Disclaimers : I do not own the characters of the story of Gone With the Wind which belong to Margaret Mitchell.
Chronology : in the first part of this novel, I "play" with the time, make back and forth returns. So, accordingly to each chapter, I am going to give a summary of the events : 1859 : Duncan goes to Paris, creates his textile factory - 1861 : Duncan come back to America for fighting for the Confiderate - 1865 : Duncan returns to Paris, creates La Mode Duncan - 1876, May : Charleston's event for Duncan
Charleston, May 1876
Excitement was building in Charleston's good society. At last, they would be able to meet the handsome heir to the most venerable and ancient family in the Deep South and certainly one of the wealthiest families in America.
So many mysteries surrounded Duncan Vayton, the great benefactor of the Cause and the new prince of fashion.
Paris, France, 1859
Duncan Vayton had left Charleston after graduating from West Point with flying colors. The future was open to him. His parents were excited to see him take over Soft South, the largest cotton plantation in South Carolina. They were even more excited about the prospect of their only son starting a family.
Duncan had other desires. Europe was opening its arms to him. American cotton from the Southern States, "King Cotton" as it was known, was wreaking havoc across the continent. Europeans imported 3,000,000 bales of the precious textile raw material every year.
It is under these favorable skies that the southern planter was welcomed with open arms by the French businessmen.
Upon his arrival, the young Duncan made an appointment with a major textile entrepreneur, Roger Dax, importer of a large quantity of Soft South's production. A first visit to the Dax woollen mill in Roubaix intrigued him. As a young man, he had ridden the miles of cotton fields to the point of mastering all the steps and hazards of growing and harvesting cotton. Therefore, he became interested in the techniques of transforming the bales into finished products.
Roger Dax was happy to show him his latest looms. He became familiar with the notions of carded cycle, beating, loader, drawing bench, spindle bench or worsted cycle. To perfect his knowledge, he visited the greatest textile factories in France and England, and was curious about the mechanical innovations of weaving.
His decision was made to join forces with his French friend, to bring him a substantial working capital and the energy of young America in order to transform the Dax family spinning mill into a textile factory aiming to compete with the largest French companies.
Of course, the master of Soft South had decided to supply himself with raw materials primarily from his family Plantation, ensuring also a substantial market share to his neighboring planters in the South. He could thus guarantee to his European customers, with full knowledge of the facts, a first quality cotton.
In order to distinguish themselves from other French linen manufacturers by the quality of the hems and trimmings, the two partners then secured the exclusivity of the best embroiderers installed in the North of France.
Vayton & Dax quickly established themselves in the lucrative market for embroidered tablecloths and monogrammed sheets. Their products were featured in the catalog of the famous Parisian store "Bon Marché". Advertising inserts were published in popular newspapers for the family. It became fashionable to enrich any wedding trousseau of young ladies of good society with the indispensable linens stamped "Vayton & Dax".
Charleston, 1861
At the first rumors of a probable conflict between the North and the South in early 1861, the Charlestonian enthusiastically left comfortable Europe to defend the values of his beloved South. When the Confederate States announced their entry into the war, the young man joined his army corps, swollen with confidence in the victory of the Cause.
From his first review of the troops, he realized how poorly equipped his soldiers were in uniforms. While the gray garment was adorned with flashy gold buttons, the fine canvas seemed, to the expert eyes of the textile professional, far too light to withstand the rigors of combat in what was sure to be a long war.
Unlike the Yankees, the Confederate States had a severe lack of cotton mills to transform their cotton production into clothing for their soldiers. So much so that, when the blockade no longer allowed General Lee's army to resupply itself, Lieutenant-Colonel Duncan Vayton contacted his French associate Roger Dax in Roubaix, and undertook to have his personal funds used to manufacture tightly woven pants and jackets to guarantee better waterproofing.
To repatriate this production to the battlefields of the southern army, he had to contact a blockade breaker. He was advised the best, the most intrepid, and therefore also the most expensive, a certain Rhett Butler.
An exchange of messages made him realize that invoking solidarity to the Cause among Charlestonians in order to lower the astronomical transportation rates had no chance of moving Captain Butler. Like the other blockade-breakers, he favored the transport of luxury goods which he would then sell at a high margin. Monopolizing valuable yardage for the benefit of the Army was a waste for these war profiteers. Duncan felt a deep contempt for this character.
When the defeat of the South was inevitable, Lieutenant Colonel Duncan Vayton, a great military strategist like his West Point professors, always on the front lines of battle, had won the unconditional admiration and respect of his men.
At the end of the war, Duncan helped his parents restore their plantation, which had suffered less than most of their friends.
Then he decided to go back to France. To the great despair of Cathleen and Aymeric Vayton. They had hoped so much that their only son would marry and give them an heir. Duncan would always reply, "Later, maybe someday."
It wasn't for lack of opportunity to marry an attractive Southern belle: Duncan was, without a doubt, one of the most handsome men in Charleston. Tall, slender, with curly golden hair, deep blue eyes, a frank smile that emphasized a fine mustache, and a warm voice... In a few words, the perfect Prince Charming.
For Cathleen and Aymeric Vayton, any visit to Charleston by Duncan was an opportunity for grand receptions. Only the most respectable families were invited. Those with young daughters to marry were privileged. Any young beauty in bloom would shudder when she met Duncan's azure gaze. He would offer a smile, a dance, a compliment, a bow. With the assurance of a broken heart for his young admirer.
Yet Duncan was not dry-hearted. He loved his family deeply, his parents and his younger sister Melina, and was not stingy in his displays of affection for them. His Mammy, who had raised two generations of Vaytons, marveled at his big heart.
As for love... Duncan was discreet about his love affairs. His pre-war Parisian life had allowed him to blossom sexually... without obligation. Blondes, brunettes or redheads, they had to be sweet, loving, and above all without any desire to marry. He often preferred young married Parisian women. An exchange of pleasure guaranteed without constraint.
So Duncan was happy to resume his comfortable carnal habits upon his return to Europe in 1865.
Paris, 1865
His professional fulfillment was beginning to wane. Managing his flourishing textile company in France was no longer of much interest. He was only interested in creation and innovation. Roger Dax was not surprised that his American friend entrusted him with the management of their company.
The teachers who had trained him since childhood had initiated him very early to the knowledge of arts. The beauty of forms and the shimmer of colors intrigued him. The old Europe and its cradle of culture was an infinite resource of visual pleasure. Architecture, sculpture and painting, even the originality of wallpapers in vogue in private salons, everything was a pretext to titillate his intellectual curiosity.
This same attraction to beauty was of course expressed in the woman's body, her sinuous curves and the fabrics that highlighted them.
Inevitably, this thought process led him to take an interest in women's clothing. He eagerly embarked on a new adventure, luxury clothing.
To do this, the aesthete chose the most shimmering silks from India and the Far East, the softest cashmere wools, and the finely chiseled lace from the lacemakers of Calais. He selected the best milliners and mother-of-pearl button makers. A large, bright and ventilated workshop was reserved for the "little hands" responsible for inlaying pearls and brilliants on the most delicate fibers.
Designers and seamstresses were hired to join the venture. Revolutionary sewing machines made it easier for Duncan to produce handmade goods and let his imagination run wild.
The Duncan style, combining elegance, colors and sinuous curves, was born. His showroom on Rue de la Paix in Paris was named "La Mode Duncan".
Luck continued to protect him when he met the Empress Eugenie's milliner at a social dinner. The undeniable charm of the young American attracted the curiosity of the lady of the court. An appointment was made for a visit to the workshop and the presentation of the most beautiful models. The meeting was productive, followed by substantial orders. "La Mode Duncan" was launched.
Her designs were featured in the famous women's magazine "La Mode Illustrée" and in more specialized magazines such as "Le Journal des Marchandes de Mode". Other of her creations, more accessible to the budgets of the petty bourgeoisie, appeared each year in the Catalogue of « Le Bon Marché ». Dresses, petticoats and hats from this new fashion house were snapped up.
"La Mode Duncan" had finally succeeded in imposing its fame and equalled the notoriety of the greatest Parisian couturiers.
Everything was going well for him. Until that day in décember 1874, and the telegram from Cathleen. His father had died of a heart attack. His duty was to return to his family.