Sebastian being closeted and fearful of rejection and disgust from their parents as well as the public drives the primary conflict in the story. While Frances and Sebastian’s manservant have no problem accepting and respecting Sebastian’s gender from the beginning, the same can’t be said for other characters. It partially follows the template of a typical trans acceptance narrative. Jen Wang’s art style is a combination of cute and elegant and really makes the whole experience a visual treat. Frances’ arc in developing her creative/artistic talent was likewise relatable to me as someone who writes and draws and wants to be a published author. Watching Sebastian transition and become comfortable presenting as a girl was super heartwarming for me as a trans and genderqueer person. I’ll admit I’m biased in being drawn to and loving the story because Sebastian is trans (there weren’t specific labels mentioned in the book, but genderqueer and trans femme seem to fit the best from what I gathered) and there are so few trans characters in YA. The plot made for a great coming-of-age story, with the characters’ desires and growth at the forefront.
Now I’ve finally read it! If you saw my Goodreads review, it was basically me crying about my love for this book. Initial impressions aside, I have conflicting feelings about the book that I’ll elaborate on below. When I first heard about the idea for this graphic novel and saw preliminary design sketches on Tumblr a few years ago, I was so impatient for it to be released. However, their happiness is threatened when they are pulled in different directions, Frances by her ambitions to work in a position where her name is known to the public, and Sebastian by their filial duty to marry as the royal heir.
Over time, the two become good friends and develop romantic feelings for one another. The prince wears the dresses Frances designs while going by the name of Lady Crystallia and quickly becomes a fashion icon in Paris, garnering recognition for Frances’ designs.
Through a stroke of good luck, she secures a job as a secret seamstress to Prince Sebastian. Summary: Frances has many ideas for making fabulous dresses but no outlet to express her creativity.
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