(Photo: Brad Paris)

Are you a big Donna fan?
I’ve met her a couple times. She’s always in all this funky stuff; a big chunky sweater, wraps it with a belt, really funky shoes, and I’m like, “I cannot believe she’s still this fly.” I’m like, “What’s up, Donna?” and I give her a hug.

You guys hug?
Yeah! Donna’s real cool; you can hug her.

She did that eighteen-minute cinematic ad with Sophie Dahl last fall. If you could produce the next one, whom would you cast?
Well, I’d think of someone who’s like our typical customer—a woman who lives on the Upper East Side, has a career downtown, who likes funky-slash-corporate clothes. I’d film her in a bar or a lounge and get a bunch of models partying with her, and I’d throw in Cameron Diaz.

Is there one particular customer you enjoy the most?
There’s one that I love: She’s from Germany and has this crazy accent and is a size 14. I have to bring her pieces that won’t make her look too fat. A piece that we both love is the Habitat skirt. It’s like a peasant skirt: silk, really long, elastic waist, like $295.

What should I wear to seduce the BF tonight?
A yellow, slightly sheer spaghetti-strap dress with gold studs. It’s a little bit low in the front but not too, too low, so there’s a little bit of cleavage going on.

Related:

• Archive: “Ask Shop Clerk”
• Articles by Denise Penny
• Table of Contents: June 13, 2005 issue of New York | Subscribe!