Students were greeted with a surprising sight when they arrived at school on Friday, May 11. Annie Faucher, Hollis Brookline High School French teacher, was running out of the school building in three-inch heels, pushing an empty, blue shopping cart into the road. Although it was an odd scene, it only added to Faucher’s reputation as the epitome of fashion and wearing high heels even when inconvenient.

Faucher is also known among her students for wearing different outfits every day for long periods of time- up to a year, according to some reports from Faucher fans. One student wrote down everything that Faucher wore for several months and insists that the French teacher never repeated herself. “She never wears the same thing twice, and it always matches,” said Kieran Mulligan ‘18, who was a student of Faucher’s for two years. “She’s an icon.”

Students have voiced their observations of Faucher’s stylistic abilities to other teachers, especially in the language department. “It was one of my first years here [when I noticed her clothes],” said Elissa McCormick, the other HBHS French teacher. “Students mentioned that [Faucher] never wears the same outfit. If you pay attention, it’s true.”

Faucher apparently knows of the student obsession with her clothing, though perhaps not to the full extent. “I know [students] like to see my shoes- I think everyone knows I have way too many. They always make jokes about it,” she said. Students and teachers guessed that Faucher has between three and four hundred shoes and individual outfits, but Faucher herself said that she lost count- though the number is in the hundreds. “I probably have one [outfit] for every day of the year, if not more.”

Her pursuit of fashion is lifelong. “I don’t remember not loving shoes and purses and clothes,” Faucher said. “I was a kid and I would wear my mother’s high heels.” As her family rarely bought her the stylish clothes she wanted, she found another solution. Babysitting from the age of nine, she used much of her spare money to buy clothes and accessories. “I would go to the clothing store and buy my little extras whenever I could.”

Where does Faucher keep her hundreds of outfits and shoes? She has two walk-in closets: one in her main house, and one in her basement. “I have to switch my clothes from the basement closet twice a year,” she said. While switching this season’s clothes to her main closet and last season’s to the basement, Faucher combs through her outfits and donates to any charities accepting clothing donations.

In fact, that’s what she was doing with the shopping cart. That Friday, Faucher had eight trash bags filled with clothing and shoes in her car. Using a shopping cart borrowed from Mrs. Hancock, she made two trips to donate the bags of clothes to the HB the Change club. Why was she running? “As soon as I’m behind [a shopping cart], I have to run because I hate grocery shopping. I always run through the grocery store,” she said, then started laughing while defending her athletic footwear. “Those are my most comfortable high heels. They’re good for running.”

Faucher has been on a course to own hundreds of pairs of shoes since she was young, and she’s come a long way from her first shopping trips at nine years old. Despite her objectionable description of high heels as “comfortable,” Faucher will (and should!) maintain her school-wide reputation as a fierce, takes-no-nonsense woman who wears heels on hikes and never repeats outfits. After all, it’s something she deserves to be recognized for.