Fashion Affairs [Modern | Drama| Delicious Plots | LGBTQA+] [Open to all]

[Nico]

The new thread became necessary due to an administrative change within the group.

Important Disclaimer & what we are all about

First things first:

Since there has been one or the other misinterpretion in the past:
No, this is not a group about models. Yes, they certainly are a part of the business like many other professions, but not the main focus. That would be a bit one-sided and quite restrictive.

Also - knowledge of the fashion business is not a requirement to join us. By all means, nobody of us is an expert. Improvisation is half the fun, sometimes.


Essentially, the group is about people in the Fashion Industry. Their lives, struggles, affairs and their work. That's all, you say? You would be surprised what all can happen. This industry is a playground for jealousy and resentments, everyone wants to be the number one, everyone wants to be better than everyone else. When people from all over the world get together, things can get heated up in the blink of an eye. Blame that on different outlooks, philosophies, ethnic backgrounds, the desire to be better than everyone else. You name it.

It is very difficult to pin it all down, though. There are so many different stories and plots going on by now. Characters spin their own tales, make friends and enemies alike, always fighting for a spot in the spotlight - while trying to keep their personal affairs away from the all too prying, merciless eyes and everpresent camera lenses of the gossip magazines and blogs.

It certainly can be a shark pond, this business. Only the strong survive!

The question is -  Will you dare to step into a world where beauty, vanity, glamour, fame and money meets vicious attitudes, hectic, stress, jetlag and the constant, merciless pressure and high demand?

"Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening." ― Coco Chanel

-click here for all the important information [Group Rules, Beginners Guide, etc.] -

Or maybe a peek at the gallery?

.. and here are some quick and dirty basics

GMs:

Nicholas & CShades (and MaverickKane who is on break until further notice!)
- though, our writers really are their own GMs, in the end. We really expect our writers to come up with their own ideas. We just make sure things run smoothly and we are here, if there is a problem or someone has new suggestions and/or ideas. Those are always welcome!

Is there an overarching plot?

Yes. There will always be one thing everyone can participate in. Aside from that - the sky (and common sense) is the limit! Our writers are more than willing and welcome to create their own little storylines and side-plots! This is exactly what makes a world alive and vivid!

Possible locations:

New York City - Paris - Rome - Berlin - London - Milan - St. Tropez  - Barcelona

Each location is possible. The fashion industry is a global business, after all and we wouldn't want to nail it down to just one city.

Right now - everything happens in Paris!

Setting:

Freeform/Sandbox. Modern contemporary (no magic, monsters, superpowers, aliens, etc.). Common sense is all it takes.

Current date:

January 2015

Is there a posting requirement?

Yes and no. See, we want to keep things moving and interesting and this requires participation and active writers. We do not demand a post per day, mind you. We just want to keep things flowing for everyone. Real Life always comes first, no matter what!

Characters:

Humans only, please. Characters must at least be 18 years of age. All genders/sexuality's/gender identities/ethnicity's are welcome.

Multiple characters (and/or NPCs) are allowed and encouraged (as long as you can keep up with them, of course.) You can create as many characters and/or NPCs as you need/want.

Why the NC Board?

Because it leaves a lot of wiggle room for a lot of directions without restraining our writers. Nothing is a must, of course. We encourage story, not porn. No NC action will be taken without writer consent, of course.

"You can never be overdressed or overeducated." ― Oscar Wilde

• Over one and a half year of drama-free, friendly and engaging environment.
• A very fluid, open setting which allows for new characters to join at all times.
• Good communication between our writers
• IC Drama, intrigue, a multitude of relationships among the characters.
• Awesome stories and plots, a ton of fun and laughter.
• A diverse and well balanced cast of characters.
• The possibility to create your very own storylines and plots within an established setting.

• We are generally looking for levelheaded, grounded and mature writers. Out-of-character drama is a no-go in our group. We do not want it, we do not need it. There is a strict separation between In-character and Out-of-character and this will not change. During the past years, we maintained a comfortable, friendly and open atmosphere without any drama.
• A decent grasp of capitalization, punctuation and grammar. There is a spell checker for a reason. We do not expect perfection, but we expect proper effort.
• Writers that enjoy character development, good plots and stories over smut-oriented themes. Fashion Affairs is not a group orgy and not a 'dating game'. Notwithstanding, humans have needs/desires/passions/etc. but this shouldn't be an excuse for writing nothing but smut. It tends to get boring and pretty shallow if everything centers around the sexual aspect. There are so many other adult themes to explore.
• Beautiful and creative minds.
• Writers that are capable of writing posts with substance. One-liners are a no-go.
• We welcome writers of all genders/identities/preferences [Lords, Ladies and Lieges]. Cross-gender writing is quite common within the group. If this is something you do not like, please do not join us.
• You have to be capable of communicating your ideas. Sitting around and relying on others isn't going to work. Proper communication goes a long way, and it is a key factor of why our group works as well as it does.

• Plots that center around smut. We do not want to write a porn script here. Instead, we want to write compelling, interesting stories, watch the characters grow, develop relationships, make enemies and friends, etc. This worked exceptionally well thus far, because there is so much more to explore than 'just' the sexual aspect of a character. That alone would be a bit shallow. We will not write one sex scene after the other. There is a point where it turns into nothing but porn and very repetitive. If anything, erotica should happen in the natural flow of a story and not because it was plotted that way.
• Passive writing partners. Collaborative storytelling requires plotting and solid communication.
• We try to avoid preformed romantic relationships, creating a character for someone elses character for romantic/smutty purposes or those 'love interest' things. Of course, in that line of work it is more than a little likely that people often know one another - but we really try to avoid this 'romance coupling up' before writing. It's quite restrictive and it leaves little room for development and storytelling. Characters can be related in many different ways, it doesn't narrow down to romance. Writing someones enemy can be as rewarding, if not moreso.
• Each character getting along with everyone else. That's unrealistic and not very interesting to begin with. Conflict is the salt in the soup! Rivalry, loathing, jealousy and resentments are such great plot tools! How does the saying go? 'Familiarity breeds contempt.'
• We only can repeat it - There is no place for OOC drama, immature and confrontational attitudes, arguments or ego trips in our group. We want to have a good time writing, that's that. We will not hesitate to remove someone who tries to stir up drama or brings turmoil to the group. We're not some highschool clique or a popularity contest. Please be mature and considerate towards your fellow writers and you will be rewarded with a comfortable environment. What goes around, comes around.
• Rapid post pace. We all have a RL to maintain, families, partners, jobs, etc. We believe that writing should be a hobby and something pleasant and not a chore. If you expect ten posts per day, we're probably not for you. Good things come to those who wait.

"Fashions fade. Style is eternal."  ― Yves Saint Laurent

Everything that fits into the general theme of the group is possible. The Fashion Industry is such a wide field and there are a multitude of professions/concepts to work from. Not to mention - people often come from all over the world, with different backgrounds and stories.

The gender/sex/orientation of a character is not half as important as that they fit in.

We aim for a diverse crowd and too many characters of the same kind tend to make things just a little bit stale and one-dimensional. May it be a Fashion House Representative, a Journalist for one or the other Fashion Magazine, a Paparazzo or maybe a Stylist or a Blogger? It's entirely up to you to create a compelling character that's fun to write! We have but a few character creation rules (see here) and they are, basically, all about common sense.

We would strongly suggest you read through our Lineup Thread [aka. Character Sheets] to get a feel for what is already there and maybe it will help you finding an own concept. Having connections is a marvellous thing and it opens the door for jumping in right away! We try to integrate each new character and thus far it has worked splendidly. It is a quite fluid and dynamic setting, people come and go, from all over the globe. Thus, having new characters show up is easy as can be!

A little hint: Try to avoid 'making' a character for someone else. Be inventive, unique and individual. Things will all fall into place eventually. It's the way there that's often most intriguing.

Suggestions for character concepts

Mind you, this list is far from complete. Just a handful of suggestions! :-)

• Fashion House Representatives
• Stylists - Clothes/hair/Makeup
• Journalists, Bloggers
• Fashion Merchandiser
• Set Designer
• Escorts

Additionally, here is a list of general professions for the Fashion world:

Fashion Jobs List

Fashion Job Titles
A - C

Account Executive
Administrative Assistant
Area Brand Coordinator
Assistant Buyer
Assistant Merchant
Assistant Sales Manager
Assistant Store Director
Assistant Stylist
Associate Designer
Bedding Designer
Boutique Assistant
Brand Ambassador
Brand Strategist
Buyer
Client Services Manager
Creative Director
Curated Merchant
Customer Service Representative
D - G

Department Manager
Design Assistant
Design Associate
Designer
Digital Media and Advertising Coordinator
Director, Design and Product Development

Director of Sourcing
Director of Stores
ECommerce Coordinator
ECommerce Planning Manager
Events Manager
Event Planner
Factory Manager
Fashion Buyer
General Manager
Graphic Artist
Graphic Designer
Graphic Production Artist
I - M

Import Production Coordinator
International Sourcing Agent
Inventory Planner/Analyst
Jewelry Product Manager
Layette Designer
Logistics and Customer Service Manager
Logistics Associate
Luxury Fashion Recruiter
Manufacturer Sales Representative
Marketing Coordinator
Marketing Manager
Merchandise Coordinator
Merchandise Planner
Merchandiser
Merchandising Assistant
Model
N - R

Online Merchandise Coordinator
Operations Manager
Pattern Maker
Personal Shopper
Planner
Planning Assistant
Product Developer
Product Development Manager
Product Planner
Production Assistant
Production Coordinator
Production Sourcing Director
Publicist
Public Relations Director
Real Estate Staff Attorney
Receptionist
Research and Development Manager
Retail Buyer
Retail Fashion Recruiter
Retail Footwear Buyer
Retail Salesperson
Retail Store Planner

S - W

Sales Associate
Sales Development Specialist
Sales Executive
Sales Inventory Analyst
Sales Representative
Senior Brand Manager
Senior Merchant
Senior Sales Manager
Showroom Assistant
Showroom Manager
Showroom Model
Store Director
Store Manager
Style Specialist
Stylist
Technical Designer
Textile Fabric Colorist
Warehouse Manager
Fashion Design Skills
A - G

Accessory Sourcing
Adobe Illustrator
Advertising
Buying
Color Sense
Communication
Computer
Computer Aided Design
Construction
Costume Design
Couture Design
Creativity
Development
ECommerce
Education
Event Coordination
Fabric Sourcing
Fashion Design
Fashion Promotion
Flair
Freehand
Fundraising
Graphic Design
H - M

Illustration
Imagination
Initiative
InDesign
Jewelry Design
Karat
Management
Manufacturing
Marketing
Market Research
Media
Merchandising
MS Office
N - S

Passion
Pattern Grading
Pattern Making
Photoshop
PrimaVision
Product Design
Product Development
Prototyping
Quark
Retailing
Sales
Sewing
Sourcing
Sketching
Styling
T - Z

Talent
Textiles
Training
Translation
Using Computer Software
Versatility
Visualization
WebPDM

Because it suits us so well

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pco91kroVgQ

You have questions or ideas you would like to discuss? Awesome! Just post them in this thread! :-)