Stylish Attire That Rules the Runway
In the realm of mysterious, thrilling, and crime-filled narratives, one might think of iconic settings like isolated gothic castles, abandoned buildings, or haunted houses. But there's a world you might not have considered teeming with intrigue: the fashion industry.
This industry, where the latest trends can make or break you, is brimming with opportunities for danger. Take, for instance, the stealthy transformation of a fashionable item into a deadly weapon. Imagine the shock of falling prey to a murder weapon not made of steel or lead, but of the very evening attire you'd paid a fortune to own. An enviable accessory, you might say, with a deadly twist.
Humans have a history of embracing trends without asking too many questions. Fashion is no exception, and it's this blind embrace that makes the world of style rife with intriguing plot devices. Are those stilettos making you taller, thinner, more desirable? Perfect, take two! Why not, indeed, select a deadly fate in the process?
Some trends are deadlier than others. In the United States, we're still grappling with the repercussions of a 1929 marketing campaign that made cigarette smoking seem cool, even for women. The American Tobacco Company sold the idea of cigarettes as symbols of women's emancipation and independence – how twisted is that?
Fast-forward to today, and we're well aware of the danger cigarettes pose. Yet, instead of kicking the habit, we continue to innovate, creating new flavors and tools that keep the fashionable smoker hooked. In a suspenseful story, a killer could easily capitalize on this addictive behavior, wrapping a deadly package in a seemingly innocent smokescreen.
Each decade has seen its fair share of dangerous fashion trends, causing harm from painful inconvenience to an early demise. Sometimes we knew the risks, but we took that gamble in the name of fitting in or achieving unnatural beauty standards.
Consider the 16th through the 18th centuries, when cosmetics containing lead or arsenic were popular. These toxic concoctions were often marketed as skin-lightening products. While they happily lightened complexions, they also caused everything from nausea to infertility to organ damage to death. A perfect murder plot, really, if you had a social or political rival, embittered maidservant, or cunning frenemy eager to dispose of a rival.
The 19th century brought us more dangerous fads, such as mercury poisoning from hat-making or arsenic in textiles and decorative items. Tight corsets were known to cause health issues ranging from inhibited breathing to internal bleeding to organ damage. Floral gowns were voluminous and highly flammable, catching fire easily and inflicting painful deaths on unsuspecting women. Even the tall, detachable collars favored by gentlemen had the nickname "father-killer" due to their potential to cut off the carotid artery's blood supply.
As we moved into the 20th century, we didn't seem to learn from history. Radium-laden makeup and tanning beds became the latest fashion craze. A killer could easily use these items as a lethal gift for a victim, tucking the deadly beauty products within reach on their nightstand.
In short, the world of fashion offers plenty of opportunities for a cunning murderer. The allure of trendy items and the desperation to fit in make victims easy targets for those with less scrupulous intentions. As a writer, I can't help but delight in the idea of gifting a future victim the very means of their own demise.
If the rich, powerful, and status-conscious are willing to risk their lives and health for the sake of style, who can blame a vengeful anti-classist young murderess for nudging them towards their own destruction? And in the city of Paris, the birthplace of many influential fashion movements, such opportunities for intrigue abound. In my novel The Protégée, I imagine a young seamstress-turned-designer using her expert skills to craft deadly apparel for her enemies, weaving a tale of murder, revenge, and haute couture.
In the realm of fashion-and-beauty, one might find deadly devices that mimic the allure of the latest trends. A cunning murderer could leverage the lifestyle pursuit of staying stylish, using toxic items to disguise a deadly package, as seen in the era of radium-laden makeup and tanning beds. On the other hand, a writer, particularly one crafting a suspense-filled novel like The Protégée, might delight in the idea of engineering a victim's tragic end with a fatal piece of haute couture.
