When she applies for an internship at a hip fashion house, plain Jane Quimby, a high school student in suburban New York, expects to fold clothes, fetch coffee and give her resume a boost. Instead, Jane is taken for an adult and hired as an assistant to a high-powered executive in the cutthroat world of haute couture. Caught in a web of mistaken identity, Jane must balance her life in high school with her career in high fashion without spilling her secret to her editor, her BFF or anyone else.

Jane’s life might sound too good to be true—and that’s because Jane is actually the main character of ABC Family’s Jane By Design (one of the most promising new sitcoms of the spring season) and our Dec/Jan cover girl! But Erica Dasher—the Jane by Design leading lady—proves that truth is even sweeter than fiction. 

Although the two share some similarities, Erica is also learning from her character. “Jane is passionate and ambitious and clumsy and knows how to laugh at herself,” Erica says. “I think in those ways, we’re very similar.  She is also inherently a very positive person and always willing to take on a challenge. I strive to be more like that.”

Despite her flair for style, Erica says she hasn’t always been fashion forward. “My parents let me wear whatever I wanted growing up,” she admits. “It allowed me to explore and be creative and make a lot of mistakes.”

For more from Erica, check out page 50 in the Justine Dec/Jan '12 issue (grab your copy here). And don't miss the Jane by Design premiere on ABC Family January 3rd at 9/8c.

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