Who

As Bergdorf Goodman's senior women's fashion director, Patel helps set the style guidelines for New York's social elite.

Backstory

Born in Queens to Indians from Kenya, Patel earned a marketing degree from NYU and folded clothes at Urban Outfitters when she wasn't attending classes. After graduating, she worked at several SoHo boutiques and in visual merchandising at Club Monaco, before joining Style.com as market editor. She joined Bergdorf's as fashion coordinator several years later and is now the haute retailer's senior women's fashion director.

Of note

Her youthful good looks and perpetual friendly smile belie her clout: Along with Linda Fargo, Bergdorf's senior vice president and all-around merchandising queen (and the woman who replaced Robert Burke), Patel decides which designers will make it into Bergdorf's coveted halls. Patel is often the one called upon to represent the store at fashionable events around town and she's become a staple at fundraisers and galas.

Pet causes

She's a co-chair of Lisa Anastos' Whitney Museum Contemporaries and the New York Public Library's Young Lions Fiction Award Gala.

Personal

The single fashionista lives on Mercer Street.