Far-Out. It was all pretty boring.
But then the interesting part started. A woman wearing Executive Look—a dark gray suit and a cream-colored silk blouse—arrived, and Aunt Vera introduced her as Fashion Coordinator from Filene's. Her name was Sarah Silverman.
Anastasia liked that. She always liked names with matching consonants, like her mother's: Katherine Krupnik. She could never figure out why her parents hadn't given her a name that began with "K." Kim, maybe. Kimberly Krupnik. Instead of, yuck, Anastasia.
Even matching
ending
consonants would be okay, she thought. Like Henry Peabody: those two matching "y's" at the end of her two names really gave it a neat sound.
Anastasia tried to think of a name that ended in "k," a first name that would go with Krupnik.
Rick. Rick Krupnik.
Jack.
Jack
Krupnik.
Mick, maybe. Or how about
Spike?
Like Spike Owen on the Red Sox. It didn't matter that it was a guy's name—look at Henry; she had a guy's name, and it sounded great.
Spike Krupnik. Anastasia said it to herself several times. She wondered how her parents would feel if she changed her name to Spike.
"Anastasia? Are you listening?" Sarah Silverman, the Fashion Coordinator, was leaning toward her with a questioning look.
"Oooops. Sorry. I was daydreaming, I guess," Anastasia said, embarrassed.
Sarah Silverman smiled. "I was explaining," she said, "that I've brought a variety of clothes with me from the store. Aunt Vera told me the sizes. Now I'm going to take each of you in turn and analyze your coloring and type. Then we'll try different outfits, and you'll see how your whole look can change."
"Do we get to keep the clothes?" Henry asked.
Sarah Silverman shook her head. "No. I'm sorry. But we
can
offer you a ten percent discount on the regular price, if there's anything you want to buy."
"Rats," Anastasia whispered. "I can't afford anything."
"Neither can I," Henry whispered back.
"Who wants to go first?" Sarah Silverman asked.
"ME!" Bambie Browne was already standing up.
"All right." Sarah Silverman stood beside Bambie in front of the group. She cupped her hands around Bambie's chin and tilted her face toward the light.
"Bambie has a typical redhead's coloring," she said. "Pale skin and green eyes. We'll try a few cool colors on Bambie."
"I don't really care about looking cool," Bambie said. "In the entertainment field it's more important to look—"
"I didn't mean that kind of cool," Sarah Silverman said. "I meant blues and greens. We call those cool colors, as opposed to—well, it's complicated to explain. Trust me.
"Now," she went on, "since Bambie has a tiny weight problem—"
"We had our Diet Counseling on Tuesday," Aunt Vera explained. "And Bambie's going to start watching the calories."
Bambie blushed.
Aunt Vera took Bambie off into the dressing room. Anastasia and Henry watched, bored, as Bambie returned wearing a pair of green tweed slacks and a bulky green sweater. Actually, she
did
look pretty good dressed in the new clothes.
"Did you bring jewelry?" Bambie asked. "I'd like a whole lot of gold jewelry. When I do one of my monologues, especially in front of TV cameras, I think there should be a lot of bracelets flashing during my gestures."
"Your gestures?" Sarah Silverman asked.
Bambie demonstrated. She recited a few lines from something and her arms moved about. She looked like a puppet.
"Oh," said Sarah Silverman. "Well, I'm afraid I don't have jewelry with me. But I see what you mean. Probably, though, you wouldn't be wearing slacks and a sweater if you were doing a, ah, monologue on TV."
"Oh, of course not," Bambie said. "I have my costumes specially made. I have a Scarlett O'Hara outfit, and I have a Little Mary Sunshine, and I have a Poor Little Match Girl, and then of course my Juliet—"
Sarah Silverman nodded. "Well, Filene's certainly can't compete with that," she said. "But let's stick with regular clothes now, Bambie. I'm going to put a wonderful plaid coat over that
But then the interesting part started. A woman wearing Executive Look—a dark gray suit and a cream-colored silk blouse—arrived, and Aunt Vera introduced her as Fashion Coordinator from Filene's. Her name was Sarah Silverman.
Anastasia liked that. She always liked names with matching consonants, like her mother's: Katherine Krupnik. She could never figure out why her parents hadn't given her a name that began with "K." Kim, maybe. Kimberly Krupnik. Instead of, yuck, Anastasia.
Even matching
ending
consonants would be okay, she thought. Like Henry Peabody: those two matching "y's" at the end of her two names really gave it a neat sound.
Anastasia tried to think of a name that ended in "k," a first name that would go with Krupnik.
Rick. Rick Krupnik.
Jack.
Jack
Krupnik.
Mick, maybe. Or how about
Spike?
Like Spike Owen on the Red Sox. It didn't matter that it was a guy's name—look at Henry; she had a guy's name, and it sounded great.
Spike Krupnik. Anastasia said it to herself several times. She wondered how her parents would feel if she changed her name to Spike.
"Anastasia? Are you listening?" Sarah Silverman, the Fashion Coordinator, was leaning toward her with a questioning look.
"Oooops. Sorry. I was daydreaming, I guess," Anastasia said, embarrassed.
Sarah Silverman smiled. "I was explaining," she said, "that I've brought a variety of clothes with me from the store. Aunt Vera told me the sizes. Now I'm going to take each of you in turn and analyze your coloring and type. Then we'll try different outfits, and you'll see how your whole look can change."
"Do we get to keep the clothes?" Henry asked.
Sarah Silverman shook her head. "No. I'm sorry. But we
can
offer you a ten percent discount on the regular price, if there's anything you want to buy."
"Rats," Anastasia whispered. "I can't afford anything."
"Neither can I," Henry whispered back.
"Who wants to go first?" Sarah Silverman asked.
"ME!" Bambie Browne was already standing up.
"All right." Sarah Silverman stood beside Bambie in front of the group. She cupped her hands around Bambie's chin and tilted her face toward the light.
"Bambie has a typical redhead's coloring," she said. "Pale skin and green eyes. We'll try a few cool colors on Bambie."
"I don't really care about looking cool," Bambie said. "In the entertainment field it's more important to look—"
"I didn't mean that kind of cool," Sarah Silverman said. "I meant blues and greens. We call those cool colors, as opposed to—well, it's complicated to explain. Trust me.
"Now," she went on, "since Bambie has a tiny weight problem—"
"We had our Diet Counseling on Tuesday," Aunt Vera explained. "And Bambie's going to start watching the calories."
Bambie blushed.
Aunt Vera took Bambie off into the dressing room. Anastasia and Henry watched, bored, as Bambie returned wearing a pair of green tweed slacks and a bulky green sweater. Actually, she
did
look pretty good dressed in the new clothes.
"Did you bring jewelry?" Bambie asked. "I'd like a whole lot of gold jewelry. When I do one of my monologues, especially in front of TV cameras, I think there should be a lot of bracelets flashing during my gestures."
"Your gestures?" Sarah Silverman asked.
Bambie demonstrated. She recited a few lines from something and her arms moved about. She looked like a puppet.
"Oh," said Sarah Silverman. "Well, I'm afraid I don't have jewelry with me. But I see what you mean. Probably, though, you wouldn't be wearing slacks and a sweater if you were doing a, ah, monologue on TV."
"Oh, of course not," Bambie said. "I have my costumes specially made. I have a Scarlett O'Hara outfit, and I have a Little Mary Sunshine, and I have a Poor Little Match Girl, and then of course my Juliet—"
Sarah Silverman nodded. "Well, Filene's certainly can't compete with that," she said. "But let's stick with regular clothes now, Bambie. I'm going to put a wonderful plaid coat over that
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