With a little bit of luck and desire to take her career into a new direction, Trish O’Connor found a dream job as a fashion and retail recruiter.

The 26-year-old from Yorktown began working for JBCStyle, a fashion staffing agency with an office in Manhattan, earlier this year after realizing how much she enjoyed styling and helping others.

“I always loved getting dressed,” O’Connor said. “I was like the girl in middle school and high school who wrote down what she wore so she didn’t repeat for two months. Yeah, I had a clothes calendar.”

After graduating from Yorktown High School, O’Connor studied education for a year at SUNY Oswego before returning home to figure out her next career move.

O’Connor worked as an assistant manager at the Gap for a year and half, where she handled everything from visuals to training associates.

After discovering a job ad in The Journal News, O’Connor became a manager for the contemporary fashion boutique LF in Scarsdale. O’Connor said her store was the second chain to open for the new company, which later sprouted LF stores in Manhattan, the Hamptons, Boston and Beverly Hills.

“It was an amazing experience to wake up everyday and say I’m building something and helping to grow a company,” O’Connor said. “It was such a wonderful experience at 21. It was great to learn all aspects of a company, training, marketing…”

After managing LF for four years, O’Connor said she “took a stab in the dark” to become a recruiter earlier this year for JBCStyle, which helps staff mass market, contemporary, and luxury retail stores across the country.

“If you have a passion for something, no matter what, you will be good at it,” she said. “It is a great move for me and I’ve been able to help a lot of people.”

O’Connor, who now lives in the Bronx, said she can’t live without: a white button down, scarves (that she says can be worn as an accessory instead of a necklace), high-waist jeans and Naughty Monkey shoes, which have been sported by Sarah Palin and Paris Hilton.

Westchester stores O’Connor recommends:
1. Plaza Too shoes in Larchmont, Bronxville, Rye or Mt. Kisco
2. Siren in Mamaroneck
3. Elenas Boutique in Yorktown Heights
-O’Connor has also found great deals at Loehmann’s, TJ Maxx and Nordstrom Off the Rack.

Contact Trish O’Connor for fashion opportunities at http://trishoconnor.jbcstyle.com or trisho@jbcstyle.com.

For more information about JBCStyle, visit www.jbcstyle.com.

(Photo courtesy of Trish O’Connor)