Kiki in the Morgan L stop. Click for more. — Photos by Nicole Wasilewicz.

A drunk wise old man once said, never trust a woman who owns too much animal print– the more she has, the crazier she is. I’ll have to admit that he’s probably right, although sometimes a little accented safari print works. But even Kiki here knows, and confessed after our interview, that no one is classy enough to pull off zebra print. 

Kiki, 22, Sales Assistant

Animal print is pretty hot right now but when I try to imagine myself in it, I just can’t. My crazy curly blonde hair may have something to do with the fact that I always return my roomie’s cheetah print scarf unworn. But in the case of Kiki, her cardigan, pleather leggings, and lace-up wedges somehow manage to come off as elegant. Put the same outfit on Heidi Montag, and it’s a whole different story.

Where do you live?
Jersey City, but I work in the city as a Sales Assistant for DVF. I have family there, and I moved to New York to work in fashion.

Why did you decide to work in fashion?
Mostly the art of fashion. At first it was like, I love to shop and I’m a great bargain shopper, but then I learned to appreciate it more as I matured. I mean, the art and the work that the designers put into the actual pieces of clothing. It’s been quite an experience to actually see it from the drawing board to the selling floor. I love it.

What do you think is the most important thing about the way people dress?
Right now, I’ve just been wearing a lot of bangles and other bracelets — accessories count! You kind of build your outfit around your accessories so I think that’s a really important aspect of your outfit. I like what I like, and that’s about it.

What are your favorite places to bargain shop in the city?
I haven’t really found it yet. I’ve been to Beacon’s Closet, but I haven’t really found that spot that I love to go to because, for one, I don’t live in the city so I think it’ll be easier for me to find it when I move.

So are you looking to move to Bushwick?
Yeah, I’m here looking at apartments. I saw one on Montrose and one off Morgan. There’s a lot of young professionals, it’s young and artsy, it’s more what I’m interested in. A lot of people are artists, and designers, so it’s an atmosphere I like to be around. I like the Williamsburg area too. It’s awesome.

What do you think is the difference between Williamsburg and Bushwick?
I don’t really know, to be honest. This is my first time to Bushwick so when I got off the train, it looked really similar to me. I don’t see much of a difference — they both have cute little cafes and little shops. If there’s a difference, I haven’t noticed it yet. They both are pretty quiet in comparison to the city. After being in Manhattan all day, coming home here would be nice. And there are all these nice little spots you can go to for a drink or get dinner.