Gretchen Monahan, known to friends as Gretta, first made a name for herself in the late 1990s with her successful chain of Gretta Cole salons in the Boston area. In 2000, her knowledge and love of fashion prompted the opening of Gretta Luxe, an upscale boutique featuring shoes, clothes, and accessories from celebrated European and American designers. Gretchen’s style empire, Gretta Enterprises, expanded in 2003 when she created GSpa, an express spa for the young, hip, and time-pressed that offers efficient “mini” treatments with full VIP service.

Today, Gretchen appears weekly as a style expert on the Rachael Ray Show, and is co host of Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style. She has contributed to The Ellen DeGeneres Show and The View, and her beauty and fashion advice has been featured in W Magazine, Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, Elle, and Self. In 2005, Dove tapped Gretchen to consult on its “Campaign for Real Beauty.”

Gretchen began her fashion career at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology, but left before graduation to pursue her entrepreneurial plans. She recently graduated from the Owners/President/Management program at Harvard Business School. Gretchen lives in Boston to manage her ever-growing business endeavor, but travels frequently to New York.

Kevin Christiana is the head designer and partner of the label MYNT 1792 by Kevin Christiana, a premium designer lifestyle brand currently available at Scoop boutiques and National Jean Company online. Some may know him best as a contestant on Project Runway Season 4, or for his frequent appearances on the Rachael Ray Show.

At 26 years old, Kevin started his first labels, KEVIN CHRISTIANA and KJEANS. These collections have sold to approx 200 boutiques nationwide. KJEANS debuted on the cover of the Victoria’s Secret fall 2006 catalog.

Kevin studied at New York City’s Fashion Institute of Technology, where he won the Menswear Designer of the Year grant. He is a first generation Italian-American, whose family hails from Ciminna, Sicily, and is made up of many tailors and seamstresses. Having been taught to sew by his Aunt Ida Lasusa, Kevin uses a design aesthetic that combines classic European tailoring with his own edgy twist. He draws inspiration from daily life in Gotham City and his travels around the world. Says Kevin, “I love art, architecture, and people; they inspire me the most!”

Emmett McCarthy first gained national exposure in 2006 on the second season of Bravo’s hit show, Project Runway,
after beating out thousands of hopefuls for a chance to participate in the grueling design competition. Drawing on over twenty years of experience in the fashion industry, he showed America that he was a stylish and talented designer and ended his participation perfectly poised to start the next phase of his career.

Immediately following his stint on Project Runway, Emmett launched EMc2 and opened his flagship boutique on Elizabeth Street in Manhattan’s chic Nolita district. The EMc2 store established itself quickly as destination shopping for New York’s fashion cognoscenti and celebrities from Debra Messing to Heidi Klum. The store is the center of his creative philosophy. His most recent venture is the successful launch in 2008 of his Equation line of handbags on QVC.

Emmett’s vision of American sportswear has clean lines and feminine touches along with the flawless tailoring, fabrication, and refined details that define investment dressing for a dynamic lifestyle.

Tonya Chen Mezrich hosts the new weekly TV show Style Boston on NECN. Her segment within the show is called FASHION FORWARD and covers all topics concerning fashion and beauty in the Boston area. Tonya is a non-practicing dentist who also spends her time designing original jewelry for her jewelry label—Jewel Design By Tonya. She learned all the skills she uses to design jewelry while in Dental School at Tufts. In addition, she is the HOT LIST columnist for Boston Common Magazine, and was named one of the Boston Globe’s top 25 most stylish people.

In her spare time, Tonya is involved with the MFA Museum Council and the Animal Rescue League of Boston. She serves as co-chair for the Boston Ballet Young Partners group and sits on the editorial advisory board for Mochi Magazine. Tonya also works with the Petpals program, bringing trained therapy dog Bugsy for regular visits to the Susan Baillis Home. She and her husband, Ben Mezrich, author of New York Times Bestsellers The Accidental Billionaires and Bringing Down the House—on which the film 21 was based—reside in the Back Bay.

Lisa Pierpont is the founder and editor-in-chief of Boldfacers.com. Prior to Boldfacers.com, Lisa was a three-time Emmy Award-winning producer for the Chronicle show, a nightly newsmagazine on WCVB-TV, the ABC affiliate in Boston. During her 15 year tenure, she produced half-hour shows on art theft, autism, the death penalty, last-chance schools for troubled teens, and the inside workings of the Atlantic Monthly. Besides once boarding a freak-out supersonic flight on the Concorde and surviving a tricky landing on a tiny airstrip in St. Barth, Lisa also profiled a Harvard professor hunting extraterrestrials, an author in search of his homeless father, and a child of Chernobyl seeking a new start in America. For the show, she traveled all over the United States as well as Venice, London, Paris, and the Caribbean.

A graduate of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, Lisa also contributes to various publications, including DailyCandy.com, Boston Common Magazine, the Boston Globe (“Ask the Sartorialist” columnist), the Improper Bostonian, and continues to freelance produce for Chronicle.