SHINING

That’s a transforming revelation for a woman who has skillfully crafted a career in high-end fashion, working with Hollywood A-listers.

When you meet Berg, who pronounces her name “AH-jhee,” you can’t help but notice the light in her eyes and the inner beauty which emanates from deep within. Whether she’s in skinny jeans, a floral bohemian blouse and sneakers or dressed to the nines in Lanvin, Berg exudes femininity.

Growing up in a small town in Virginia, Berg always knew she wanted to be in fashion. Her parents had immigrated from India years before, becoming United States citizens, and her father, through hard work, advanced in the sectors of education and government. It was her stylish father who helped inspire Berg’s love of fashion and she adored accompanying him to shop for clothes. Berg still remembers begging her dad as a 7-year-old to buy her Vogue magazine.

She graduated from the University of Arizona in Tucson with a degree in marketing. Berg moved to Los Angeles, landing a job on the spot in Nordstrom’s designer department without any designer retail experience. The choice between the fashion meccas of New York and Los Angeles was easy. “I chose L.A. over New York because I didn’t want to be in freezing weather. Can you believe it?” she says, with a laugh.

Berg advanced to a designer boutique in Beverly Hills and then to the exclusive Barneys New York in the heart of Beverly Hills. Barneys would remain her fashion home for all but one of the next 14 years. She spent that year as a personal shopper at Prada in Beverly Hills and returned for the pinnacle job of personal shopper for Barneys’ VIP clientele.

At Barneys, there was no typical day. One day she might help Victoria Beckham find the perfect pair of shoes. Another day, Berg might work with some of the world’s elite designers, such as Alber Albaz from Lanvin and the iconic shoe designer Christian Louboutin. And still another day, a bigwig studio exec might call and ask Berg to select and wrap a gift for Matt Damon — in 15 minutes. From shopping for Christmas gifts for Harrison Ford’s family to selecting gowns for celebrities’ wives and studio heads to walk the red carpet at the Oscars, to helping everyday L.A. moms and working women, Berg reveled in her work.

She knew the rush of wearing thousand-dollar designer outfits in Manolo Blahnik stilettos, but she also felt a sense of emptiness when the fashion high wore off. The fast pace of her career and lifestyle blurred the passing of years to the point where Berg almost missed fulfilling her heart’s greatest desire. She recalls a turning point that occurred in 2006, “After a long day at work I came home, dropped to my knees and cried out for God to help me. I was so consumed by my career and lifestyle, I wondered if I had missed my opportunity to have what I wanted most ... the love of a family.” A few days later she encountered Fargo native Chris Berg at a restaurant in L.A. “It was definitely divine intervention. We felt an instant bond. He was kind, smart and spiritual, not to mention handsome!” Berg says.

The two married one year later. “Chris helped lead me to faith. It has been my walk with Christ that profoundly changed the course of my life,” she says. Two years later, they welcomed their miracle baby, Isabella.

Having Isabella stirred Chris, like many parents, to want to make the world a better place. Chris received a chance offer for a job in politics in his home state. While stunned by the prospect, she intuitively knew it was the right thing for their family. Berg decided to set aside her career for motherhood and the new opportunity for her husband, and she experienced the growth that comes through sacrifice.

The Bergs arrived in Fargo in 2010, and her first year proved to be a hard transition. The weather was colder than Berg had ever encountered and she often dealt with loneliness as Chris worked most of the day. The former celebrity shopper now dressed in skinny jeans and a T-shirt, toting her precious baby instead of a Chanel bag. Even with the joy of finally having a family, Berg struggled as she tried to move forward and forge her new identity.

Her closet overflowed with unpacked boxes of Christian Louboutin shoes and Lanvin silk dresses but without her job, friends and L.A. lifestyle, Berg had nowhere to wear them. She decided to part with some of her treasure and cleaned her closet, minimizing to what she really wore and to what was most special. Berg discovered letting go of what she no longer needed from her former life to be surprisingly freeing. "It was not only an outward cleansing, but also it was an inward cleansing. I realized I wasn't defined by the clothes I wore. Connecting to the person I was on the inside is what would truly make me feel beautiful," Berg says.

During the peak of her loneliness, Berg was strolling with Isabella into a store and noticed a copy of Area Woman magazine. She began to read the story of the beautiful woman on the cover, who like Berg, had moved to Fargo and struggled with her new identity. Inspired by how the woman was now making a difference in the community, Berg decided to step out in faith.

ot long afterward, Berg began writing a monthly fashion column for The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead and started her own personal styling business in 2011. Two years later, she became the guest personal stylist on “North Dakota Today,” a morning program co-hosted by her husband on Fargo TV station KVLY. Berg had an epiphany preparing for one of the bi-monthly segments. Instead of dressing people in high-end clothing, she would study the latest trends and find clothes that looked like designer clothes, but at an affordable price. “My new focus would be how to get celebrity looks for less,” Berg says.

“I realized that whether someone lives in Beverly Hills or Fargo, we all want the same thing, to look and feel our best. And that is what fashion does. It can transform you, give you confidence and truly light up your whole world,” Berg says.