I’m originally from Holliston, MA, only an hour’s drive from Boston. Growing up with a working mom, I spent every weekday in a car seat, going to and from Boston. Seeing the Big Dig and eating Cheerios-in-a-Bag was the basis of my childhood. Sadly, it all slowly died down, like most children’s childhoods, and I began school in Holliston public schools. Once in school, my passion for fashion began to show.

I came home from first grade with an entire collection of clothing I’d drawn at lunch time (it was pretty good too, if I may say). From then on, I was always designing something, wherever I was, even at my brother’s hockey games. Without letting me in on the secret, my mother, with the help of her stylist friend, Anna Wallack, started looking for a high school that could help me channel my ideas and turn them into actual garments. Anna told us about the High School of Fashion Industries (the name says it all, seriously), in New York City. And after months and months of hard work building up a portfolio, drawing sketch after sketch, sewing little dresses for Barbie dolls and styling them with custom metal accessories, I presented my portfolio to the school. Soon after, the admissions officer called to say that I had been accepted!

In February, my mother and I had the honor to go to the MFA and see the Trend Report, which was sponsored by the Fashion Group International. That’s where I met Jay Calderin, the founder of Boston Fashion Week and a former student of the High School of Fashion Industries, where I would be going to school for the next four years of my life. We spoke only once, briefly, about the school, but it was reassuring to meet someone who had graduated from Fashion High School and gone on to a successful fashion career.

Early that summer, I moved to Brooklyn with mom (she follows me everywhere; I can’t get rid of her), and slowly but surely we got used to everything. It wasn’t until I had been living in Brooklyn for a while that I received in the mail a copy of each of Jay’s two books. They were beautifully written with lots of pictures and diagrams, covering every topic from designer influences to how to read the tag on your shirt. Oh, and I was also invited to sit with Jay in the front row seats at Boston Fashion Week! Ironically, I move to New York for fashion, but my very first fashion show is in Boston.

And my, oh my, it was amazing. All three collections I saw were phenomenal. Emily Muller’s sundresses, aviator caps, striped shorts with leather strips outlining the pockets, seemed beautiful and light. Her teal Racerback dress was my favorite piece. The next collection by Mike&Ton was just as beautiful, but slightly more wearable. The dresses were short lengths with ivory, paprika, and sea blue, making for perfect transitions from day to evening. A close-fitting ivory dress with sleeves won my heart, the lower half of the dress with bands of paprika and sea blue. The last collection was by Michael De Paulo, which consisted of silk and satin gowns with lace and pleats, each with rhinestone beading or an organza flower on the shoulder or waist. Each piece was spectacular, its elegance amplified by the French music playing.

What I think I learned overall is that your past is like your hair. No matter how much you try to dye it, your roots always show. I tried to leave Boston for fashion, but it brought me back, with a lot of help from one very special Mr. Jay Calderin. I am tremendously thankful, and hope that Boston and New York fashion always stays intertwined in my life.