Undine Belafonte

---

A stylish fashion-designer who always has her eye on the world around her - whether it’s to keep up on the latest trends, ruminate on new ideas, or admire beauty that can be found anywhere.

She stays calm and collected most of the time, but underneath the surface is an indomitable spirit and force of nature.

---

---

---

---

---

• Rather than being a model herself, Undine always recruits others to present her designs. She claims that the wide spectrum of beauty in fashion is best explored with a similar diversity in humans. Unfortunately, she has a bad habit of recruiting people rather spontaneously. On the street, in line at a store, on faraway balconies… she goes where inspiration strikes, and that also means at inopportune moments.
• In her teenage years, she worked as a lifeguard at Peach Beach, SC. She didn’t need the money; rather, she could observe and interact with the public as much as she wanted in order to train her people skills.
  • She was relieved to move on in her career prospects, though she still keeps in touch with local beach acquaintances.
• She tends to talk aloud to herself, as it helps her thought process. However, this usually results in unsolicited judgment and commentary on people’s outfits and accessories. She insists that she has no intention of putting down people’s individuality, though that doesn’t make her words any less scathing.
  • She once caused a fight by noting (quietly, though not quietly enough) that the wrinkles on someone’s top looked resentful.
  • As polite as she may be as a professional, she treats fashion as a serious art form like any other. That means her judgment is as unaffected by the potential of personal gain as possible… at least, that's what she claims.
• Even though her parents encouraged her towards diplomacy, Undine held fast to her creative dream. Her older brother, Caspian, notes that she pushed herself from a young age - selling her sketches, taking on commissions, and even managing rudimentary art galleries - as if she always had something to prove.
• A hallmark of Undine’s style is sharp shape language. She likes emphasizing wide shoulders, a cinched waist, and voluminous, voluptuous volume in order to create a strong silhouette.
  • In contrast to the flowy skirts and dresses she likes putting together, her day-to-day outfits consist of simple blouses and pants. No need to get tangled up in good fabric unless you’re going out.
• Belle au Fontaine, which was derived from a motto on the family crest, is the name of her business. She is typically referred to as ‘Belle’ in the industry.
• Outside of the artistic realm, Undine has an interest in political science and astrology. She is a particularly enthusiastic Chromascope hobbyist, and she always checks what hers says first thing in the morning.
• Visiting her workshop shows that she works in a highly organized and meticulous manner. This is in sharp contrast to her studio apartment, which is almost always a mess of clothes, sewing supplies, and papers scattered abound.
  • Childhood friend Michael Eleazar once sprained his ankle tripping over one of the piles, leading to a more concerted effort in keeping things tidy at home. But she still falls back on bad habits.
• Enchanted by classy Goldopolis movie stars, she hopes to be a designer and consultant for a blockbuster one day. She tries to make connections through any and all industry acquaintances she has.
• When she shows off her work, she looks for both critical feedback and emotional reactions. It’s as if she wants to persuade others to feel the same passion she gets from designing it. Even shock and disgust is better than ambivalence and indifference.
  • If unsuccessful, she’ll discard some designs completely, typically in a fit of anger.
• A freshwater enthusiast at heart, Undine prefers a lush, forested lake as opposed to a wide, sweeping ocean. For her, it feels as if water is a component of the environment rather than something so big that it swallows up everything else in sight. Even enormous ships seem to make her uncomfortable.
  • However, both are preferable to man-made structures. Her Value allows her to discern all non-water elements within water, so she’s forever disgusted by most public pools.
• Though she only has one brother, her mother and father have 7 and 8 siblings respectively, leading to a remarkably large extended family. The cousins all regard each other like siblings.
• Eager to bond with a rare Specter, Undine spent the summer break between middle and high school searching around secluded bodies of water. On one of the expeditions was an oddly placid Laknis with no other Specter in sight. Having second thoughts, she absconded, but it kept following her to other locations. Eventually, she relented and bonded with it.
• Roped into taking all kinds of martial arts classes as a child, Undine still practices tai chi in her spare time. It was the only one that managed to quell her frustration rather than intensify it due to its relaxing, flowing movements - like swimming outside of water.
• She is quite superstitious. Though she is a realist in relation to the natural world, she enjoys incorporating familiar symbols into her work out of habit.
  • The most common one is a double loop, or anything that resembles the number 8.