A third-generation Manhattanite, Nina Harper grew up in a family that had been in the fashion business for fifteen generations. She did not leave the city until, at sixteen, she went to study in France, where she learned shopping in the finest boutiques, and in Rome, where she discovered the joys of Italian clothes and shoes. Today Harper lives a short subway ride from Barney's, Kate Spade, and Versace. Since a girl can't shop and sip cocktails all the time, she teaches at a local university.