Michele Honein spent the first 20 years of her life on Roosevelt Drive in Bristol. She’s been elsewhere for more time than that, but when she was searching for a perfect setting for her latest shoot, the T.J. Maxx creative director knew exactly where she needed to be. 

“New York City wasn’t a fit,” said Ms. Honein, who lives in Quincy, Mass., of the campaign for the retailer’s Runway Collection, a special collection only featured in 90 T.J. Maxx stores nationwide, which focuses on apparel by high-end designers like Gucci and Valentino.

“I wanted somewhere more approachable. I kept talking about where I grew up …where I grew up …”

So she came back to where she grew up.

“Bristol is small, and so charming,” she said. “It drives home what we are trying to say, that you can bring a little bit of glamour into your everyday life. You can wear Valentino to drop your kid off at school.

“I kept thinking we needed a small town vibe … so here we are.”

The campaign carries a thread of purple, the signature color of the Runway Collection, throughout. While shooting on the playground behind the Byfield School, Ms. Honein brought in the purple by replacing the tire swing with a purple one created for the shoot. The town, she says, was incredibly helpful and accommodating. The results of the day-long shoot will be released Sept. 6 through emails, the website, and in-store promotional materials.

The 1990 graduate of St. Mary Academy Bay View credits Rogers Free Library for unintentionally setting her other professional path.

“It all started at the library, where I worked after school in high school.” Back then, she said, “No one knew what styling was — it wasn’t a career like it is now, where you go to school and study. It was just one of those jobs your parents weren’t really going to support you in.”

At the library, Ms. Honein passed the time thumbing through Women’s Wear Daily. “I just loved reading those,” she said. “That’s when I realized fashion was a business and I could make money doing this.”

Ms. Honein forged ahead with a degree in Political Science from Wheaton College before attending the Massachusetts College of Art and following her passion.

She’s been with T.J. Maxx for two and a half years. Prior to that she worked for Talbots, in visual merchandising, designing their catalog and website.

“I just became really laser-focused on fashion, and it all started at the library,” she said. “Now I’m bringing it on home — I’m so happy to be here.” Though her family moved away many years ago and her parents live nearby in Quincy, she maintains a close connection with dear friend Sandra Machado Resendes of Warren, and Ms. Resendes’ mother, Mary Jane Machado, who still lives in the same house in the old Roosevelt Drive neighborhood.

What does Ms. Honein think of Bristol today, compared to the one in her memories?

“It’s changed a lot. There are a lot more restaurants,” she said. “That’s a good thing.”