Alexandra Lakhman is a senior at the Fashion Institute of Technology. The New Jersey native loves New York. “You can embrace who you are here,” she said. “So many women have their own outlook on fashion and the city has given me the confidence to embrace who I am and what my style is.” But, Lexi isn’t your average twenty-two-year-old. When she isn’t studying in school you can find her modeling for Jovani Fashions or working on her blog, “By Lex: All Things Fashion & Beauty.”Lexi is a Miss New Jersey USA contestant and has placed in the top 5 at the state competition for the past six years. She attributes the success of her blog to her pageant experiences. Her fellow pageant competitors, as well as her Instagram followers, began to ask Lexi where she shopped. As a result she launched her blog, “By Lex: All Things Fashion & Beauty.” “I wanted to inspire people that is possible to be fashionable without spending a million bucks. Fashion is so important because it allows you to express who you are.” “By Lex: All Things Fashion & Beauty,” consists of outfits Lexi has bought and styled. She models her wardrobe, and then posts links to the stores she bought them so her fans can achieve the same look.Two years ago Lexi went to an open casting to become a Jovani It Girl, which is an annual competition held by Jovani Fashions to discover new models. The competition attracts thousands of women nation-wide. “Never in my wildest dreams did I believe I could actually win and model for an international company,” said Lexi. The odds were against Lexi as she is a size 0 and 5’6, and Jovani models are typically a size 4 and 5’8. She was told she was too short to be a model and would never win the Jovani It Girl competition. She defied the odds, and has been working for Jovani Fashions ever since.Lexi posed for a potential buyer in the Jovani Fashions showroom. The buyers make orders if they like the dress the models wear. Lexi enjoys modeling, but it doesn’t come without its downfalls. “Being a model you always have to wear makeup, and I hate makeup. I think it’s just because I am too lazy to put it on,” she said jokingly. She also finds modeling interferes with school often. “I am late to today’s showroom modeling because I had International Economics.”As a result of modeling for Jovani Fashions Lexi has become a social media influencer with 10K followers on Instagram. She considers herself a public figure that young women can look up to. She posts about brands that she uses and loves. “I just share brands I believe in and then my followers can choose to use the product or not,” said Lexi. She also posts valuable life lessons, and of course photos of Jovani gowns.“Everyone who works at Jovani Fashions has become my second family. I have found my best friends here,” said Lexi. She plans to continue to model for Jovani Fashions, but one day Lexi hopes to be the editor and chief of her own fashion magazine that celebrates women of all different sizes to love the skin that they are in.
She Who Dares 