Teach the Game
A script to read aloud: how you win Prêt-à-Porter, the board and your player board, a round, the end, every source of points and what each resource is for.
How you win
“We each run a young fashion house through one year — twelve months. Every quarter we spend two months hiring staff, signing contracts, buying fabric and collecting designs, then the third month is a fashion show. We show one collection, win Prestige for the best quality, trends, media buzz and size, and sell the clothes. At the end your Cash plus your Victory Points is your score: the richest, most prestigious house wins.”
- You need: Cash and Victory Points (VP) — they are added together at the end.
- You get them by: finishing Design cards of one Style with the right Materials, then showing them as a Collection at the four Exhibitions: they sell for their price, and the Prestige you win multiplies the sale and turns into VP. Keep your company’s running costs (Upkeep) under control the whole time.
The boards
The board’s own numbers mark its nine locations (what each does):
- Bank — take a Credit.
- Contracts — free, temporary abilities.
- Buildings — buy one: an ability and a desk for an Employee.
- Employees — hire one.
- New Designs — take a Design card.
- Local Manufacturer — any number of one Material, +1
. - Warehouse — one of each Material, +2 .
- Import — any number of one Material, dearer, +3 .
- Last Minute Preparations — one of the tokens or the 5 Cash waiting there.
Around them: the Calendar track with the Fashion Show tiles of each Exhibition, and the VP track round the edge.
- Clothing Type — your speciality: +1
for each Design of that type you show. - Token space — Quality, Trend and
PR tokens you gather for the next show. - Upkeep track — what your company costs every round.
- Starting Employees — three relatives at −1 each; new hires replace them.
Contracts go to the left of the board, Buildings to the right with Employees under them, Designs above.
A round
Twelve rounds, I–XII. Each quarter is two Working rounds and one Exhibition round (III, VI, IX, XII). (full rules)
Working round — refill the card rows and location 9, pass the First Player token left (not in round I), then:
- Planning — take turns placing your 3 Action pawns, one at a time, on the first free space of any location.
- Action — resolve locations 1 to 9 in order; abilities that need no pawn
go first. - Growth — you may train one Employee and upgrade one Building.
- Upkeep — use upkeep abilities, then pay your Upkeep; can’t pay, take a Loan. Clear the card rows.
Exhibition round (full rules):
- Prestige exchange — turn last show’s
Prestige into VP. - Show — reveal one Collection: finished Designs of a single Style.
- Awards — compare categories on this month’s Fashion Show tiles; 1st and 2nd win Prestige.
- Sales — Cash for (Prestige × Designs shown), plus the Designs’ prices; discard Q, T and PR tokens.
- Upkeep — pay Upkeep, then repay every Credit and Loan; Contracts weaken or expire.
How the game ends
- After the Exhibition of round XII, exchange the last Prestige for VP once more (details).
- A player who still can’t repay their Loans is bankrupt and out of the scoring.
- Score = Cash + VP. Tie: more VP on the track wins.
Ways to score
| Source | How and when |
|---|---|
| Collection sale | Each Exhibition: the Cash price printed on every Design you showed |
| Prestige effect | Each Exhibition: Cash = Prestige won × number of Designs shown |
| Prestige → VP | Start of the next Exhibition (and at the end): 1/2/3 VP per token with 2/3/4 players |
| Card abilities | Investment House turns Cash into VP; others give Cash or Prestige |
| Cash left | At the end, every Cash counts as a point |
| Losses | Upkeep every round; Credit and Loan interest; a Loan costs 28 to repay 20 |
What each resource is for
| Resource | Why you need it | How you get it | How you use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | Pays for Buildings, Materials, Upkeep and debts — and is your score | Start with 40; selling Collections; card abilities; Credits and Loans | Spend it; what remains counts at the end |
| Design cards | The clothes you show and sell | 2 at start; location 5; some abilities draw more | Finish them with their 2 Materials, show one Style per Exhibition |
| Materials (6 colours) | Each Design needs the two shown on it | Locations 6, 7, 8 | Discarded with the Design when it sells |
| tokens | Win award categories | Material purchases (Q), Design bonuses and your Clothing Type (T), cards and location 9 | Count at the show, then discarded |
| Prestige | Multiplies your sale, then becomes VP | Award categories, some cards | Exchanged for VP at the next Exhibition |
| Action pawns | Your 3 actions per Working round | — | Placed on locations |
| Employees and Buildings | Abilities every round | Locations 3 and 4 (Buildings cost Cash) | Raise your Upkeep; can be trained or upgraded once |
| Contracts | Free, strong abilities for a short time | Location 2 | Weaken after one Exhibition, expire after the next |
Teaching tips
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Start with the money: everything costs Upkeep every round, and Cash is the score.
-
Show the calendar: everyone can see which categories each show will judge — plan for them.
-
Say clearly that a Collection is one Style only, and only finished Designs count.
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Play the first Exhibition slowly, using the rulebook’s example on p. 18.
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Rehearse a Material costing 2 with a discount of 2: the minimum still makes it cost 1 per piece. Practice example.