Men's suits in the early nineties placed more emphasis on fabric and the overall look. Even the most traditional tailored suits, made to fit each man's unique measurements, still left some room in the cut instead of being form-fitting, simply because that was the prevailing trend at the time. If someone wore a 2014-style suit that emphasized body contours here, they'd likely be mocked by a crowd for being outdated and clueless about fashion.
Actually, it wasn't just suits clothing in the 21st century focused on being well-fitted—not tight, but tailored to conceal flaws, highlight strengths, and boldly showcase the beauty of the body's lines. This applied to T-shirts, shirts, jeans, jackets, and so on.
So when Hugo put on this suit, he genuinely felt like he had thrown a barrel over himself. It brought to mind the image of a child secretly trying on his father's suit. The thick shoulder pads, the straight waistline, the loose hem it was almost laughable.
"Absolutely not like that." Shocked by Hugo's blunt comment, the sales assistant hurriedly stepped forward to explain. She gestured toward Hugo and measured his broad shoulders with her hands. "Look, the lines here are very fitting; they completely show off your shoulder line. Of course, if you don't like it, we can reduce the padding a bit." At this time, all suits had shoulder pads. The youthful, pad-free casual blazer wasn't common yet. Compared to those, people preferred jackets or leather coats.
The assistant then smoothed the line down Hugo's back. "If you button it here at the shoulder line, the waistline will show, revealing a V-shaped figure." Suits nowadays did have waistlines too—especially French designs, which pursued waistlines with endless fervor—but due to the longer hem, the waistline wasn't prominent, making the whole outfit seem bulky.
Watching the assistant explain everything in detail, Hugo raised an eyebrow slightly. He felt his aesthetic views clashed with this era, but what could he do? It was 1992 now. These were the customs here, and he had to adapt. Still, Hugo always believed one thing: clothes are dead, people are alive. The same outfit can look completely different on different people—that was the point.
Hugo still felt the suit on him looked a bit bloated, and the overall effect wasn't satisfying. So he shifted his gaze away from the dressing mirror and continued walking deeper into the Armani store, wanting to see if there were other styles.
Although men's suits may look similar on the surface, the truth is, they're all about subtle details. From the shoulder line to the collar, sleeves to buttons, the cut to the fabric—every aspect has countless nuances. Any small change can make a suit show different sophistication through its details. Especially custom suits, which are even more demanding.
Just using his eyes, Hugo couldn't really tell much difference. So he focused mainly on observing the cut from the shoulder line to the waist and then to the hem, hoping to find a version he liked better.
After a while, Hugo spotted a black suit on the far right of the clothing rack. It was also black, but the cut was clearly more appealing. The shoulder line had a more vintage touch, echoing the style of the 1920s. The three-button design did feel a bit overly formal, but the waist area was clearly narrowed, and the hem had a beautiful curve. He could imagine it would look quite good on reminding Hugo of Leonardo's outfit in The Great Gatsby, released in 2013.
"I'd like to try this one." Hugo turned to the sales assistant and said with a smile.
Joseph was right behind Hugo at this point and saw the suit too. He took the suit off the rack and looked it over carefully, then shook his head. "I don't see any difference."
Joseph was indeed a bit dull when it came to this stuff.
Hugo didn't really understand much either; he was just picking based on long-term aesthetics and intuition. "I'm not sure either—just trying it on to see how it looks." Hugo chuckled and said to the assistant, "Don't tell me this one has the same design as the one I'm wearing?" That would be truly embarrassing.
The assistant's expression turned a little hesitant, her smile stiffened slightly, as if she was holding something back, but she still seriously explained, "No, these two are not the same design. The one in your hand has softer cuts in the shoulder, waist, and hem. Also, it's a three-piece suit there's a vest inside so the vintage effect is even more pronounced. But…"
Hugo didn't catch her "but." He turned and said to Joseph, "Would wearing a three-piece suit to a premiere be too much?" Usually, a three-piece was for award ceremonies. Just a premiere and not even one of Hugo's own premieres might be overkill.
Joseph didn't think much of it. "Try it on first. Let's see how it looks." After all, today was about making a soft investment. If it looked really good, then even if not for the premiere, having some formal wear ready for future auditions or meetings with top executives was still a wise move.
"Sir, sir…" The store clerk tried hard to interrupt Joseph and Hugo's conversation with a polite tone. She finally managed to get both of their attention, but her face looked even more awkward. "Sir, this outfit is already out of stock."
"Then the one I'm holding right now is…?" Hugo found the situation absurd. The entire Armani store ran out of this outfit? That was absolutely unbelievable. If a particular design was sold out, Armani would normally remove that style from display to prepare for upcoming seasonal promotions. But it was only mid-March, still a long way from summer—spring had just begun. For the store clerk to claim that it was out of stock was naturally hard to accept.
Joseph, who was standing beside him, also looked confused and glanced at the clerk. She immediately looked even more embarrassed and froze in place, clearly unsure how to respond. "This… this is the last set in the store for now, and we don't have your size," she finally said after much deliberation.
This situation was immediately reported up the chain, and the manager of the Armani branch quickly walked over. "Good afternoon, gentlemen. I'm Frank Garner. Is there anything I can assist you with?" This man named Frank was clearly a few levels above the previous clerk. His gentle smile was very friendly without feeling overly familiar, and the sincerity in his eyes, the way he clasped his hands, and his slight forward lean all conveyed genuine intent, easily dispelling any potential hostility.
"I wanted to try this outfit on, but was told it's out of stock," Hugo said with a trace of disinterest. He had gone out shopping in high spirits only to run into this mess there was no need to turn it into something unpleasant. Actually, Hugo wasn't fixated on this particular outfit. He just couldn't accept the store clerk's ridiculous excuse. So, facing Frank's smile, Hugo didn't press aggressively. He simply stated the facts calmly and expressed his helplessness. That was all.
Frank extended his hands with an inquiring look, and Hugo handed him the clothes. Frank looked at the label, then gave a slight nod. "Mr. Lancaster, here's the situation: this outfit is part of our spring collection, so of course we still have stock."
That statement immediately drew both Hugo and Joseph's eyes to the clerk. Hugo's gaze was merely one of confusion why had she lied? But Joseph's sharp look made the clerk panic and avert her eyes.
"However, we won't be selling this outfit today," Frank continued. Though his tone was still polite and apologetic, the content of his words surprised both Hugo and Joseph. "Because this outfit has been reserved by Mr. Richard Gere, who will be wearing it to a movie premiere. To avoid any overlap, we won't be selling it for now. If you really like it, we can deliver it to your door next Monday."
Hugo and Joseph exchanged looks. This was actually a special service top brands provided for celebrities, aimed at highlighting the uniqueness of each artist. Normally, once Richard Gere reserved the outfit, the store staff should've removed it from the shelves and only displayed it again after the premiere. But clearly, some mistake had occurred today, leaving the outfit on display and catching Hugo's eye—hence the current situation.
"Uh… not even to try it on?" Joseph coughed lightly and asked politely. He didn't want Hugo and Richard to show up at the premiere in the same outfit that would be a disaster but he still found this situation a bit awkward. So, he voiced his question, only to receive a troubled smile from Frank. Joseph hesitated, then said, "I think this outfit would look better on Hugo. Why can't he be the one to wear it to the premiere?"
"We still have more faith in Richard." Frank's polite smile remained, but at this moment it seemed rather sarcastic, as if he were saying: Who do you think you are, Hugo Lancaster? How could you possibly compare to Richard Gere? Even if you're a good clothes hanger and look great in it, in the real world, appearance isn't everything. Compared to Richard, you're not even in the same league.
Before Joseph could respond, Frank continued, "Please cooperate with our policy. And I apologize for the inconvenience we've caused." It was as if he were saying: Don't make this any more difficult do yourselves a favor and back off.
Clearly, Hugo and Joseph had both just been snubbed.
...
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