Pursuing Fashion in the Empire State
Sara Nielson excels at fashion. She wears her hair cropped and colors it teal, lavender, pink. Her cobalt eyeliner is highlighted by a matching scarf. It’s a style that, on anyone else, might seem loud and ornate. But on Sara, everything feels subdued and understated. Her look is marked by effortlessness. She could wear anything and look put-together — maybe because of her graceful posture, influenced by years of adhering to ballet. She exudes a sweet and quiet confidence.
Growing up, Sara epitomized the feminine stereotype. She loved pink, dolls, and sewing — something her grandmother taught her. “Grandma was all about fashion,” Sara said. “She never never let my mom dress us in anything that wasn’t fashionable. Whenever we went to grandma’s house, it was like, ‘Okay, would grandma approve of this outfit?’ I think, because of that, I’ve always been conscious of the way that I dress. Fashion is a sentimental thing to me.”
Sara, 28, is a fashion studies major in her second year at Montclair State University. She started pursuing fashion in high school and then enrolled at Salt Lake Community College, in her home state, Utah. “They have a pretty good program,” she said, “but I wanted to come to New York. I wanted to pursue that dream.” While taking classes in Salt Lake, Sara interned with a designer in the community, helping cut, sew, and fit models at local shows . When her employer offered her a pass to New York Fashion Week in 2010, Sara jumped at the opportunity. “I paid my way and we came out for Fashion Week that February. That’s what pushed me over the edge on New York City. I wanted to be a part of it. It was a dream.”
The following year, Sara moved to New Jersey, after being hired by a family as their live-in nanny. “We just clicked,” Sara said. “I felt like a part of the family; it worked out so well.” But working and adjusting to life on the East Coast did not prove easy. “School just ended up not working out at all,” she sighed. “So I went back home and took a break.” Sara returned to Utah, where she worked as a receptionist for at the Les Olsen copier company. They didn’t allow her to color her hair, which had started growing out.
“As much as I loved being there, I didn’t love not being able to do my hair the way I wanted to, “Sara said. “My short hair had become who I was. My hair was me, as weird as that sounds. Not having my short hair made me different.”
Sara began applying to schools near New York, Montclair being one of them. “A month or two after the fact, nothing came from them. I was like, ‘Okay, maybe it’s just not going to happen.’ Then, all of a sudden in August, I got my acceptance letter. I quit my job the next day, dyed my hair teal, and packed up my whole apartment.”
She also reached out to Megan Nacy, the director for Montclair State’s ADP Center, who she met through the family she nannied for. “I got to know Sara when she was working for them. When she was here, originally, she was looking at different schools. I was not working at Montclair State at the time. It’s a strange coincidence that we both ended up here.”
Nacy offered her a job as a student assistant. “She has such a great personality, I knew that she would take good care of our students and faculty,” Nacy said. “But I thought a couple of things: it would give her something to do between classes and a little bit of money, but also give her a way to get to know the campus and immerse herself back into the idea of going to school.”
After her first year at Montclair, Sara landed an internship at Kenneth Cole Productions, in their office on Fiftieth Street in the city. A family friend who works for the company passed her information along and she became one of some fifty applicants. “The fashion industry is all about who you know,
Sara explained. “Having that degree to back you up will get your foot in the door, but people that you know? They get you that much farther.” But even without that connection, Sara would be more than qualified. Her skill is inherent and visibly so. ““It seems to come naturally to her,” Nacy said. “She seems to be able to look at clothing and come up with a different idea of what most people wouldn’t think when using a particular pattern or textile.”
Sara was called for an interview and almost immediately hired as an intern for ladies shoe design. “You think of interns as people who get coffee and who take notes and who run the errands. You’re almost like an assistant. But I get to sketch with them and work with the shoes and put them in showrooms. I get to take pictures of shoes,” she enthused. “I got to go to a proto-meeting and Kenneth Cole was in the room, four chairs away from me. I get to see him do his work and it’s an honor being part of his name and company and what he stands for.”
Sara’s Facebook biography reads: “Living the dream. Building an empire. Finding myself. Healing myself. Loving myself. Making memories.” That’s precisely what she is doing here, seizing the opportunities that come her way and doing whatever it takes to pursue the career she wants. “It’s New York City. What’s not to love?”
