Hugo was serious.In the early nineties, men's suits focused more on the fabric and the overall feel. Even the most traditional custom-made suits, tailored to each man's specific measurements, still left some room in the garment rather than having a slim-fit cut, because that was the trend at the time. If one were to wear a 2014-style suit that emphasized body lines here, they would likely be called old-fashioned and out of touch with fashion by a group of people.In fact, it wasn't just suits; clothes in the twenty-first century all emphasized a good fit—not necessarily tight, but hiding flaws and highlighting strengths, boldly and directly presenting the aesthetic beauty of body lines, including T-shirts, shirts, jeans, coats, and so on.So, when Hugo put on this suit, he truly felt like he had put a barrel on his body, reminiscent of a child secretly wearing his father's suit. The thick shoulder pads, straight waistline, and loose hem were truly laughable."It's definitely not like that." After being shocked by Hugo's startling words, the shop assistant hurriedly stepped forward to explain. She gestured slightly to Hugo and then measured Hugo's broad shoulders with both hands. "Look, the lines here fit very well, fully showing off your shoulder line. Of course, if you don't like it, we can reduce the shoulder pads a bit." Suits nowadays always had shoulder pads; the youthful, padless casual suits were not yet popular. People preferred jackets or leather coats over padless suits.Then the shop assistant smoothed down the lines of Hugo's back. "If you button it up here at the shoulder line, the waistline will show, revealing an inverted triangle physique." Suits nowadays actually did have waistlines, especially French-style designs which always had an endless pursuit of the waistline, but because the hem was too long, the waistline wasn't prominent and always looked a bit bloated.Hugo watched as the shop assistant explained in detail, raising an eyebrow slightly. He felt his aesthetic views were still out of place here, but what could he do? It was 1992, and such were the customs here; he had to get used to it. But Hugo had always believed in one saying: clothes are dead, people are alive. The same piece of clothing can show different styles on different people; that was the logic.Hugo felt the suit he was wearing was still a bit bloated, and the effect wasn't satisfying, so he moved his gaze away from the full-length mirror and continued walking through the Armani store. He wanted to see if there were any other styles.Although men's suits might look similar on the surface, they are actually very sophisticated. From the shoulder line to the collar, from the sleeves to the buttons, from the pattern to the material, there are countless details. Any change in one place can make the suit reflect a different level of refinement through details. Custom-made suits, in particular, have even stricter requirements.It was hard for Hugo to distinguish the differences just by looking, but he mainly started looking at the cut from the shoulder line to the waistline and then to the hem, hoping to find a pattern he was satisfied with.After spending some time, Hugo saw a black suit on the far right of the rack. It was also black, but the cut of this one was clearly better. The shoulder line was more retro, carrying the style of the 1920s. The three-button design seemed a bit too formal, but the width of the waist was significantly reduced, and the hem had a beautiful curve. One could imagine that the effect after putting it on should be very good, reminding Hugo of Leonardo's look in "The Great Gatsby" released in 2013."I'd like to try this one," Hugo said, turning back to the shop assistant with a smile.Joseph was also behind Hugo at this time and saw the suit. He took it off the rack and looked it over, but finally shook his head. "I don't see any difference." Joseph was indeed a bit slow in this regard.Actually, Hugo didn't know much either; he was just picking based on his long-term aesthetics and intuition. "I don't know what the difference is either. We'll find out after I try it on." Hugo chuckled and said to the shop assistant, "This wouldn't happen to be the same design as the one I'm wearing, would it?" If so, that would be embarrassing.The shop assistant's expression was a bit hesitant, her smile stiffening as if she had something difficult to say, but she still explained seriously, "No, these two are not the same design. The cut of the shoulder line, waistline, and hem of the one in your hand is more rounded. Also, this is a three-piece suit with a vest inside, so the overall retro effect will be more prominent. But..."Hugo didn't hear the shop assistant's "but" and turned to Joseph. "Would it be too much to wear a three-piece suit to the premiere?" Generally speaking, a three-piece suit is more appropriate for an awards ceremony. For just a premiere, and not even the premiere of Hugo's own work, it seemed a bit like making a mountain out of a molehill.Joseph didn't think too much about it. "Try it on first, and we'll see." Anyway, they were here to make a soft investment today. If it really looked good, then even if it wasn't for the premiere, he would still need to purchase some formal attire for future auditions or meetings with high-level executives."Sir, sir..." The shop assistant tried to interrupt Joseph and Hugo's conversation with a polite voice. Finally, she caught their attention, but the embarrassed expression on her face became more obvious. "Sir, this suit is out of stock.""Then what about the one in my hand...?" Hugo felt this was too ridiculous. All the clothes in the Armani store were sold out? Such a thing was absolutely incredible. If a suit was sold out of certain sizes, Armani would definitely put that style away to prepare for the seasonal clearance. But it was only mid-March, and there was still a long time before summer; spring had just begun. For the shop assistant to say the clothes were out of stock was naturally unbelievable.Joseph, standing nearby, was also confused and looked at the shop assistant. The shop assistant was immediately embarrassed and stood there a bit at a loss, seemingly thinking about how to respond to Hugo's question. "This... this is the last one in the store right now, and it's not your size for the moment." The shop assistant weighed her words for a long time before finally choosing this way to answer.The situation here was naturally reported immediately, and the manager of the Armani branch quickly walked over. "Good afternoon, gentlemen. I am Frank Garner. Is there anything I can help you with?" This man named Frank was clearly more than one level higher than the shop assistant just now. The warm smile on his face seemed very kind without making people feel like he was deliberately trying to build a connection. Moreover, the sincerity in his eyes, his clasped hands, and his slightly forward-leaning body all showed his sincerity, making it easy to dispel any sense of rejection."I want to try on this suit, but I was told it's out of stock." Hugo felt his enthusiasm dampened. Coming out to shop happily only to have it end unpleasantly was unnecessary. Actually, Hugo didn't absolutely have to have this suit, but the shop assistant's reason was too ridiculous, and he found it unacceptable. So, facing Frank's smile, Hugo wasn't aggressive; he just calmly stated the facts and expressed his helplessness, nothing more.Frank reached out his hands with an inquiring look. Hugo handed over the suit in his hand. Frank opened the tag of the suit to take a look and then nodded slightly. "Mr. Lancaster, here's the situation. This suit is one of our new spring products, so naturally, we have stock."These words immediately made Hugo and Joseph look at the shop assistant at the same time. Hugo was just puzzled as to why the shop assistant suddenly lied, but Joseph's sharp gaze made the shop assistant look away in panic."However, we will not be selling this suit today." Although Frank's words were polite and carried a deep apology, the content of the sentence still made Hugo and Joseph look at him in surprise. "Because Mr. Richard Gere has already reserved this suit to wear to a movie premiere. To avoid any situation where two people wear the same outfit, we will not be selling this suit for the time being. If you are really satisfied with it, we can deliver it to your door next Monday."Hugo and Joseph looked at each other. This was actually a special service provided by top brands for stars, mainly to highlight the artist's uniqueness. Logically, after Richard Gere reserved the suit, the shop assistant should have put it away and only put it back out after the premiere. But something went wrong today, and the suit was still on the rack and caught Hugo's eye, leading to the current situation."Uh... can't I even try it on?" Joseph coughed lightly and asked politely. He didn't want Hugo and Richard to wear the same outfit at the premiere either, as that would be terrible, but he still felt a bit awkward, so he asked. In response, he got a troubled smile from Frank. Joseph hesitated and then said, "I think this suit would look better on Hugo. Why can't Hugo wear this suit to the premiere?""We still trust Richard more." Frank still had a polite smile on his face, but at this moment, the smile seemed a bit ironic, as if to say: "Who the heck do you think you are, Hugo Lancaster? How could you possibly be compared to Richard Gere? Even if you are a natural clothes hanger and look good in anything, in real life, looks aren't the most important thing. Compared to Richard, Hugo is more than just one or two levels behind."Without waiting for Joseph to respond, Frank continued, "Please cooperate with our work. I apologize for any inconvenience caused." This seemed to be saying: "Don't keep pestering us; it's better to be sensible."Obviously, Hugo and Joseph were both looked down upon.
