eaten it, it always surprised and delights us with its symphony of contrasts—not unlike New York City itself.

A BOILER ISSUE. National Pulse

Hollywood actress and far-left host of The View Whoopi Golberg claims a New York bakery refused to take her order for a birthday cake because of her political views. Goldberg made the claims during the Wednesday episode of The View as she and her co-hosts celebrated her 69th birthday. However, the allegations have proven questionable at best, with the bakery owner publicly refuting them just days later.

“It’s a sponge cake with whipped cream and a cherry on top. I should tell you…the place that made these refused to make them for me,” Goldberg said on Wednesday while she and her co-hosts enjoyed the cake on-air. She added: “They said that their ovens had gone down, but folks went and got them anyway, which is why I’m not telling you who made them. It’s not… because I’m a woman, but perhaps they did not like my politics.”

However, the bakery in question, Holtermann’s of Staten Island, is pushing back against the accusation leveled by The View co-host. Jill Holtermann, the bakery’s current owner, says she informed Goldberg that she could not fulfill the order because of a boiler problem. The owner says she explained that the bakery is in a 130-year-old building and that she could not commit to having the cake done on time since she was unsure how long it would take for repairs.

Holtermann insists her initial denial of Golderber’s order was not because of politics but rather the simple fact she didn’t know whether she would actually be able to bake the cake. She notes that the order was completed after the boiler was quickly repaired.

Goldberg has a long history of making bizarre claims on The View. Recently, she suggested Trump will deport mixed-race couples and admitted she frequently defecates in her pants.

@dflogerzi and everyone,

I have been following the most amazing story the last couple of days.

Whoopi made some disparaging remark about cupcakes. That she said wasn't delivered in time for her birthday. The bakery was on Staten Island and family run. She said it was because of her being a liberal.

It ended up that the machine had a mechanical issue and once fixed all was fine. It had nothing to do with anything other than that.

Whoopi, maybe thought she could harm or cancel this business. Maybe. Why else mention their name?

But no way. The entire town and beyond came out to support this business. Even gave a press conference with all of Staten Island in support. It was extraordinary. The bakery was overwhelmed.

I like some of Whoopi's movies. I choose not to watch the View, but know others like it. And I have never believed in cancel culture. @dflogerzi and so many others served to protect all of our rights. We can differ. That is not a bad thing.

So now this bakery will thrive even more. Because this was a community who cared about each other. The NYP goes into more detail.

I am only raising the liberal part because Whoopi did. And btw, I come from and still live in one of the most liberal states. But cupcakes do not care about politics. Those who break their backs working do not either.

I cannot believe being from Boston I would love this NY story. Lol And I am going to be ordering from them over the holidays.

Thought it was just a nice story about nice people who live and work in a great community.

[historicalfictionsims]

Samantha's Birthday Outfit - BGC

(Simblreen '21 : Treat 6) / 500 Followers Gift Part 2

Samantha’s proper birthday party turned wild with the antics of her friends Agnes and Agatha. But that’s nothing compared to staying with the twins in New York City. Their dog gets loose in the park and the girls chase after him, running into a suffragette rally where Aunt Cornelia is speaking. Samantha knows that Grandmary doesn’t approve of the movement and is worried what she’ll say if she finds out. But over a birthday treat of peppermint ice cream, Grandmary’s reaction surprises everyone.

The pinafore is in @sourgalaxy's from the flowers palette.

The circlet is in the same palette with a few swatches removed and one added. It's high poly (10k) and slider compatible. The roses are from this hair accessory converted by @simverses.

The stockings are in @peacemaker-ic's wood tones palette and are not compatible with medium-to-high boots, but are tagged for all ages.

Download for free on Patreon | SFS | CurseForge

Support me on Patreon or buy me a coffee?

Feel free to tag me if you use them, I'd love to see! My TOU are here.

@maxismatchccworld @mmoutfitters @twentiethcenturysims @simblreenofficial

[hiding-from-hybe]

How to get a man in 30 days | PJM

✨Summary - Noelle Hartman enlists the help of a handsome, sexy, date doctor, Park Jimin..

Usually the type to help men on their romantic endeavours to get the women of their dreams and desires, he's confused but intrigued when she asks him for dating advice.

(✿ ◕ 3◕)つ・*。

Pairing: Jimin x oc

Genre: 🔞, eventual smut, dating!au,

Warnings: Swearing, smut, peer-pressure, negative self body image.

Notes: locations may vary as fictional/non-fictional as I am not native to any locations in this book but did research as much as I could to make it as authentic as possible.

Words: In progress

Perfect.. Noelle Hartman's life was seemingly perfect, from her perfect job as a travel agent, to her perfectly handsome and loving boyfriend...if only he was real.

When out mingling at a party she had no right to be at in New York, she met three of the most stylish and fabulous people she'd ever seen.

Her English accent was what had them intrigued but when asked about her dating life, she mentioned she was single, everyone turned their noses up at her so she laughed obnoxiously and said that she was joking.

Noelle had been too busy with her head in the clouds to date so she had conjured up a fantasy boyfriend, plucked out of the deep depths of fiction.

Her Sir Lancelot. Her knight in shining armour.

Her new friends Prudence, Jaq and Toni with an 'I' always told her how jealous they were of how her boyfriend spoiled her with gifts and flowers every time they met up, yes she felt guilty every time she lied to them, but this way no one bothered her about being a quote 'single lonely saddo in her late twenties' end quoteD and the better she felt about herself as they praised her.

They didn't meet up much, just for brunches here and there but whenever they did, she would take a package or wear a new expensive necklace to show them, of course whatever lavishly expensive item she purchased would always immediately go back the next day.

Due to her job she got to travel the world with discounts and benefits. An annual familiarisation trip on the dime of the company was a great way to upkeep her image and Instagram in front of her new friends.

She knew it was ridiculous, but she couldn't stop now, not when everything in her life was 'perfect'

Before brunch she dabbed her wrists with a dior sampler that had seen better days and rolled the depths of her collarbones with a smidgen of men's cologne to keep up the pretence that her neck was his favourite place to kiss when she didn't want to ruin her lipstick, which was her staple look, Yves saint laurent 59 Melon.

Using samples was a way to cut costs on the designer clothes had to purchase to keep up the speed with her new fashionista friends, she adopted a lounged style, never the one to look bold or chic but the brand name was enough for her friends not to bat an eye and they label it her personal preference on clothes. She always kept a low profile but in the end she was running out of ways to wear them, to look different, so much so Prudence had told her that the sweatshirt she was wearing was so last season.

"You know me, I don't like to throw clothes away, even though my closet is bursting at the seams" She lied, all she had left was a white shirt, a black Dior pinafore and a black beret she was saving for the next time they went to brunch.

"I wonder what Sir Lancelot has put in the bag this time?" She eyed the parcel in your rather well made fake handbag.

"Dibs if there's chocolates" Yelled Toni.

"He doesn't gift to me everyday, this is probably the sunglasses I ordered" Noelle smiles under the facade of lies, while looking in the chic little bag not big enough for much and faux gasps at a little box containing the keys for an apartment with the words soon written on the key chain. "It's just a set of keys to his apartment"

"Ellie he's so sweet, I bet he wants you to move in" Jaq smiles weakly, lifting her tea cup to her lips.

"He'll probably pop the question when you go over there tonight" says Toni showing off her new engagement ring and Noelle throws the chocolates that she had boxed up knowingly inside at her. "Truffles.. nice"

"I still don't see why you won't tell us who he is Ellie" Prudence pouts but then a grin paints her Rococotte lips "Is he married?" She leans in further "Or is he royalty?" She whispers and Noelle shakes her head.

"No, he's just the private type" She excuses.

"Penthouse, plane chartering, private?" Prudence lifts her well defined brow and Noelle just shrugs. "Oh come on Ellie, tell us"

"You're not getting anything out of me but if you need to know something, we're off to the new Baha Mar resort next week in the Bahamas" Technically it was not a lie but she was being sent for work, testing out the place, it was the best work perk she could ask for.

"How romantic, he's totally going to ask you to marry him" Toni mumbles through a mouth full of chocolates.

"My parents haven't even met him yet" Hell, she hadn't even met him yet. "But I'm sure it won't be long until I take him back home to London"

London was once her home but the Royal borough her friends expected was not the type of home life she grew up in, she was raised in a quaint neighbourly cul-de-sac in Salt Hill drive, Slough. She could still remember the way the west runway of Heathrow airport would open, acting as her alarm clock every morning before school, airplanes coming back and forth from various destinations, it made her want to see the world.

Though it was her dream to be a flight attendant, neither her height nor weight made her application considerable but at least she was seeing some of the world, mostly through the eyes of others whilst they booked their all inclusive resorts, bachelor and bachelorette weekends and around worldwide trips through the travel agency she worked at now in Williamsburg, NY.

It was exhausting pretending to be perfect but it was her life, day to day she was cardigan wearing, glasses bridge pushing Noelle, but to her new friends she was Ellie, a designer wearing, frappé drinking bestie.

"That means you're not going to make it to my engagement party?" Toni moped, but Noelle knew it, it was all part of her plan, she couldn't afford the gift nor a dress to attend anyway so being jet set off to a romantic destination with a romantic fake hubby was a great way to bow out gracefully.

"I'm really sorry Toni" Noelle gave her a genuine pout, she wished she could go and be the person they believed she was, but at the end of the day, she wasn't.

She was a fraud.

~

Another day, another dollar... Noelle sat up from being pulled away from her blissful sleep to turn off her alarm screaming at her from the side table next to her bed and she couldn't wait for the week to be over already.

Her home was an average one bedroom apartment, the rent was as decent as you could find and what she doesn't spend on lavishness and luxury she pays in rent and utilities, skipping breakfast had become the norm, the less groceries she had to buy the more she could save for her lifestyle.

With her brown hair in a low bun, Noelle wore her drab little work cardigan and her glasses sitting on the bridge of her nose, she felt like a tiny speck in the big wide world, that she wasn't anyone special when she looked in the mirror. Everyday was the same, only when she was Ellie was she happy to be seen.

Sat in her office cubicle on the phone to a client Noelle can't help but daydream about leaving to jet off to the Bahamas, she had already packed a few things she just needed to get through this week of work and she'd be sunning herself and taking pictures for her latest Instagram posts for her friends to gush over. Everyone lies about how good their lives are online, right?

One thing she had to remember was to pack a mens sized pair of sandals, she couldn't go anywhere without her makeshift man's accessories to make it look like she was being accompanied by her knight.

She would pose for a few pictures that would apply to two people of course to keep up the illusion, but mostly her pictures were just of the room and views from the hotel and destination, and her friends would be none the wiser that she was venturing alone.

"Hello, are you still there?" A voice on the end of the line woke her from her daydreams of sun, sea and Instagram likes.

"Erm yes ma'am, that's all booked for you, I will compile all that together and you shall receive a confirmation email from us, thank you for booking with New tour travel agency and have a nice day"

Noelle hung up the phone and blew out a breath, it was her lunch hour so she decided to flip through the new Vogue issue that had just been released as she trailed from the news vendor and through the streets on her way to get a bagel from her favourite deli.

The deli was always busy at lunch so she stood waiting to be served and in front of her was a tall broad man. She daydreamed about how he would turn around and he would be a handsome Adonis that would sweep her up into his arms and kiss her deeply in front of everyone.

"NEXT!" Booms Giovanni, the owner as he works the Deli counter, fifty years in the business and still works his ass off every day with his two sons. "Noella Bella" He greets "What can I get for you today?" He smiles at her but as she goes to order she looks upon the bikini body on the front page of her magazine, Noelle felt insecure about the two piece she packed, so instead of a beautiful, tasty bagel with cream cheese, she walked out to across the street where she begrudgingly spent $15 on a sad looking desk salad and trailed back to her work office to eat alone.

Even though Noelle loved her job searching for new places for people to vacation, the rest of the day was a gruelling few hours of getting side-eyed by her work colleagues since they weren't picked to check out the new Baha Mar resort, it had been the talk of the office since the opportunity had come up, but she had proved to her boss that she deserved it with high sales and incentives.

None of her work colleagues knew about her Instagram account; it was her secret because she knew they would probably snub her more. The profile picture was of generic sunbathing legs in a hammock, a holiday snap from last year, and Noelle wore sunglasses and a hat for set up and timed selfies.

Noelle had received rude, misogynistic DMs from when she would post pictures of herself before but she wasn't going to find her knight in shining armour in her Instagram inbox asking her to show them more of her skin anyway, so she just ignored them, deleted them without reading and eventually closed them.

Going home with her earphones in, Noelle listened to a pretty song from a daily recommendations playlist as she watched the busy streets pass her by, with a soulful voice and a harmony to match she thought that the track was just simply exquisite and she would definitely add it to her favourites.

Home is where the heart is, exactly where her bed is to be precise as her keys jangle in her hand and then thump on the kitchen counter she couldn't wait to toss her ass back into bed and look for some online sales that she probably.. in reality, shouldn't.

Her pay check was going to afford her some luxury she needed for her trip since she wouldn't need money as long as she stayed within the resort and sub-renting out her apartment for the week would give her an extra bit of cash to come home to.

Expensive. Expensive. Expensive.

To shop within her means was harder than she thought it would be, clearance sales didn't accept returns either, she would have to pay retail price now to send it back later.

Sure she could stroll through the markets strewn around the city and pick up a copy or two, but the more authentic her purchases were the less she had to prove to her friends, as not all knock offs were good knock offs.

Little essentials she could get away with, a pair of earrings were easy to fake but she knew her friends would surely notice if her outfit wasn't in any recollectable collection, she had to be careful.

Early to bed, early to rise.

Noelle had woken before her alarm clock, with a thundering in her stomach, she had fallen asleep forgoing dinner being outbid by vintagewhore_98 for A pre loved black, golden shoulder buttoned Chanel sweater, the owner must not have known what they had for selling it at such a bargain price but Noelle didn't have it either after getting out bid by $50.

"Goddamit" She cusses and shuts her laptop and rolled out of bed to find sustenance for her roaring monster of a stomach.

It's exactly 11 steps and a shuffle into the fridge and it's exactly how she expected it to be. Sad and empty. Figures. She'd have to go grocery shopping after work, there was no time now so after a pathetic attempt at breakfast, a piece of toast from the end of a loaf of bread and the last scrapings from the foil of her stick of butter, she made do.

Her mood was low and shopping for food was never as exciting as shopping for clothes especially on the budget Noelle had set for herself, low priced tins and no fresh produce wasn't the best diet but her work lunch salads were at least two of her supposed five-a-day... maybe.

Thinking about her shopping list on the way to work she was going to grab a bunch of bananas to keep her sweet tooth at bay, until she suddenly remembered there was a smidgen of Nukota sticking to the side of a jar in the cupboard..

Nukota, the more affordable hazelnut flavoured chocolate spread than the overpriced original brand. Same thing, just a fraction of the price. Just a few more days and she would be eating whatever she wanted for free, sunning herself by the resort beach and sipping cocktails in the Bahamas to get away from all the pressure, all the lies. Except from a picture or two for her Instagram page.

In her cardigan and glasses she felt like everyone was staring at her as she walked to her little cubicle, a tut from Veronica Heller, (her manager) was unprovoked and Noelle knew she was just jealous like everyone else that their boss saw no potential in anyone in the office other than Noelle herself.

Daydreaming about licking the jar of chocolate edges in her sparse cupboard got Noelle through the morning of two destination wedding bookings, and a few romantic 'holiday for two' getaway packages.

Another lunch brings another miserable looking salad staring at her in the face, she hoped it would magically taste like a burger when she took a forkful and placed it into her mouth.. but no such luck and an untasteful grimace It definitely tasted exactly like a salad. The only saving grace was a coffee to wash it down with.

The afternoon was also mostly uneventful, Noelle sits in front of her computer and rubs her eyes between calls. The week was dragging, for a second she though she may not make it to the end when a migraine sets itself across her forehead, radiating between her brows.

"Got to stay alive.. for the Bahamas, for the Bahamas, for the Bahamas" she repeats to herself, clicking the shutdown button as she drags her ass off her computer chair after hours of screen time to the off-brand grocery store.

The darkness comes early in the evenings as does the bitter autumn chill as Noelle wraps her cardigan closer as she paces the store after gathering a basket. The air conditioning is on and it's absolutely glacial in the fridge section where Noelle picks up a bananas, a cucumber, some celery, peppers and a jar of hummus.

Trying to lose weight through the temptations that surrounded her was hard but a teaspoon of honey usually set her right and power through, so a jar of that was added into the basket too but she definitely had to get her pop tarts, sugary sweetness.. her cheat day dinner or generally for a rather special kind of shitty day.

Perusing the reduced items for something she could eat today Noelle felt off, the lights that dangled above her were so bright it made her eyes squint, so much so she couldn't read the yellow priced down stickers on the packets, her peripheral vision was dim and she began to see spots.

It wasn't long before her body felt fuzzy, a static buzzing all over her body and hearing a voice in her ears, a loud voice but she can't really feel much of anything until her vision dispels its grey haze to a man looking down upon her.

"Ma'am open your eyes, Can you hear me?" Noelle is kind of awestruck at the Handsome man- who she realises is on his knees and has her in his arms.

"What happened?" She mutters to him.

"My name is Dr Benson, you fainted, I'm going to ask you some questions alright?" He talks slow, hoping your brain can catch what's coming out of his mouth.

"Ok?" You say but he's not sure he's happy with your tone, so he asks you to follow his fingers with your eyes, upon completing that he starts to question you.

"Hmm.. What's your name?" The handsome guy asks and Noelle is all tongues trying to string a sentence together.

"Noelle—erm Ellie.. it's Ellie"

"You don't sound so sure of your answer Ellie, are you sure you're feeling alright, Do you know what today is?"

"A really shitty one" She blurts and the Doctor laughs heartily.

"Don't say that, it's my birthday, but do you know what the date is?"

"Why would I know when your birthday is...?" Noelle is confused why would she know the date .."Oh today's date..! Sorry it's been a very long day" She sighs.

"You still haven't answered my question..."

"My name is Noelle Hartman, today is Tuesday the 25th, I'm single and I'm a Virgo" She laughs in jest "Am I in the clear to go Doc?" Noelle bats her eyelashes and Dr Benson is a little taken aback but helps her stand up.

"Well you didn't hit your head so I think you're okay, possibly a little dehydrated, here" He passes her a bottle of water from a passing cart, which she's unsure to take considering it's classed as stealing but doctors orders she undoes the cap to take a sip. "Do you have anyone to pick you up? Boyfriend or—?" She wonders what a handsome doctor is doing in an off-brand grocery store but a passer by tells her she was lucky he was just walking nearby.

"Nope just little me" Noelle shakes her head.

"Then please let me drive you home" It doesn't take much convincing to get Noelle in the car, for all she knew he was a liar, a scoundrel but it seemed so silly in her mind for him to kidnap someone like her.

"How much do I owe you?," Noelle says as he parks within her apartment's view "I think technically this was a house call" They both get out and slowly walk to the main door.

"Technically I'm off duty but how about just a cup of coffee sometime?" Dr Benson holds out his hand for Noelle to shake and she takes it, walking up to the foyer door she turns back but almost slips "Take care of yourself now, Otherwise I might have to carry you up myself"

"Thank you Lan—?" She's stumped, on pause for second realising she can't even remember his name after staring at his handsome face for too long, almost calling him Lancelot like a weirdo was embarrassing but maybe he would be into it but now was not the time to find out.

"Derek.. Dr Derek Benson" He replies and Noelle sheepishly walks into her apartment with a nod and as she stepped inside wailed like a banshee. Was this it? Was he the one? Noelle jumped around her apartment until she realised.

"Fuck! I didn't get his number" Noelle whines, and to her dismay she also realised her day had gone from bad to worse. "No! I didn't get my fucking pop tarts"

[hldailyupdate]

From Fine Line to star film roles, Harry Styles has gone from global to stratospheric – now, he adopts his newest mantle. Pleasing, his first business venture, puts beauty and naked ambition front and centre.

In the final leg of his sold-out Love On Tour series of shows, his six-person band took to New York’s Madison Square Garden on the weekend of Halloween. On the bird-call from their faithful leader, his legions of fans turned up to the concert in fancy dress. Crowds outside gathered in traditional All Hallows’ Eve getups of ghouls and goblins, and many paid homage to Styles’ signature style (think feather boas, kick-out flares and heavy-set platforms).

Not one to miss out on the chance for a display of style, Styles appeared on stage as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, complete with a sparkly blue pinafore with matching bow, and of course, ruby-red slippers (his band make up the Tin Man, Glinda the Good Witch et al). All outfits are courtesy of Alessandro Michele, Styles’ friend and creative director of Gucci, of which Styles has long been a brand face.

Enveloped in the rapture, the crowd hangs on to every minute of his husky growl and swivel of the hip as he breaks out into a spooky rendition of Britney Spears’ “Toxic”. But put aside Styles’ Mick Jagger swagger, and the crowd, made up of all ages, races, genders and sexualities, feel bound to something a little deeper than just the look and charm of the 27-year-old performer. Affirmations of beauty are swapped, expression is celebrated and friendships are formed under the umbrella of the pop phenom. Case in point: ‘#hslotoutfit’ (Styles’ Love On Tour outfit, in case you were wondering) hit 37 million views on TikTok in the US alone.

“It’s funny because I don’t think of myself that way [as a style icon]... but bringing people together is the thing I’m most proud of. [At the shows] I get kind of a front-row seat to see a bunch of people getting in a room together and just being themselves. Not coming to the front of the stage, because they’re hanging out at the back, dancing like nobody’s watching. Having the most basic version of a good time. Humans interacting and accepting each other,” says Styles, expressing wonder at the zeal of his committed fandom, the Stylers. “A room full of people just loving each other is so powerful.”

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA A few weeks ahead of our conversation, Styles quietly emerges at an airy photo studio in Los Angeles for his Dazed cover shoot. Despite the furiously quick turnaround from inception to execution of the shoot (things in HS’s world happen quickly and meticulously), the star is in wonderful spirits. Perfectly on time, and flanked by a burly and ever-present security guard, he’s quiet and reserved but polite, greeting everyone with a northern accent that’s been slightly tweaked by his years in LA. Immediately, you’re struck by his presence. A certain sort of wanton sex appeal that even the most hardened of critics couldn’t resist radiates when he looks you in the eye, something he’s careful to do when you are in conversation. (A recent study suggested Styles’ sea foam-green eye colour was the most beautiful in human existence.) He’s dressed in a fitted baby tee and low-slung jeans, kept just so by an umber-brown belt, and finished with a crochet skull beanie that reads ‘attainable’, though I am not quite sure it would look as uncontrived on anyone else. He wears clothes unbelievably well. But that we already knew: the aforementioned face of Gucci is often feted as our generation’s Bowie in his fearless, genderless and boundary-less approach to fashion. He’s donned a frilly gown on a Vogue cover and gets your grandma’s cardi (OK, it was actually JW Anderson) a permanent spot in the V&A. Our shoot is no exception in bringing on the glam. As photographer Rafael Pavarotti readies his camera, Dazed’s editor-in-chief Ibrahim Kamara takes Styles through the proposed looks for the shoot. He immediately grabs an angelic cream look of a Rick Owens webbed sweater, a Galliano corset, and a Comme des Garçons kitten heel from the splatter of Polaroids affixed to the wall. A psychedelic Prada jumpsuit complete with Swarovski choker is another favourite, and a Balenciaga look with top-hat aplomb is quickly greenlit. At ease in front of the camera, he slips from one look to another, each more fantastically concocted than the last. He’s the right side of confident and seems, through observation, content. It’s a far cry from the vision of the fairly sheepish Harry Styles from One Direction: 16 years old, with a mop of curls. Despite the group’s mega-success of over 70m albums sold worldwide, we perhaps never knew the potential of what lay beneath until the release of Harry Styles (2017), his breakaway solo album after the group’s hiatus and a revealing look at someone whose enigma had been overshadowed by headlines and hysteria.“I was 16 [when One Direction started], I just kind of finished school and didn’t really know what it was that was happening,” he explains. “Everything was really new and exciting and I didn’t know how long everything was gonna last. It kind of became like, ‘Woah, how long can we keep this going?’ because I really didn’t expect any of this to happen. “There was a time when I was younger, and I was in the band, when I would have been afraid for everything to have stopped. I didn’t necessarily know who I was if I wasn’t in the band. Now, the idea of people going, ‘We don’t like your music any more, go away’ doesn’t scare me. I think there was a time when it did. It gives me the freedom to kind of go, ‘Great!’ I’m not working from a place of fear. I’m working from a place of wanting to work stuff out, and try different things.”It’s a sum of parts that has worked well for Styles. His sophomore album, Fine Line (2019), went double platinum in the US and won him Grammy, Brit and Ivor Novello awards, with Rolling Stone ranking it among its 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, a feat that he has finally had time to reflect on. “I think things are hitting me for the first time,” he says. “It really is the first opportunity where I felt like I had time to take it in since leaving home, to be honest. So, going forward, I’m just going to take things in as they’re happening – how nice some of those things are, how not nice some of those things are – and observe them. When we get back to some semblance of

normality, I will check in with parts of myself and make sure I don’t lose myself again and get pulled back in.” While conquering music, he dipped his toes into the silver screen with a role in Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk (2017). He used a world tour that was paused due to Covid to take on a trio of new movie roles. He has a much-anticipated role in Don’t Worry Darling, a psychological thriller set in a utopian California starring Midsommar’s Florence Pugh. Directed by Olivia Wilde, whom Styles began dating during filming, the film isn’t due for release until September 2022. An 11-second clip has been ripped on to fan accounts and cumulatively got over a million views on YouTube. His relationship with Wilde has been a daily feature of celebrity gossip rags, though the privacy around it is closely guarded by Styles and images of them together are scarce. “I’ve always tried to compartmentalise my personal life and my working life,” he explains. Paparazzi snaps suggest the two are very much in love, though any assumptions on his love life are curtailed for his Dazed cover story. My Policeman, an adaptation of Bethan Roberts’s 2012 novel, centres on husband Tom Burgess, played by Styles, and wife Marion Taylor, played by Emma Corrin. Set in Brighton in the 1950s, the film follows David Dawson’s character Patrick as he falls in love with policeman Tom and a tug of war of emotions between the three begins. The story explores homosexuality at a time when it was expressly forbidden. Both films offered Styles room to grow as an actor. “I like to challenge myself and do something different and movies are definitely where I feel most out of my comfort zone,” he reflects. “I’m coming from music where I don’t think anyone really knows how it works, but I am somewhat in my comfort zone! But in movies, when I show up, I’m the new guy. I haven’t been (an actor) for a long time and that’s really cool, I feel like I’ve learned so much and life is about learning.” And as much as acting is an education, it’s also incredibly personal for Styles. “(With acting), you’re trying to remove a lot of yourself and key into someone else,” he explains. “On the most basic level, it’s like being a kid and you’re playing pretend. I am not a very confrontational person, I think I’m pretty chill, so then when you have a character who is like that, it’s fun to explore.” Styles has never had formal acting lessons, and instead reads scripts with a partner and immerses himself in the “humanity of the character”. “I think music and acting really aid each other in a lot of ways. In my experience, a lot of the time when I’ve gone to do a film I’ve felt like, ‘Oh, I’m probably not gonna do any music for a while because I’ll be so focused on that.’ And then I actually find that, by the time I get home at the end of the day, I just write so much. Any time you are looking at the world through someone else’s lens and exploring different emotions, it feels like a benefit in so many ways.” In October, the Twitterverse erupted after Variety’s Matt Donnelly spotted Styles’ blink-and-you’ll-miss-it role as Eros in Eternals, the newest mega-movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, directed by Oscar winner Chloé Zhao. Styles cautiously checks the publication date of this Dazed story before confirming his inclusion as the brother of villain Thanos. “I’m only in right at the very end,” he says humbly. “But who didn’t grow up wanting to be a superhero, you know? It was a great experience and I’m so grateful to have gotten to work with Chloé.” BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS With his career expanding from global to almost stratospheric proportions, Styles has made room for other projects instead of taking any iota of spare time for himself. Namely, Pleasing, his shape-shifting umbrella company that will see him take the leap from musician to mogul. The first drop from the Pleasing universe? A curated line of products that speak to the celebratory beauty sensibility that Styles is known for. He talks me through the genesis of Pleasing from his hotel room in Boston, while

massaging his undereye with The Pleasing Pen, a dual-ended eye and lip serum infused with okra, marshmallow and lingonberry, a delicious-sounding concoction that I’m told helps with tired eyes. “It was an idea I’d kind of had for a while,” he describes. “I’d been talking with a couple of people close to me, like Molly (Hawkins, Styles’ creative director). Firstly, I just thought it would be fun but, in actuality, Pleasing is about a couple of things.” “It’s starting with nail polish, because that was kind of the birth of what it was for,” Styles continues. “Me seeing a colour on a flower or a wallpaper or something and thinking, ‘Oh, I wanna put that on my nails.’ It was a fun little project, but during the pandemic, and when we eventually named it Pleasing, it felt like it was so much more than nail polish. I’ve always found that the moments in my life which have brought me the most joy are the small ones, whether it be, you know, the end of the night under the stars or a bite of food, or sitting with your friends thinking, ‘Oh, I’m never gonna forget this.’ It���s always those moments that I find have the longest-lasting effect on me, in terms of sparking something wonderful in me. I really think that the essence of Pleasing is finding those little moments of joy and showing them to people.” The collection cleverly eschews the usual cosmetic tropes of concealment and masking, and instead celebrates illumination: highlighting what’s already there, in a way that democratises who can see themselves as part of the Pleasing cosmos. The product line starts small, though I have been promised there is more to come, in a sporadic drop-style format: a ‘Pearlescent Illuminating’ serum, ‘Pleasing Pen Matte’ lip oil and ‘Perfect Pearl’ nail polish, all of which have been mindfully and sustainably made. “I don’t think that putting someone’s face on something sells a bad product,” says Styles firmly. “The product has to be good, and I think our product is good.”The lustrous finish of the plant-based nail polish was created to mimic the iridescence of pearls (a string around his neck being one of the star’s signature flourishes). Styles and his team have created the Pleasing line with the lightest possible footprint in mind, using post-consumer plastics and compostable paper printed with bio-sourced inks. “We also totally understand that we are putting more product into the world, so if we’re gonna do that, then we have to do it the right way,” says Styles, his hand gestures showing off a marigold and optic white manicure.“I also think that what this can become is so much more than just products you can buy. I think it’s about giving, and giving back. I am blessed to have fans who are so supportive of me, who believe in freedom and who have created this safe space for each other. Pleasing is really for them. That feeling of community is kind of what we would like Pleasing to (reflect).” Styles is transparent about his approach to Pleasing. Business and money-making aside, he wants to build a platform that can put ideas, creativity and empathy front and centre. “I think we have an opportunity to make something really cool, a company that operates in a completely different way,” he says. “I think the true DNA of Pleasing is about working with talented people who might not necessarily have the light shone on them, and collaborating.” A humanistic approach to a beauty company is a novel idea, though a complicated one. Can a modern beauty brand really ask you to come-as-you-are and buy into the added extras? Styles doesn’t seem put off by the challenge. “As humans, we are always changing we’re always learning new stuff and I don’t know why a company can’t operate from that same kind of standpoint.” It’s a venture that leaves Styles, whose public persona has been carefully and sensibly guarded, open in a way that he hasn’t been before. “We’re Pleasing and we’re not perfect, and we are always gonna be trying to learn to do better,” he admits. “Do I have any idea where Pleasing will be in five years? No. Obviously I have an idea of what I

would like us to be aiming at, but honestly, I don’t know. That’s what makes it exciting to me.” I ask him when he feels his most beautiful. “I don’t think being beautiful or feeling beautiful is about looking good. When people are happy and glowing, they’re radiating. And that’s what I think the products do, it’s about helping you feel beautiful.” He pauses thoughtfully, and repeats my question back to me, “Hmm, when do I feel my most beautiful? I would say internally, when I’ve finished meditating or something… Or maybe when I’m asleep!” he giggles. HOME I comment, more than once, on how at peace Styles, whose every move is writ large on the internet, seems. What he takes from his glam-rock icons (Prince, Freddie Mercury, Elvis Presley), he grounds in his everyday-ness. He’s never let his stardom eclipse his need for normalcy. “I read The Architecture of Happiness by Alain de Botton, and there’s a chapter where he talks about the idea of emptiness being more important than fullness,” he says. “How a lot of things can be really distracting, especially in the home. I think about the space that I want around me; I need it to be calm.” “You know, I read another book by Jon Ronson called So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed,” continues Styles. “It got me thinking, for a long time, about how scared I was of saying or doing the wrong thing, and how much trouble that would get me in. I was still growing up, making mistakes. I’m not ashamed of those things any more. I’ve seen sub- conscious changes in a lot of places in my life.” Just as he’s trying to imagine what a beauty brand can mean for a younger generation, he’s also looking at the future possibilities of pop music, albeit starting from a clean slate. On the precipice of his Saturn’s Return (Styles turns 28 in February), he seems ready to enter a new, risk-taking and career-defining chapter. “I have unlocked an ability to be myself completely, unapologetically,” he says with conviction. “I started only listening to classical music because it felt like it gave me a blank canvas to work from. So I wasn’t hearing things I would then be referencing. I think that so much creativity comes from my boredom and giving myself the chance not to be distracted by things. I’m the most human I’ve felt in a long time, for sure.” Observing Styles in his different guises – heartthrob, musician, business owner, friend – the character that defines him now, more than ever, is himself. “I sometimes feel like I’m supposed to be floating on this cloud of success and happiness, and obviously that’s not how it works,” he muses. “I think through my own sense of self and personal journey, I am realising that happiness isn’t this kind of end state.” And just as Dorothy clicks her heels to return home in The Wizard of Oz, when Styles speaks about his journey from then to now, and everything the horizon could hold, it’s almost as if he is coming home.

- Via Dazed. (15 November 2021)