New York City, Los Angeles, Atlanta … you name the fashion center and we’ll find you a Lexington-area native who is “living the dream” there. And by that I mean surrounded by the styles and fashion icons that define what’s in for the rest of the country. Periodically, LexWhatWear will profile some Bluegrass ex-patriots who live and work in one of our nation’s “big” cities and find out how they got there, what they’re doing and … oh, yes … what they’re wearing!

Our first Lex in the City post features a talented and driven young woman, making her way in the fashion industry, one big city at a time. Take a peak and learn a little bit about the trends in Atlanta, where she’s currently living and working, and get to know a dear friend who is giving us all someone to be proud of.

Tell us a little bit about you: My name is Kristen but my close friends call me Kbow. I’m originally from Versailles and went to high school in Lexington, then I moved away to attend the University of Alabama. Roll Tide! I went to Alabama to study fashion merchandising, and loved every minute of it. I graduated in 2009 and have moved around a few times since graduation but currently live in Atlanta!

Give us a brief history of your internships and jobs: While studying fashion merchandising at Alabama, we were required to do an internship in our field. I interviewed with seven companies (Michael Kors, BCBG, D&G, John Varvatos, Jules Reed, Shoshanna, & Elie Tahari) and decided to intern for Elie Tahari in New York City. I had an amazing time while in New York, and I would say my style definitely changed from college. After my internship, I was offered a job at Elie Tahari but decided NYC was way, way, way too expensive for me. I moved back to the South and I am currently a shoe buyer for one of the top 120 online retailers in the United States. I get paid to play with shoes all day – sounds awesome right? It has its challenges, but I wouldn’t want to ever work in any other field besides fashion.

How did you find your way into fashion? Growing up I never wanted to wear what my parents picked out for me. I couldn’t wait till the day I could pick out my own clothing. Plus, I attended parochial school from kindergarten through high school, so fashion was something I could take part of only on the weekends. Wearing uniforms during the week made me love clothing and fashion even more. So when my senior year came around and I decided to start looking into colleges, I zeroed in on fashion merchandising and Alabama.

How has growing up in the Lexington area impacted your style? Growing up in Lexington has defiantly impacted my style. I would say my style growing up was very preppy due to the horse industry being in my backyard.

What has been your favorite moment of your journey in fashion thus far? I don’t think I could pick one. So how about two. My favorite moment of my fashion career thus far was walking past Michael Kors in his corporate office and him waving at me. My second favorite moment would be my first day at shoe market with the company I currently work for. It was a great feeling, I finally felt like all my hard work had paid off.

If you had to pick one thing that my readers should know about you and/or your style what would it be? I think accessories are key. You can turn any boring outfit into a great outfit with one simple accessory.

Here’s an example: I am using the same accessory (necklace) for three totally different outfits. This is a great tool to use when you are trying to make the most out of your wardrobe.