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AGE: 29 |
As a Midwest representative for the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, a design school in Los Angeles, Mel Muoio is charged with persuading talented young people to apply. She also works as a freelance fashion stylist and is an assistant editor for the Chicago edition of UrbanDaddy.com, an urban lifestyle website for men. “I’m a busy bee,” says the Detroit native, who until recently lived in Boston. “I love the East Coast, [but] a lot of my Detroit friends have moved to Chicago, so I wanted to move.” She has her favorite stores (Tangerine, Penelope’s, and Intermix) and her favorite food spots (Big Star, Maude’s Liquor Bar, and Girl & the Goat). But Muoio is not thrilled with her romantic life. “I can never find a date here,” she laments, citing one too many encounters with the “frat boy mentality.” She’s looking for a guy who’s in tune with the arts, culture, and what’s happening in the city. “Smart, sophisticated, funny,” she says. “And tall is good.”
Photograph: Maria Ponce