Spring Collection

PASSION...In a tale as timely as Scruples, as compelling as Dazzle, as intriguing as Mistral's Daughter, Judith Krantz launches three innocentbeauties on the city of fashion and love....SCANDAL...It's the hottest thing that's ever happened to Loring Model Management.  Three of its unknown models have been chosen to star in the debut spring collection of bad-boy designer Marco Lombardi--and one of them will win an exclusive, multimillion-dollar contract.  But the agency's owner, Justine Loring, is furious.  Only she knows that Lombardi's billionaire backer, Jacques Necker, has set her up, hoping to manipulate her into chaperoning her models to Paris, and meeting him face-to-face.GLAMOUR...But Justine isn't about to play his game.  She dispatches these three sensational girls--the classic Minnesota blond, the African-American goddess, and the moody Tennessee redhead--in care of her second-in-command, fiery, droll Francesca Severino.  Little does Justine know how their two weeks of discoveryand love affairs will be matched by an explosive encounter in Manhattan that will change her own life.SOME THINGS ARE ALWAYS IN STYLE.Amazon.com ReviewThree unknown American models have been picked to star in Parisian designer Marco Lombardi's spring show, and oddly, they all belong to the Loring agency. It's no accident -- Justine Loring's natural father is Lombardi's wealthy backer, but Justine wants no part of his attempt to bribe her into the role of dutiful daughter. Frankie Severino, Justine Loring's best friend and second-in-command, suddenly finds herself in charge of taking the three girls to Paris, little suspecting the romance and intrigue that awaits all of them in that most magical of cities. From Publishers WeeklyHigh fashion takes some low blows in Krantz's naughty newest (after Lovers), which eschews the author's usual across-the-decades saga for an intimate two weeks of posing and passion. Swiss billionaire Jacques Necker has launched the model search of the century; three unknown young women will be whisked off to Paris to model in the Necker-financed first collection of Marco Lombardi. After the show, one will be given a $12 million contract to represent the designer. When former model Justine Loring learns that all three candidates?blond April Nyquist, red-haired Tinker Osborn and African American Jordan Dancer?are from her Loring Model Management, she's not thrilled but furious. Necker, she confides to her astonished right-hand woman, Frankie Severino, is her father. He deserted Justine's pregnant mother 34 years ago and now wants to be a father to a daughter he has never met. Determined to frustrate Necker's plan, Justine sends Frankie, who narrates portions of the story, to Paris in her place. In classic Krantz style, it's not long before love is in full bloom?Frankie meets her unrequited high-school crush; Tinker falls for an expatriate painter; April comes out of the closet; Jordan wins a tycoon's heart; and, back in New York, Justine embarks on a torrid affair with a handsome contractor. Only when a rival agent tries to lure the models away does Justine give in and board the Concorde?just in time to see a most surprising winner chosen. While not Krantz's crowning achievement, this rich mix of sin and serendipitous love has what it takes. Major ad/promo; Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club main selections. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.