(Photo: Brad Paris)

Who’s your typical client?
A 40-year-old uptown career woman who wants to be like Tory Burch. Tory has six kids, a husband, and a successful career. I don’t know how she does it. She’s sexy because she has great taste. She has more going for her than just showing off her body.

What’s flying off shelves?
There’s this sweater with a rhinestone sundial—

A rhinestone sundial?
It’s just so well done and subtle, it’s not tacky. Anything that has a little bit of sparkle goes for days in our store.

I hear Tory and her family live in a Fifth Avenue hotel. Which hotel would you call home if you could?
The Soho Grand. I’d love it if someone would make my bed every day and put a chocolate on my pillow at night.

Is there pressure on you to look mannequin-like?
We’re thin because we’re really, really busy. We order salads from Café Colonial and eat in back of the store. We’re on commission and there’s competition. But it’s a small store, so it can’t get ugly.

What’s the most embarrassing mistake you’ve made on the job?
Pat Wexler asked for a discount, and I didn’t recognize her. She’s Tory’s dermatologist.

Shopgirl, based on Steve Martin’s book and starring Claire Danes, opens next month. Whose novel would you inspire and who would play you in the movie?
Jonathan Safran Foer: He’s attractive in an East Village sort of way. I’m short and Colombian, so Salma Hayek would do.

Related:

• Archive: “Ask Shop Clerk”
• Articles by Denise Penny
• Table of Contents: Oct 3, 2005 issue of New York | Subscribe!