Couturomancy - Designer Label Magick

by Mark Baker (mark@lange.demon.co.uk)

When Coco Chanel opened up her famous fashion house at Rue Cambon in Paris in 1913, brand name clothing became more accessible to the middle classes rather than just the wealthiest strata of society. In doing so, she created the cult of designer labels. Couturomancers, or 'The Beautiful People' as they like to call themselves (referred to as 'Posers', 'Label Slaves', 'Clothes Horses', or 'Barbies' by more derogatory adepts), have learned to harness the power of those name brands.

In much the same way that mystic energy is drawn to places of importance, the attention of millions of people worldwide every day is also drawn to the names, styles and fashions of designer labels. As Cliomancers can harvest the energies of a famous site, the energy of brand names can be harvested by Couturomancers. The better known a designer label is, the more energy is drawn to that label; but there is a fine line between famous and popular. Names like Vidal Sassoon, Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger are now available in the high street shops, and once a brand name ceases to be exclusive and becomes available to the masses, it loses that power. The energy invoked by the Christian Dior label nowadays is distributed too thinly across the millions of Dior clothes around the world to provide even a minor charge.

While the mystic energy generated by famous labels is attracted to any article bearing the brand name, it will be absorbed and then discharged into the ether when it encounters a counterfeit. Some Couturomancers deliberately fund sweatshops in the Far East to churn out fakes of well-known labels for sale on market stalls and from car boots just to undermine a rival's power base. Such feuds can become very vicious, and it is possible that the shooting of Gianni Versace in 1999 was part of a Couturomancer power struggle.

Naturally, many Posers make a living at the cutting edge of the fashion industry (as couturiers, models or even dress shop owners), though many prefer to work in television or film, or even sport. Whatever their role in life, they need a source of income to finance their designer purchases, and such occupations can be highly lucrative.

Couturomancy Blast Style: None.

Stats:

It is very easy for Posers to generate minor charges with a minimum of effort or risk, but most of the minor formula effects cost a number of charges so they get used up quickly as well. It's also very easy for them to break taboo unless they're constantly on their guard.

Generate a Minor Charge: 1) Wear or use a brand name product for an appropriate period. Taking a meal at the Savoy would generate a charge, as would driving a Morgan for 500 miles. The more brand names you use or wear, the more charges you generate: wearing a Lloyd Klein skirt, Amy Zoller jumper and Janet Reger underwear for a day would be worth three charges. Brand names that are commonly available or accessible to the masses don't count: eating at MacDonalds wouldn't be worth a charge, even though the name is famous worldwide. Nor would driving a Ford, even if it was an instantly recognisable limited-edition model. Conversely, the most exclusive designer labels may impart more than one charge, even if the name is less well known: wearing an Anjana Bhargava dress would probably be worth three minor charges.

2) Endorse a brand name product: this is why many Posers are attracted to the visual media or sport. Endorsing Nike trainers is good for a minor charge, though you only get the charge when you make an advertisement for television rather than every time it is shown. However, you'll pick up a charge for every label on your sportswear that is clearly visible to the television viewing audience during a game or event.

Generate a Significant Charge: 1) Get your picture in a major fashion magazine (such as Vogue) modelling a completely new look.
2) Convince a famous name designer to create a dress or perfume just for you. 3) Create a reputation for a fashion house: Princess Diana generated a significant charge to be used at her marriage to Prince Charles when she wore a dress designed by the relatively unknown David and Elizabeth Emanuel.

Generate a Major Charge: 1) Convince a famous designer to name one of their creations after you: Coco Chanel created Chanel Number 5 in order to generate a major charge. 2) Establish a reputation for your own fashion house.

Taboo: 1) Wearing a counterfeit: it absorbs all your stored charges, then they just fade into the ether. 2) Using or wearing any product that is not a nationally or internationally recognised brand name: you're not going to break taboo brushing your teeth with Colgate toothpaste, but you will if you use Walmart's own brand.

Random Magick Domain: Couturomancy focuses on standing out from the crowd, or on blending in with the masses when necessary. It's all about portraying the right image.

Starting charges: Beginning Couturomancers have eight minor charges.

Couturomancy Minor Formula Spells

Obsession by Calvin Klein: Cost: 2 minor charges
Effect: This is the Couturomancer's Minor Blast effect. The senses of the victim are totally overwhelmed by a cacophony of sight, sound, smell and taste. In addition to the damage that this inflicts, they are unable to take any action for a turn while they recover from the ringing in their ears and spots dancing before their eyes.
Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend: Cost: 1 minor charge
Effect: The natural defensive spell of the Couturomancer dazzles their opponent with a glittering display of dancing lights of all different hues and colours. Blinded for a turn, they can attack only with a shift of -30%.
It's Just Something That I Threw On: Cost: 4 minor charges
Effect: With this effect, the adept can change the appearance of their clothing. It's far easier to casually walk into a high security facility if you look the part; and dressing in military uniform or a lab coat would break taboo. With It's Just Something That I Threw On, the adept is still wearing their normal designer clothing; they simply appear to others to be dressed differently.
Clothes Maketh the Man: Cost: 3 minor charges
Effect: Any victim of this spell will fail to notice the features of a character (face, colour, height, hair style, etc), simply the clothes they are wearing. This is particularly useful when combined with It's Just Something That I Threw On if the character wants to avoid any eyewitness evidence of who was present.
Prt-a-Porter: Cost: 5 minor charges
Effect: Allows the adept to change their body height, weight and/or vital statistics so that they fit any clothes no matter what their size. To avoid breaking taboo, these will need to be designer label clothes. With clever use of this spell, the adept can make herself appear as almost anybody she wants: adult or child, of either gender. She can even make herself appear to be of a different race by wearing appropriate national costume or styles. The effect lasts until the adept takes off the garments. The spell can also be used for more subtle effects not directly related to worn clothing, such as altering the shape of the adept's face, the size of their nose, or giving themselves facial hair, in which case the spell lasts until the next time they change clothes. Note that no Poser would ever wear the same dress for more than seven or eight hours.

Couturomancy Significant Formula Spells

Shrink-To-Fit: Cost: 1 significant charge
Effect: This is the Couturomancy Significant Blast spell. Imagine the stresses that it would inflict on your body if all your clothes were suddenly shrunk, without ripping or tearing, so they would barely fit a small child. It's painful when your bones shatter and break.
Of course, if the victim is wearing no clothes at all, then the spell will have no effect; but even a piece of jewellery can be affected so watch out for necklaces.
Just A Fad: Cost: 2 significant charges
Effect: Like a fad that's here one moment and forgotten the next, Just A Fad allows the adept to selectively erase a particular image or idea from the short-term memory of the victim. This is basically the same as the Cliomancer spell Forget It.
A Perfect Fit: Cost: 4 significant charges
Effect: Like the minor formula effect Prt-a-Porter, this allows the adept to change their size or vital statistics. However, the effect lasts until the adept wishes otherwise. Unlike Prt-a-Porter, apparent age or gender cannot be altered using A Perfect Fit. Actresses whose breast size appears to have increased, but who deny having had implants may very well be Posers who have used this spell.

Couturomancy Major Effects

Coco Chanel: Cost: 1 major charge
Effect: This major formula spell was named in deference to its originator who had her own birth certificate altered so that nobody would ever know her true age, and who has successfully confused the history of her fashion house with conflicting stories about how and when it was founded. This formula allows the adept to modify their personal details on every form of identification papers, and on any government or private record system (paper or computer based) permanently.