通往广场的路不止一条当时我们正站在一个教堂塔楼的顶上，是父亲把我从罗马的家里带到这个离家不远的意大利小镇楼顶上来的，我不明白他要做什么。“向下看，埃尔莎，”父亲对我说。我鼓足勇气向下看去，看到了村子中央的广场，还看到蜿蜒曲折的街道交错着通向这个广场。爸爸语气温和地对我说：“明白了吧，亲爱的，通向广场的路不止一条，生活也是如此，如果一条路走不到想去的地方，就试着走另一条路。”现在我明白我为什么会到这儿来了。那天早些时候我请求妈妈为学校提供的难吃午餐想点儿办法，但她拒绝了我的要求，她不相信学校的午餐会像我说的那样糟。我转向爸爸求援，他不想干预此事，却把我带到这个高塔上，给我上了一课。到家时，我已经有了主意。第二天在学校吃午餐时，我偷偷地把我的那份午餐汤倒进一个瓶子，把它带回了家，然后说服厨师，让她在晚餐时把汤端给妈妈。我的计划进行得很成功。妈妈喝了一勺汤，就吐了出来，说：“厨师一定发疯了!”我马上告诉妈妈这是我安排的，妈妈斩钉截铁地表示她第二天就去学校就午餐问题提出交涉。随后的这些年里，我时常记起爸爸给我上的这一课。我知道我的人生目标：我想当时装设计师!就在我走向第一个小小的成功之路时，却遇到了阻碍。怎么办呢?是承认此路不通，败下阵来;还是发挥想像力和智慧，去寻找通向目标的另一条道路呢?我带着我的设计草图来到世界时装中心巴黎，但是好像没有一个著名的时装设计师有兴趣购买。后来有一天，我遇到一位朋友，她穿着一件非常好看的毛线衫，毛线衫的色彩平淡，但是针法却可爱、别致。我问她：“毛线衫是你织的吗?”她回答：“不，是巴黎的一位妇女织的。”“针法真棒!”我又说。朋友解释说：“这位妇女叫维迪安太太，她跟我说她是在她出生地亚美尼亚学的这种织法。”突然，我想在这件毛线衫上织出一个大胆的图案，继而一个更为大胆的设想闪现在我的脑海里。为什么不开办自己的时装店呢?为什么不设计、制作和销售斯基亚帕雷利时装店的服装呢?我要这样做，而且要从毛线衫开始。我画了一个醒目的黑白相间的蝴蝶图案，把它交给维迪安太太，她把这个图案织到了一件毛线衫上。我认为这件成品很漂亮，接着就是对它的检验。我穿上毛线衫，来到一个时装界人士参加的午餐会，令我十分高兴的是，毛线衫引起了众人的注意。事实上，纽约一家大商店的代理商想在两周内得到40件这样的毛线衫。我接受了他的订货，兴高采烈地走出了餐厅。然而当我站在维迪安太太面前时，喜悦之情就一扫而光了。她说：“我几乎用一周才织完这样一件毛线衫，两周织40件是不可能的!”我非常失望，离成功仅有半步之遥，竟又被迎头堵住了!我悲伤地走出维迪安太太的家，突然停下了脚步，一定有别的办法可以办到。这种针法确实需要特殊的技巧，然而在巴黎一定还有其他亚美尼亚妇女会这种针法。我回到维迪安太太的家，向她讲述了我的计划。她真的认为这个计划行不通，但同意帮我的忙。我和维迪安太太像侦探似地开始行动，我们追踪任何一位住在巴黎的亚美尼亚人。一个朋友把我们介绍给另一个朋友，就这样我们终于找到了20名亚美尼亚妇女，她们个个都会这种特殊的针法。两星期后，毛线衫都织好了，新开张的斯基亚帕雷利时装店第一批货物被发往美国!从那天开始，一批批时装和香水源源不断地从新开张的时装店售出。我发现时装业充满竞争和冒险，令人愉快和兴奋。我永生难忘那一次真正充满挑战的服装展览，是爸爸的那条忠告再次帮助了我。我正忙着准备展览冬季时装，就在时装表演开始前13天，缝纫女工们被叫去参加罢工，我发现只剩下我自己、一个裁缝和一个缝纫车间的女主管!我像我的模特和女售货员一样沮丧，有一个女售货员哭道：“我们绝对赶不上了!”我想，此时是对父亲的忠告最严峻的考验。这次的出路在哪儿呢?我满腹狐疑，心急如焚。我确信只有两条路可走：要么取消时装表演;要么展出没有完工的时装。就在这时，我茅塞顿开：为什么不把没有做完的衣服拿出来展览呢?我们紧张匆忙地工作着。正好13天后，斯基亚帕雷利的时装展览准时开幕了。这是一次什么样的展览呀!有些上衣没有袖子，有的只有一只袖子，许多衣服还在初缝阶段。它们只是一些用厚棉布做成的衣服试样，但在这些试样上我们别上了衣服的草图和衣料，这样我们就能告诉人们这些衣服做成之后的颜色和质地。总而言之，这次服装展别开生面，它太不同凡响了，竟取得了巨大的成功。不寻常的展览吸引了公众的注意，订单源源不断。父亲很有见地的那番话再次指引我度过了难关。通往广场的路的确不止一条。“look down, lsa,” fathr said. i gathrd all my courag and lookd down. i saw th squar in th cntr of th villag. and i saw th crisscross1 of twisting, turning strts lading to th squar.“s, my dar,” fathr said gntly. “thr is mor than on way to th squar. lif is lik that. if you can't gt to th plac whr you want to go by on road, try anothr.”now i undrstood why i was thr. arlir that day i had bggd my mothr to do somthing about th awful lunchs that wr srvd at school. but sh rfusd bcaus sh could not bliv th lunchs wr as bad as i said.whn i turnd to fathr for hlp, h would not intrfr. instad, h brought m to this high towr to giv m a lsson. by th tim w rachd hom, i had a plan.at school th nxt day, i scrtly pourd my lunchon soup into a bottl and brought it hom. thn i talkd th cook into srving it to mothr at dinnr. th plan workd prfctly. sh swallowd2 on spoonful3 and sputtrd4, “th cook must hav gon mad!” quickly i told what i had don, and mothr statd firmly that sh would tak up th mattr of lunchs at school th nxt day!in th yars that followd i oftn rmmbrd th lsson fathr taught m. i knw whr i wantd to go in lif. i wantd to b a fashion dsignr. and on th way to my first small succss i found th road blockd. what could i do? accpt th roadblock5 and fail?or us imagination and wits to find anothr road to my goal?i had com to paris, th cntr of th world of fashion, with my sktchs6. but non of th famous fashion dsignrs smd intrstd in buying thm. thn on day i mt a frind who was waring a vry bautiful swatr. it was plain in color, but it had a lovly and unusual stitch7.“did you knit8 that swatr?” i askd hr.“no,” sh answrd. “it was don by a woman hr in paris.”“what an intrsting stitch!” i continud.my frind had an xplanation. “th woman hr nam is mrs. vidian—told m sh larnd th stitch in armnia, hr nativ country.”suddnly i picturd a daring dsign knittd into such a swatr. thn an vn mor daring ida cam to m. why not opn my own hous of fashion? why not dsign, mak and sll cloths from th hous of schiaparlli9! i would do it, and i would bgin with a swatr.i drw a bold black and whit buttrfly pattrn and took it to mrs. vidian. sh knittd it into a swatr. th rsult, i thought, was wondrful. thn cam th tst. i wor th swatr to a lunchon which popl in th fashion businss would attnd. to my grat plasur, th swatr was noticd. in fact, th rprsntativ of a larg nw york stor wantd 40 swatrs to b rady in two wks. i accptd th ordr and walkd out on a cloud of happinss.my cloud disappard suddnly, howvr, whn i stood in front of mrs. vidian. “but it took m almost a wk to knit that on swatr,” sh said. “forty swatrs in two wks? it is not possibl!”i was crushd to b so clos to succss and thn to b blockd! sadly i walkd away. all at onc i stoppd short. thr must b anothr way. this stitch did tak spcial skill. but surly thr must b othr armnian womn in paris who knw how to do it.i wnt back to mrs. vidian and xplaind my plan. sh rally didn't think it would work, but sh agrd to hlp.w wr lik dtctivs10, mrs. vidian and i. w put ourslvs on th trail11 of any armnians who livd in paris. on frind ld us to anothr. at last w trackd down 20 womn, ach of whom could knit th spcial stitch. two wks latr th swatrs wr finishd. and th first shipmnt from th nw hous of schiaparlli was on its way to th unitd stats!from that day a stady stram of cloths and prfums12 flowd from th hous of schiaparlli. i found th world of fashion gay13 and xciting, full of challng and advntur. i shall nvr forgt on showing which was rally a challng. onc again fathr's advic hlpd m. i was busy gtting rady to show my wintr fashions. thn just 13 days bfor th prsntation th swing girls wr calld out on strik. i found myslf lft with on tailor and woman who was in charg of th swing room! i was as gloomy14 as my modls and salsgirls. “w'll nvr mak it,”on of thm crid.hr, i thought, is th tst of all tsts for fathr's advic. whr is th way out this tim? i wondrd and worrid. i was crtain w would hav to call off th prsntation or ls show th cloths unfinishd. thn it dawnd on15 m. why not show th cloths unfinishd?w workd hurridly. and, xactly 13 days latr, right on tim, th schiaparlli showing took plac.what a showing it was! som coats had no slvs; othrs had only on. many of our cloths wr still in an arly stag. thy wr only pattrns mad of havy cotton cloth. but on ths w pinnd sktchs and pics of matrial. in this way w wr abl to show that what colors and txturs th cloths would hav whn thy wr finishd.all in all, th showing was diffrnt. it was so diffrnt that it was a grat succss. our unusual showing caught th attntion of th public, and ordrs for th cloths pourd in.fathr's wis words had guidd m onc again. thr is mor than on way to th squar always.