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David Phair

Eve Roth Lindsay, Design and fashion image consultant

I went to my first school in Manhattan  at the age of two and its images remain vividly etched on my mind.

Everything in the room at The Little Red School House had large language cards on it with the corresponding words in English and French.

I can still see window/fenetre and chair/chaise - not surprisingly it was there I fell in love with the French language.

At Trinity School, my primary school, it's the walk to and from school I remember most. It took about 25 minutes and we did it in rain, snow and hail. I hated it and vowed I'd live somewhere warm.

Overall, though, I really enjoyed Trinity School. When John F. Kennedy was president in the early 1960s I wrote to him and he replied with a letter and photo. I was so proud when they put it up in the principal's office.

At age eight,  under mum's guidance, I started sewing, first for my dolls then myself.

Mum would  buy me as much fabric as I wanted instead of new clothes. I had  wanted to be a French teacher but it was my parents who spotted my design talent long before I did.

It was from them I received my real education. My dad, Arthur, was a world-renowned photographer, made famous at the age of 21 by a photograph he took of the depression-afflicted Dustbowl in 1936.

My mum, Grace, was a singer, seamstress, photographer and latterly gained her master's in teaching children with special needs.

Ours was a creative home. There was an organ, piano, set of drums, electric guitars, clarinet and flute in the living room. We had jam sessions every day.

My eldest brother Rob is a well known bassist and was musical director of Bob Dylan's band. My sister Annie is an artist and author, and has a company that helps people gain an education later in life. Another brother, Dan, is a guitarist, dentist and accountant.

By the time I went to junior high at  12, I was making a new dress every day. As  an honours student, I  became the photographer for the school paper  to get out and about. I could go into any class and take pictures and cover sporting events.

New Rochelle High School where I went next was famous for being burned down. A disgruntled kid  set off a bomb in the science lab.

As a result, we were taught in portable classrooms with very little heat. When another smartass tried to set them on fire too all that happened was that they smouldered because they were fire retardant.

Luckily, school was half a day long, meaning I could get a job which I did with the Singer Sewing Company. I sold fabrics, gave advice and made  evening and prom gowns.

At  16 I won  a place at Parsons School of Design  in New York. I was accepted based on my eight-year portfolio. At the same time, I studied for my bachelor's in Fine Arts and  made gowns to pay the rent.

I was the first student in my class to get a placement and was sent out to buy equipment only to nearly be mown down by a clothing rack typical of New York's garment district.

I ended up in the gutter with a very bruised ego but learned my lesson: be alert and act like you know where you're going even if you don't.

After years of being a designer I moved to Hong Kong. I was always travelling and I longed to spend more time in the city.

I retrained in colour analysis and now have my own company Savvy Style which offers advice on image, colour, fashion and style to people and corporations.  My biggest education in business came from Allan Zeman who created Lan Kwai Fong. He's a genius when it comes to work and design.

My best teacher is my husband David Lindsay who taught me how to slow down and enjoy life.

My best advice came from my parents: 'Find something you love to do every day and then figure out a way to get paid for it.'



'A kid set off a bomb in the science lab'