And then besides (и потом, кроме того), Mme. Colbert was not at all sure (мадам Кольбер совсем не была уверена) that she had not muddled the invitations and seating for the afternoon's review of the collection (что она не перепутала приглашения и размещение для дневного просмотра коллекции). As head of the department (как глава отдела) she was an important and all-powerful person (она была важным и всемогущим человеком). It was she who issued or denied invitations (это была она, кто = именно она давала или отказывала в приглашении) to see the collection (посмотреть коллекцию), sorted out spies and curiosity seekers and barred the undesirables (отделяла = не допускала шпионов и зевак: «искателей любопытного» и препятствовала /появлению/ нежелательных лиц; bar — брусок, блок, кусок; полено; препятствие; to bar — запирать на засов, запираться; преграждать путь). She was in charge of the seating arrangements (она была ответственной за размещения кресел), as complicated as faced any headwaiter of a fashionable restaurant (настолько же непростые /размещения/, как в случае: «с чем приходится сталкиваться» с метрдотелем модного ресторана), as clients must be placed in accordance with importance (потому что клиенты должны были быть размещены в соответствии с влиятельностью: «важностью»), rank (рангом), title and bank roll (титулом и /толщиной/ кошелька: «пачки банкнот»).

review [rI'vjH], curiosity ["kjuqrI'OsItI], undesirable ['AndI'zaIqrqbl]

And then besides, Mme. Colbert was not at all sure that she had not muddled the invitations and seating for the afternoon's review of the collection. As head of the department she was an important and all-powerful person. It was she who issued or denied invitations to see the collection, sorted out spies and curiosity seekers and barred the undesirables. She was in charge of the seating arrangements, as complicated as faced any headwaiter of a fashionable restaurant, as clients must be placed in accordance with importance, rank, title and bank roll.

She was the directress of a fashion parade (она была директрисой парада мод), having something to say as to the order (которой было что сказать относительно порядка) in which the creations appeared (в котором платья: «создания» появлялись), and likewise (и также) she was the commander-in-chief of a battalion of black-garbed sales ladies (она была главнокомандующим батальона одетых в черное продавщиц), deploying them on the staircase (размещая их на лестнице) and taking great care to match them psychologically to their clients (и уделяя большое внимание их психологическому соответствию их клиентам) — a gay and gossipy sales girl (веселая и болтливая продавщица) for a gay and gossipy woman (для веселой и болтливой женщины), a silent and respectful sales person (тихая и почтительная продавщица) for a mature and important customer (для зрелого и важного клиента), an English-speaking girl with a persuasive line for an American (англоговорящая девушка с убеждающим поведением: «линией» для американки), a good bully with a commanding aspect for a German (забияка с командным видом для немки), etc. (и т.д.)

battalion [bq'txljqn], mature [mq'tjuq], persuasive [pq'sweIsIv]

She was the directress of a fashion parade, having something to say as to the order in which the creations appeared, and likewise she was the commander-in-chief of a battalion of black-garbed sales ladies, deploying them on the staircase and taking great care to match them psychologically to their clients — a gay and gossipy sales girl for a gay and gossipy woman, a silent and respectful sales person for a mature and important customer, an English-speaking girl with a persuasive line for an American, a good bully with a commanding aspect for a German, etc.