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In a simpler time, long before the fall of Insomnia and the disappearance of the sun, a young Ignis Scientia found himself the accidental focus of the spotlight among the upper echelons of society. While combing through what remained of the Citadel Archives, IQ came into possession of a photograph that once appeared in the society section of the Insomnian Chronicle newspaper. It was attached to the headline, “Royal Advisor Steals the Show at High Fashion Charity Gala ”.
The photograph featured Ignis Scientia, dressed to the nines in a suit that was inspired by the Regency era of fashion. It featured a deep black formal jacket, which extended down lower in the back than in the front and showed off the flattering purple waistcoat even though it was fully fastened. A top hat adorned his head. An elegant cravat graced his throat, he carried a fashionable walking stick, and his glasses were rounder in shape than he typically wore at the time. While the article itself was lost, the photograph and the headline were so compelling that IQ set out to try and reconstruct the events of the evening when Ignis Scientia garnered so much attention during a time when he was relatively unknown outside of the Citadel walls.
“Awe, yeah, I remember that,” Prompto Argentum laughed as he was shown the photograph and recalled the events that transpired. “It was the fashion charity event of the year. Noct was originally supposed to go as the guest of honor but he came down with a bad case of ‘the flu’ at the last second.”
Mr. Argentum winked and used air quotation marks at his mention of ‘the flu’ as he spoke, insinuating that the then Crown Prince of Lucis, Noctis Lucis Caelum, may not have actually been ill at the time of the event. “I wanted to go with him and take pictures, but that was back when I was just Noct’s school friend and I didn’t have any sort of security clearance to just tag along during his royal duties.”
“Anyway, when Noct suddenly ‘couldn’t go’, King Regis decided that Iggy should go as the official royal replacement. He totally got blindsided.”
“Indeed,” Mr. Scientia confirmed with a slight chuckle when he was asked about the circumstances that arose that evening. “As Noct was unwell, it was decreed by King Regis that I was to represent the Crown at the gala. I was caught off guard by the pronouncement, having been otherwise occupied at the time, and was immediately whisked off to the royal tailors for an emergency fitting. Despite my trepidation, it turned out to be a pleasant evening. I was, however, rather stunned to have found myself splashed across the society pages. I truly didn’t do anything of note aside from taking part in a few stimulating conversations.”
Mr. Argentum, on the other hand, delighted in telling us a slightly different version of events. “Noct and I were teasing Iggy for weeks after that article appeared. He was a huge hit at that party. He charmed everyone who was there to the point no one was even mad that the Crown Prince was a no show. The fact that Noct was the one who was supposed to attend was barely even a side note in the article. It just went on and on about how dashingly handsome and stylish Ignis was and he got really embarrassed by all the attention. Noct even jokingly tried to pull a royal decree that Ignis needed to start wearing that outfit to work.”
“Of course, I outright refused,” Mr. Scientia replied when asked about the alleged royal decree. “While I admit it was fun to dress up that evening, it would have been inappropriate to wear such an extravagant outfit to the workplace. Though I daresay Armand would have been thrilled had I done so.”
Further investigation led us to Armand Giovanni, the tailor responsible for assembling the striking outfit worn by Ignis Scientia at the charity gala that evening. “Ah yes, I was very excited when King Regis sent Ignis to me that day. The suit was an experiment of mine that I was working on in my spare time, playing with elements of the Regency era of fashion.” Mr. Giovanni’s eyes sparkled as he recalled the event. “The moment I laid eyes on Ignis I knew he would be perfectly suited for the look. I hardly even needed to adjust it to fit.”
While Mr. Giovanni retired from the business of tailoring, his son, Victor, recently opened up a milliner’s shop on Glacian Terrace. A delightful array of different styles of hats can be found on display in the shop window, varying from the practical, to the formal, and to the bizarre. “Hats have been in high demand since the return of the sun,” Victor Giovanni said when asked to comment on his wares. “I specialize in creating all kinds of hats from informal to formal, and they can be made to custom order.” Readers interested in acquiring a hat similar to that worn by Mr. Scientia during the charity gala are encouraged to contact Victor Giovanni, at Milliner’s Grove Specialty Hat Shop for an appointment.
