Life had become very busy for Lucille. She pushed hard to ensure the current issue of
Fashion Up
, the final issue to be published by its founders Cluster Publications Limited, would be judged as having lifted its act several notches.
The previous issue had not had her finger laid on it as it was published just after she arrived, and an editorial announcement was made on the contents page to ensure readers and the trade realized that.
This first ' Lucille Issue' as everyone was calling it, was the issue that would indicate her deep involvement, being reconstructed cover to cover as had been signaled by the example printed and distributed to advertising agencies and advertisers.
The pages from New York were predominantly in one color – red.
Lucille – meeting some resistance – instructed that the cover color be ivory, that the masthead be redesigned with 'Fashion' in 30 point in height in gold, choosing a crocodile skin-like texture and the other part of the name, 'UP' be in 100 point black boldface in capital letters with a gold border of the same texture as 'Fashion' and running the two words together to become
FashionUP
.
"We're changing the name of the magazine without changing its name," she explained, apparently unconvincingly.
She argued there were women who liked to buy to keep UP with fashion, to read to keep UP with fashion and that drew approving nods.
Lucille choose the most striking photo of a model in red and Angie protested, unsuccessfully, when Lucille instructed that it be clear-cut and centered on the page reduced in size to exactly three inches high and the word 'RED' appear under it in type exactly the same width as the model's feet.
"Readers will have to peer to read the word," Angie complained.
Lucille's response was confusing: "Exactly, although not quite."
Three hours later Angie dropped the cover proof in front of Lucille and as she left the office turned and said, "Brilliant. I missed your point, being unable to see beyond my thought about just how large to make that picture."
The Lucille Issue of the magazine, of course, stood out on news-stands like an objet d'art.
It fired curiosity and most women who picked it up bought the magazine after flicking through a few pages.
The day after publication Mo came running into the editorial room practically out of her tree she was so excited.
"I've been talking to the distribution agents – they're screaming for us to do another press run."
Boyd the contract printer generously allowed that to be done that evening, demanding a margin to slot the rush print ahead of scheduled print jobs.
A party began in the editorial room late of the day of publication, some very happy people gathered around Lucille and Mo. All but two members of the current team that had decided to seek employment elsewhere would relocate to the magazine's new headquarters in Woolloomooloo in two weeks.
Those who would make the move sensed the magazine had commenced its ascendancy.
Boyd the printer arrived with a case of champagne to confirm he thought similarly, and made the toast "To FashionUP which is on a big up."
From the height of that triumph, less than three hours later Lucille tumbled to rock bottom with an intense feeling of boredom.
First Chrissie came to kiss her goodbye with a demure Digger in tow saying they were off to a movie and that triggered an exodus.
Sue the editor of
FashionUP
lead off a group to begin a bar crawl; Angie the designer went off with one of her boyfriends. The remaining photographer and two sub-editors remaining helped Lucille tidy up before going home to their husbands, leaving Lucille to lock up.
Lucille went off, not quite knowing what to do. She didn't feel like wandering into a lonely apartment and the builders would be working at the warehouse until 9.00 that evening in the race against time and they wouldn't want to be disturbed. Bob had not been in touch and Ashleigh was in Melbourne.
For the first time since being in Australia she had the orphanage feeling of emptiness. This just won't do, she decided, her life is presently running on a single channel. She jumped into a cab and went to the warehouse.
"Oh my," she said to Tony Modotti the commercial renovations specialist who came to meet her. "You've scooted ahead."
"Yep the builder bought in another gang that's waiting for another job to get the green light of approval. I reckon we'll hand this over to you this Thursday."
"Oooh you beautiful man – five days ahead of schedule. What do you do after this?"
"A bit of this, a bit of that. It's rather quiet at the moment for my type of work, approaching the end of the year. We usually go overseas for a month but the missus wants to go later in the year when it's summer in France. Any jobs," he asked sarcastically the grinned.
"I think so."
Tony took a double take. "You mean that, don't you?"
"Yes it means inflating my overdraft substantially but we could develop that unused portion of this building called the roof annex I'd planned to develop after stage two completion of the extensive vaulted film and camera studio. But first I better check that my partner has no objection to me developing the apartment."
She phoned Mo who told her to go right ahead. It was space they had not absorbed into the current development or included in longer term thinking.
"My partner Mo says for me to go ahead; she agrees the company has no use for that orphaned area."
"Yeah," Tony grinned. "It's what we call the wasted space."
"The area is 1500 square feet."
"It's actually 2200 square feet."
Lucille complimented Tony for his attention to detail, making the bearded fit-out contractor/designer beam.
"I want that wasted space converted into an apartment for me and one other, but also with two smallish double guest bedrooms, each with a compact bathroom with shower and a small lounge between them that could also be a TV viewing room. Everything must be designed and fitted out to be easily upgraded when I have the money with provision for a private lift only to that floor, with direct access to the car park."
"Start on the design and approvals whenever you like and have the work take as long as you like – just ensure the workmanship is top-rate."
"Wow that's some project. I'll start on my sketches tonight. I expect no trouble receiving council permission as a residential content is encouraged in this area. The building was constructed to hold dump bales of wool – that's two wool bales compressed together to save on shipping space and weighing anything up to 900 pounds each, and stacked four high on these floors, so you can imagine the loading strength inherent in this building."
"No I haven't a clue," he grinned knowingly.
"The authorities will mainly be interested in design standards, egress – which will mean internal stairs and probably an exterior fire escape – and water supply and sewage and waste water disposal."
"Being an approved contractor I'll get those approvals through very quickly."
Lucille said, "Well, I want a simple uncluttered design with understated elegant fittings – modern European if you know what I mean. The flair will come ultimately from exquisite furnishing and imaginative décor when I can afford it."
She smiled, "Hand the designs to me for approval as fast as you wish and then let's agree on a progressive payment schedule for what we ought to call a well-finished shell of an apartment."
"So this is definite – I begin on it now?"
"I was under the impression I stated that."
