The House of Monty

Helena and Stratton Montague lived on a picturesque sprawling estate in Harrogate, Yorkshire with their parents Charmaine and Errol, and their beloved dogs. As was tradition, the estate had been passed down the family to the eldest child and would eventually pass on to Stratton. The main house had eight bedrooms, so often guests would come and stay at Highgate.

Both children had the most amazing curly red hair, similar in colour to their mothers. Stratton and Helena attended a private school ‘Bellingwood’, which catered for the well-to-do of the county. The children were quite studious and did well at school. At an early age both siblings loved to play dress up especially in their mother’s clothes. Often on a wet weekend the children would be found going through their parent’s wardrobe in search of something exciting to dress up in. They loved to do fashion parades for their parents.

All through their schooling both children took a keen interest in designing clothes. After they graduated the siblings decided to go on to Design School. This meant moving to London during the week and coming home on the train for weekends. Helena, Stratton and their parents found the initial separation hard but they were committed to do so in order to get a degree and make fashionable clothes. Stratton showed great flair in creating designs, while Helena’s expertise lay in actually putting the garments together.

**
After graduating with honours, Charmaine and Errol set their children up in a lovely little boutique in Barnaby Avenue in Harrogate. After much discussion Helena and Stratton settled on a name for the boutique – ‘Monty’ – after their surname Montague.

Both Stratton and Helena worked extremely hard to get their boutique up and running. For months they worked long hours in order to have the garments ready for the opening of their store set for May. Some of Stratton’s designs were very sleek, modern and showed wonderful flare and imagination.

Because of the workload and the time needed to get the garments ready for the official opening, they took on a young seamstress named Eve Moore. Eve was a smart young designer and fitted in well with Stratton and Helena. Long hours were put in but soon opening day arrived. Stratton and Helena called their design label ‘Monty’ in keeping with the name of the store and the family connection.

Opening night dazzled. Champagne and canapes were served, and many local dignitaries and well-heeled locals turned up. The mayoress managed to drag her husband along to the event. Some of the local ladies were eager to be first to place orders. Stratton and Helena’s parents were also present along with their grandparents. They spoke little but the width of their smiles showed the guests how very proud they were of their children. Everyone looked very chic and Helena wore an amazing blue-green dress covered in sequins, the colour suited her fair complexion and long red hair. Stratton wore an interesting three piece suit in navy blue that was smartly tailored.

The day after the opening the local press had much to say about the bright young local siblings who had opened a new fashion boutique. The reviews were positive, which made Stratton feel very relieved after all their hard work. That morning when they had arrived at the store there was already a crowd of anxious people waiting to get in. Stratton explained the shop would not open till ten so offered the eager customers to go across to La Bonne café for a coffee and put it on his tab. The shoppers were impressed and took Stratton up on his offer.

The boutique’s opening hours were from 10am in the morning until 4pm in the afternoon – Saturdays by appointment. This would give Stratton and Helena time to work on new designs as well as managing the floor.

The next few weeks were hectic. Both Stratton and his sister had no time to themselves and they decided to take on an apprentice seamstress to help Eve. Zoe Mitcham was an eager twenty year old, keen to learn the ropes. She showed great promise as a seamstress and it was hoped she would take some pressure off Helena.

During the middle of summer a fashion parade was announced to be held on August 25th at the Shelby Hotel, with the funds raised from the event going to charity. Stratton and Helena felt this was a good way to launch themselves nationally, and as their parents had always been supportive of charities they felt it only fitting they follow their good example.

**
Tickets for the gala event had been on sale for a month and everything was set in place for a wonderful evening. Helena and the girls were working late every night, while Stratton burned the midnight oil coming up with exotic new and designs. The evening was going to focus on men’s and women’s evening wear – Monty’s specialty.

Models were found through one of the local agencies and the boutique was a hive of activity. Charmaine came into the salon to help her industrious children. She oozed with personality and was happy to meet and greet customers as they came in.
All the dresses and suits were completed on time. Both Helena and Stratton were totally exhausted, as were their workers. Stratton promised everyone a bonus and dinner out after the event.

**

The evening was a glittering success. Everyone was more than impressed with the range of clothes shown and orders would soon be flying in. A couple of London buyers were in the audience and after the parade they sought out Stratton to tell him how delighted they were to see fresh and new designs. The buyers made an appointment to come to the salon in a weeks’ time to discuss ordering.

Stratton excitedly rushed to find his sister to tell her the news. Both of them left that evening feeling fulfilled, and happy that their hard work was starting to pay off. They gave each a big hug, Stratton giving his sister a friendly dig that she had put makeup on his jacket.

**

This was the start of a period of great things for the pair – everything kept improving for Helena and Stratton. More staff were employed and eventually they had to move to a bigger salon. The siblings felt that they now had a good chance to be truly successful in the fashion industry.

Staff came and went – Eve moved on, but Zoe stayed and rose in ranks to head seamstress. Meanwhile Stratton and Helen continued to do what they did best, design and create exquisite clothes.

**

It was now almost Christmas time and London Fashion week in February was not far away. Stratton had been busy designing garments for the showing. Preparations were well under way to enter six women’s evening gowns and four men’s evening suits. Once again long hours were being put in but the pair knew this was the only way to move forward.

Having their designs seen would be the only way to get them known further into Europe and maybe even the US.
All the garments for the show were made of comfortable fabric’s and could be worn any season. Stratton had also ventured into making chic men’s and women’s hats along with capes.
The pair both knew this was their best collection yet.

**

The night before the London Fashion Show, Helena and Stratton took their staff out to dinner to say ‘thank you’ for all their hard work. Zoe was going to be travelling to London with the pair in case any last minute alterations were needed. Charmaine and Errol were also going to offer their support. They were going to all spend five nights in London in the hope it would give them time to secure some orders from the collection.

February 25th was a rather wet, gloomy day and just getting the garments to the event was a mission. The clothes would all need to be pressed and double checked before the models could show them off on the catwalk. Everything had to be perfect.

At the end of the show Stratton received a huge ovation for his designs. This was his moment; the moment he and Helena had dreamed of when they were at university and working long hours in the salon. Stratton and Helena had to pinch themselves that this was all really real.

After their garments were shown to a big applause, a new designer named Katie Braithwaite had her opportunity to show three evening dresses.

When the second model walked out both Stratton and Helena gasped and looked to each other. The model was wearing a dress that was an almost replica of an evening dress the siblings had showed at the charity event not long after they opened their boutique. Katie in turn received much applause for her garments, while Helena stood in the wings tears welling in her eyes and feeling quite sick.

After the fashion parade was over Stratton searched out Katie Braithwaite and took her into a side room. A heated discussion ensued and Stratton threatened to take her to court. Katie did not want this to happen as she was only starting out, and to even be able to appear at London Fashion Week was a huge honour for her. Both parties decided to meet up the next day to discuss what had happened.

**

The following day in the course of their conversation, it transpired Eve who worked for Helena and Stratton, now worked for Katie. She had told Katie about the dress design and showed her some sketches which Katie had assumed were her own. Katie agreed to have it made up and had no idea the idea had been Monty’s.

After their meeting Katie agreed to remove the design from her stock. Helena and Stratton decided to take her at her word and not take the matter any further.

Eve was dismissed by Katie and it was doubtful she would ever get fashion work in England again. The incident almost ruined London week for Helena and Stratton, and they felt betrayed by Eve whom they had worked with for some years.

When Stratton confronted Eve all she could do was hang her head in shame. She said she fully realised the implications of what she had done and accepted her days in fashion were now over. Eve tried to offer Stratton money as a way of saying sorry to which he refused. Money was not going to make it better, and he was thankful that it was only he and Helena that picked up on the copy.

Following the incident at Fashion Week Stratton and Helena agreed they must make sure their designs were kept top secret. Fashion design was a cut throat industry, and there were plenty of people ready to take other’s work as their own. They advised their staff that in future they would be asked to sign non-disclosure documents.

**

After a few more successful years a second store was opened in London – this time in Paddington. Helena spent quite a lot of time in London getting the boutique set up. Expansion was exciting but it was also a lot of hard work. Helena had met a nice young man called Eugene – he was a solicitor and was keen to offer her legal advice. Some months after meeting, Eugene suggested Helena stay with him while she was in London. Their romance was starting to blossom, but neither of them were quite ready to make a formal commitment.

Meanwhile Stratton had met a buyer whom he had been out to dinner with on quite a few occasions. They had the same interests and enjoyed each other’s company. Simon also lived in London and it though it was hard to have a long distance relationship it was something they both keen to work on.

**

On Helena’s thirty-sixth birthday Eugene proposed. Helena was quite taken aback, she thought they were both happy with the arrangement they had. She told him she needed time to think it over. Eugene was naturally hurt; he loved Helena and wanted to marry her. He appreciated only too well that life was short as his father had died of cancer at the age of fifty.
Helena knew she loved Eugene and told him so, and a few weeks later she agreed to marry him in a few months’ time. Her family was so excited – particularly Helena’s parents. They had been worrying about their daughter and felt she only lived for her career.

**

The wedding was to be held in Yorkshire in July, in the local Anglican Church in Harrogate where Helena and Stratton had been christened. Helena only wanted a small wedding and asked Zoe, who had been a loyal friend for many years, to be her maid of honour. Eugene asked Stratton to be his best man.

The wedding day arrived. The sun was shining, the birds were singing and the sweet smell of orange blossom was in the air. Helena looked magnificent in her off-white gown. She felt and looked like a real princess. Stratton had designed it for her, so it had part of his personality in it as well as hers. Instead of a long veil she wore her lovely red hair up and had little frangipani flowers tucked in the curls.

The reception was held at Eaton Manor, a beautiful country home nearby. Music played, and drinks and canapés were served. The guests were all assembled and were enjoying themselves, when Helena noticed that Stratton had not arrived. Half an hour had past and Helena was becoming increasingly anxious when one of the Ushers went to Helena’s father and told him that Stratton had been in a car accident on the way, and had been taken to hospital. Errol quickly called the hospital who told him Stratton was in theatre and would not be out for some hours.

After some discussion speeches were cut short and after the wedding breakfast the family left for the hospital. The guests were informed and were invited to stay on and enjoy the evening.

On the way to the hospital Helena sobbed and sobbed. This was so unfair, how could something like this happen to her darling brother, and especially on her wedding day.

After what seemed like an eternity Stratton came back from theatre. The surgeon took the family aside to give them an update on his condition. He advised Stratton had lost a leg, it had been badly severed in the accident and it could not be saved. The family, including Simon, held on to each other and cried; though they were grateful he was alive.

When Stratton came around from the anaesthetic he joked that at least he could still design with one leg. His bright nature made everyone give a sigh of relief. Stratton was a strong person, and he would overcome any obstacles that were presented to him.

**

Stratton spent the next few weeks convalescing, going to physiotherapy and trying out his artificial leg. Simon was there to support him and it was obvious they had formed a strong bond. Simon was keen to live closer to Stratton so he bought a café and had staff run it for him so he could be available to Stratton. The pair moved in together just before Christmas six months after accident. They were happy – Stratton was able to work from home a lot, although he liked to be able to pop in to the boutique to see how things were going.

**

The fashion label ‘Monty’ grew and grew, and eventually ventured into children’s wear.

Looking back over their progress, Stratton and Helena were immensely proud of themselves. The business they had started up together 15 years ago was now a thriving international business. There had been challenges on the way but they had both come out on top.

During these successful years Helena gave birth to a lovely little son named Hamish. He was the pride and joy of his parents. Helena had a nanny for the little boy so she could keep on working, and her husband Eugene had set up a new law practice in Harrogate so he could be close at hand. Helena and Stratton continued to travel to London on a regular basis to make sure the boutique there was running well. It was hoped another boutique would be opened in Paris in the coming months. This would require a lot of thought and planning but Stratton and Helena were up for another challenge.

By Kay Rayner. Read more here.