Chapter 711: Local Fashion
I glanced at the dresses in Anastia’s arms and shivered. The woman set them on a nearby shelf and tugged at my robe, giving me a questioning look. Reluctantly, I nodded and allowed her to take the garment off. The air felt particularly chilly, sending shivers down my tail, causing it to curl around my leg.
"You have beautiful hair," Anastia said, running a hand through a long, crimson lock. "But its color is hard to match. How about this one?"
She chose a deep crimson dress, a shade lighter than my hair. As she held it up, I stared, flushing.
"It’s...revealing," I mumbled, hugging myself.
Anastia giggled. "No more than the rags you were wearing before. There’s nothing to be ashamed of about looking lovely."
I glanced helplessly at R’lissea, but she gave me an encouraging nod. I shied away from Anastia as she lifted the dress, but couldn’t help stealing another look at it. There was something mesmerizing about the fabric. It was thin and soft as satin, but held a deep luster, shining in the magical light.
The style was similar to the other garments I’d seen the women wear: a tight bodice, loose skirt and sleeves, and a wide V-neck that rested on the shoulders and fell midway down the abdomen. Despite the low neckline, the bodice was the only part of the dress that resembled any other dress I’d seen. The rest, from the sleeves to the skirt, looked more like someone had bisected a dress and then tied it together at certain points, twice at the hip and twice on the arms. The slits on the skirt began above the hip, with a tie mid thigh, while the sleeves bared the shoulders and were tied at the hem and elbow.
"I know that look," Anastia said, grinning. "Are you sure you don’t want it?"
I swallowed hard, flushing a shade darker. "Um...maybe we could just try it on?"
Her grin widened, and she moved behind me, gathering my hair together. The dress slid over my head, its weight hanging entirely on my shoulders. It felt...odd, to say the least, the substantive slits making it more like wearing a corset than an actual dress. As it looked, the fabric was as thin and light as my sheer nightdresses, yet visually had more substance. It was loose enough that all of its weight hung on my shoulders, yet somehow it clung to my curves, emphasizing what little feminine charm I had.
Anastia tied the ribbons holding the sleeves and skirts together, humming to herself. I fingered the fabric on my shoulder, pinching the hem uncertainly.