For Chloe Dao, fashion designer and winner of the Project Runwayย’s second season, Dead Poets Society was a life-changing film. ย“I dropped out of University of Houston, enrolled in Houston Community College with their fashion design program and went for a weekend in New York Cityย…it turned out to be a year,ย” she says. ย“I just called my mom and said: ย“Iย’m not coming home!ย”

The native Houstonian says she owes her success to the ย‘90s film about a group of private school boys who, thanks to a new professor (Robin Williams), realize there is more to life than grades and their parentsย’ expectations. ย“That movie really is about following your dreams and your heart and not listening to your parents,ย” Dao says and laughs. ย“The Dead Poets Society club, the motto is ย‘Got to do more, got to be more, got to see more,ย’ and I just live my life to do as much as I can ย— pretty much, that motto.ย” So, it wasnย’t something they wore? ย“No, not fashion-wise,ย” she says in between laughs. ย“But I wouldnย’t be a fashion designer without that movie. Iย’d probably be some buyer or something. ย“ Dao will introduce the film at 7 p.m. Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 1001 Bissonnet. For tickets and information, call 713-639-7515 or visit www.mfah.org. $6 to $7.

Mon., Jan. 28, 7 p.m., 2008

This article appears in Jan 24-30, 2008.