Wow, was chapter eighteen a roller coaster ride or what? Oh, my goodness!
I have to admit, this chapter was exceptionally difficult for me to write and honestly, did not go the way I expected. That’s the odd thing with my writing, when I saw that the story writes itself. That’s not me making light of it anything, that’s the truth. Because if the story goes in a direction, where it seems I’ve forced it for the sake of having it, it just won’t do.
Initially the story was supposed to actually include that dinner at Jackson Manor with the proposal occurring there. (of course, as you found out by the end of the chapter, it was Michael popping the question, not Marlon) and I tried about a half-dozen times to get that version of the chapter up off the ground. I even selected dresses for Vylette and Lorraine and even picked food for them to eat. But every time I tried it seemed as if my entire being was shouting “No Tiffeny!”.
Then I had a very sexual chapter that I tried. And it seemed just wrong at that point in the story. (No worries, that excerpt is saved away for a later chapter, yay!)
As I was writing this, it just came to me, have Michael propose in the secluded conservatory.
And that’s what we got.
Now, let’s see what inspired some of the points of the story.
The chapter opens with Vylette sitting in the lobby of the Landmark, and waiting patiently as Michael tries to pick up some packages his Latoya has sent along from New York.
I used the dress to right on Vylette, but made it red instead of white with all red accessories. The interior of the Landmark is black and white and I really wanted her outfit to have that visual interest and create the contrast in the mind of the reader. Besides, most brunettes look good in red. I keep selecting dresses for Vylette, because until I can find a good picture of a "day suit" you won't catch her in one.
This is a day suit, and to be honest, it seems a little plain for a girl who's supposed to be Michael Jackson's girlfriend/fiancee. I mean we already saw enough fashion fuck-ups while Michael was with Lisa Marie Presley in real life, I refuse to have his fiction woman look anything less than stunning.
Well at least Vylette won't look like Elvis as she ages.
As Vylette waits, the events of the last few days are recalled, included an ill-fated trip to the movie house in Rainelle Parish.
To be honest, while I have dozens of photos to use as reference points for what will eventually become the Palace and Paragon theatres for the Jacksons, I have no picture for the Parish theatre. Because in my head, it's nothing more than as I described. A tiny, dingy room in a shack in the woods. Nothing fancy opulent like what Michael and Marlon are building.
The movie they all go to see For the Defense is a real film from 1930.
I have seen this film and it is pretty good. I'm a fan of both William Powell and Kay Francis. The colorization on this particular poster is incorrect. William's eyes are blue, not brown.
After a short while in the cramped stinky movie house, the Jacksons beat a path back out to their car to make out with their girls.
i really wanted to show the extreme contrast between the kind of places the Jacksons are used to as opposed to the typical resident of the Parish and I like showing the contrast between classes because most of the town is hardworking, normal Joes.
Nothing at all like the Jacksons...but then again, that goes in real life too...
Back in the lobby, Pretty Vylette is alone and that of course, draws a man to her side trying to push up on her--some things never change--and at one point he calls her Angel Face and Vylette says she's isn't Norma Shearer.
This is Norma Shearer in the 1928 silent film A Lady of Chance where her past as a hooker catches up to her. Is it weird I think she looks better in the hooker outfit than as a switchboard operator? Or maybe I'm just tacky.
That can also be taken as a backwards way of asking if Vylette was a prostitute...
Anyway, Michael Jackson swoops in as the man accosts Vylette and sends him packing.
Angry Michael...don't mess with his woman.
It's revealed Latoya sent the cosmetics to Armand's salon by mistake and they go to retrieve them.
In designing Armand's Salon, I really wanted it to be as avante garde as I intend his character to be. Most of downtown New Orleans is older style buildings, and in my head, Armand's was done in what's called a Streamlined Mordene style:
This is a restaurant, but if you take away the umbrellas and paint it Barbie Pink, you have Armand's, with a revolving door. Michael was kicked out because it was a women's only establishment and when Vylette goes in, she pauses to observe a picture of Armand himself. I don't think he'll have a last name I want him to go by one name like Prince or Cher.
Armand will be seen in a later chapter. But I made it no secret that Armand was a gay man. (I have had other stories with gay characters. In "Strawberries" one of Michael's make up artists is a gay man and Prince (the singer) has a lesbian make up artist who dates his photographer.)
I wanted to have Armand be as fabulous as humanly possible. And I kind of gave a hint of whom I modeled him after when I said his fingers were lined with diamond crusted rings:
This is Liberace, and if you don't think he is the most fabulous man that ever breathed, we have problems. Of course, as a stylist he won't wear such a beautiful suit, but He'll look like that. Come on he's got a damn piano on his hand!!!! I can't breathe, he was so perfect as the stylist! I might have expand his part to make it even larger looking at this!!!
I think I made the right choice in making everything pink...ten dollars says if he had a kid, she'd be the best outfitted pageant child in the world!
For the inside of the salon, I had long wanted to use the inside of the fictional salon "Sydney's" from the 1939 movie 'The Women'. Which I have seen and is one of my favorites!!!
This is nice and opulent and rich and a bit campy--see the hand with the crystal ball in the back--but it was exactly what I wanted. A haven for females to go and primp and relax and gossip. Once Vylette is in with the club clique, she'll see Armand regularly.
While being dazzled by the interior of the salon, Vylette sees a photo of her look alike, Myrna Loy. (this will be a running joke, just get ready.)
Also as Vylette is standing around, she meets Lady Tabitha Cavendish!!! I've based Tabby on actress Joan Blondell (I believe I mentioned this in an earlier post, where I said she's married to the older Sir Reginald, modeled after an older Vincent Price. ) Tabby and Vylette hit it off right away.
Tabitha is going to be an interesting character. You'll see plenty of her since Marlon is going to be tight with her husband. And Michael still hasn't quite disclosed why he dislikes Sir Reginald.
Vylette took so long in the salon that Michael had already made his run down to the barber shop to ensure that Dandy Don was on the shelves for him. (I am currently still looking for a product to model the Dandy Don line to be modeled after.)
The story then shifts back to the hotel room where Michael has moved in with Vylette on her invite that the two share the suite--and of course, Lorraine high-tailed it Marlon. Vylette is wearing a robe and selecting her toiletries for the evening, in a fur trimmed robe.
To be honest, I don't know what the hell that is on the top of this robe, so I made it into feathers, because in the middle of June, it's still too DAMN HOT to wear fur. Underneath the robe she wears a strapless brassiere and panties.
This is Joan Crawford modeling lingerie in the movie Our Blushing Brides. Of course, Vylette is bustier than Joan.
Michael cuts himself shaving and I put him in a gold robe, because come on, that's a nod to the History tour...Michael can WEAR gold!
I follow a lot of vintage clothes pages on Tumblr and Pinterest because its my taste and at first I thought this robe was just gold brocade. Looking at it closely you can see the elephants and camels on it. Of course Michael Jackson would wear this.
Vylette of course tended to the big baby and stopped his bleeding. LOL.
Michael gives Vylette an exciting new perfume called Scandalous.
THE BOTTLE IS REAL! OH MY GOD! THE NUDE TORSO BOTTLE EXISTS! DO YOU KNOW HOW I CUT UP WHEN I TYPED "NUDE PERFUME BOTTLE" INTO THE SEARCH ENGINE AND GOT THIS? OMJ!
Vylette's dress for the Tropics Room is based off of one actress Delores Del Rio wore. It is a bit ahead of it's time, as it was made in 1934, and it's 1931 in my story.
Dee's dress is white, but I made it purple for obvious reasons. I think if I had left it white, it would have given the plot away. and I like working on suspense. Nix the earrings they compete with the dress.
I'll spare you the recanting of the Tropics Room and dancing until folks wanted to beat Michael for the constant waltz.
Michael sneaks Vylette into the conservatory of the hotel in order to have time alone with her.
(This alludes to the first idea I had of his proposal. Michael was supposed to do it in his archway of roses at the Manor, but it never came to pass, so I put him in the only place i could think of with flowers, That one white rose was incredibly important to me.)
The Conservatory was made on the order of this, elegant, all glass and filled with plants.
Michael recited a "poem" which is "All the Things You Are" which was on the Farewell My Summer Love album, I believe. You can also find it on Youtube to hear him--at 15--singing it.
Alright, you have suffered enough, Michael proposes and I cannot leave this post without showing what Vylette's engagement ring looks like:
This is Vylette's ring, I made the entire ring platinum instead of two-toned, and it features a large faintly pink diamond. I don't know the actual size of the stones in the ring here, but in my head, Vylette's ring is as follow: pink diamond, 12 carats, and 2 carats of the white diamonds rimming it. Her wedding ring will be larger. (I had to be careful with the ring here, because in a different long fic, Michael married his girlfriend and gave her an emerald cut, white diamond, I did NOT want to repeat that.)
More is on the way, and y'all get your glad rags ready for the gala. When I say it's going to be nonstop surprises, your heads will blow off. Trust me. And thank you for reading! I appreciate and love every one of you!
The movie they all go to see For the Defense is a real film from 1930.
I have seen this film and it is pretty good. I'm a fan of both William Powell and Kay Francis. The colorization on this particular poster is incorrect. William's eyes are blue, not brown.
After a short while in the cramped stinky movie house, the Jacksons beat a path back out to their car to make out with their girls.
i really wanted to show the extreme contrast between the kind of places the Jacksons are used to as opposed to the typical resident of the Parish and I like showing the contrast between classes because most of the town is hardworking, normal Joes.
Nothing at all like the Jacksons...but then again, that goes in real life too...
Back in the lobby, Pretty Vylette is alone and that of course, draws a man to her side trying to push up on her--some things never change--and at one point he calls her Angel Face and Vylette says she's isn't Norma Shearer.
This is Norma Shearer in the 1928 silent film A Lady of Chance where her past as a hooker catches up to her. Is it weird I think she looks better in the hooker outfit than as a switchboard operator? Or maybe I'm just tacky.
That can also be taken as a backwards way of asking if Vylette was a prostitute...
Anyway, Michael Jackson swoops in as the man accosts Vylette and sends him packing.
Angry Michael...don't mess with his woman.
It's revealed Latoya sent the cosmetics to Armand's salon by mistake and they go to retrieve them.
In designing Armand's Salon, I really wanted it to be as avante garde as I intend his character to be. Most of downtown New Orleans is older style buildings, and in my head, Armand's was done in what's called a Streamlined Mordene style:
This is a restaurant, but if you take away the umbrellas and paint it Barbie Pink, you have Armand's, with a revolving door. Michael was kicked out because it was a women's only establishment and when Vylette goes in, she pauses to observe a picture of Armand himself. I don't think he'll have a last name I want him to go by one name like Prince or Cher.
Armand will be seen in a later chapter. But I made it no secret that Armand was a gay man. (I have had other stories with gay characters. In "Strawberries" one of Michael's make up artists is a gay man and Prince (the singer) has a lesbian make up artist who dates his photographer.)
I wanted to have Armand be as fabulous as humanly possible. And I kind of gave a hint of whom I modeled him after when I said his fingers were lined with diamond crusted rings:
This is Liberace, and if you don't think he is the most fabulous man that ever breathed, we have problems. Of course, as a stylist he won't wear such a beautiful suit, but He'll look like that. Come on he's got a damn piano on his hand!!!! I can't breathe, he was so perfect as the stylist! I might have expand his part to make it even larger looking at this!!!
I think I made the right choice in making everything pink...ten dollars says if he had a kid, she'd be the best outfitted pageant child in the world!
For the inside of the salon, I had long wanted to use the inside of the fictional salon "Sydney's" from the 1939 movie 'The Women'. Which I have seen and is one of my favorites!!!
This is nice and opulent and rich and a bit campy--see the hand with the crystal ball in the back--but it was exactly what I wanted. A haven for females to go and primp and relax and gossip. Once Vylette is in with the club clique, she'll see Armand regularly.
While being dazzled by the interior of the salon, Vylette sees a photo of her look alike, Myrna Loy. (this will be a running joke, just get ready.)
Also as Vylette is standing around, she meets Lady Tabitha Cavendish!!! I've based Tabby on actress Joan Blondell (I believe I mentioned this in an earlier post, where I said she's married to the older Sir Reginald, modeled after an older Vincent Price. ) Tabby and Vylette hit it off right away.
Tabitha is going to be an interesting character. You'll see plenty of her since Marlon is going to be tight with her husband. And Michael still hasn't quite disclosed why he dislikes Sir Reginald.
Vylette took so long in the salon that Michael had already made his run down to the barber shop to ensure that Dandy Don was on the shelves for him. (I am currently still looking for a product to model the Dandy Don line to be modeled after.)
The story then shifts back to the hotel room where Michael has moved in with Vylette on her invite that the two share the suite--and of course, Lorraine high-tailed it Marlon. Vylette is wearing a robe and selecting her toiletries for the evening, in a fur trimmed robe.
To be honest, I don't know what the hell that is on the top of this robe, so I made it into feathers, because in the middle of June, it's still too DAMN HOT to wear fur. Underneath the robe she wears a strapless brassiere and panties.
This is Joan Crawford modeling lingerie in the movie Our Blushing Brides. Of course, Vylette is bustier than Joan.
Michael cuts himself shaving and I put him in a gold robe, because come on, that's a nod to the History tour...Michael can WEAR gold!
I follow a lot of vintage clothes pages on Tumblr and Pinterest because its my taste and at first I thought this robe was just gold brocade. Looking at it closely you can see the elephants and camels on it. Of course Michael Jackson would wear this.
Vylette of course tended to the big baby and stopped his bleeding. LOL.
Michael gives Vylette an exciting new perfume called Scandalous.
THE BOTTLE IS REAL! OH MY GOD! THE NUDE TORSO BOTTLE EXISTS! DO YOU KNOW HOW I CUT UP WHEN I TYPED "NUDE PERFUME BOTTLE" INTO THE SEARCH ENGINE AND GOT THIS? OMJ!
Vylette's dress for the Tropics Room is based off of one actress Delores Del Rio wore. It is a bit ahead of it's time, as it was made in 1934, and it's 1931 in my story.
Dee's dress is white, but I made it purple for obvious reasons. I think if I had left it white, it would have given the plot away. and I like working on suspense. Nix the earrings they compete with the dress.
I'll spare you the recanting of the Tropics Room and dancing until folks wanted to beat Michael for the constant waltz.
Michael sneaks Vylette into the conservatory of the hotel in order to have time alone with her.
(This alludes to the first idea I had of his proposal. Michael was supposed to do it in his archway of roses at the Manor, but it never came to pass, so I put him in the only place i could think of with flowers, That one white rose was incredibly important to me.)
The Conservatory was made on the order of this, elegant, all glass and filled with plants.
Michael recited a "poem" which is "All the Things You Are" which was on the Farewell My Summer Love album, I believe. You can also find it on Youtube to hear him--at 15--singing it.
Alright, you have suffered enough, Michael proposes and I cannot leave this post without showing what Vylette's engagement ring looks like:
This is Vylette's ring, I made the entire ring platinum instead of two-toned, and it features a large faintly pink diamond. I don't know the actual size of the stones in the ring here, but in my head, Vylette's ring is as follow: pink diamond, 12 carats, and 2 carats of the white diamonds rimming it. Her wedding ring will be larger. (I had to be careful with the ring here, because in a different long fic, Michael married his girlfriend and gave her an emerald cut, white diamond, I did NOT want to repeat that.)
More is on the way, and y'all get your glad rags ready for the gala. When I say it's going to be nonstop surprises, your heads will blow off. Trust me. And thank you for reading! I appreciate and love every one of you!
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