or senior Katia Tamer, it all began with a pair of silver pants. When she was young, her mother bought her silver pants that — although she didn’t appreciate until years after — truly represent Katia’s style today. Edgy, classy, and individualistic, Katia’s mother is her greatest fashion inspiration. For as long as Katia can remember, her mother has always worn extremely sophisticated and stylish outfits, no matter the occasion. Moreover, this Penn student describes her mother as having an indescribable eye for style that she seeks to develop as well. “There have been several times when we left the house in matching outfits without realizing it,” Katia admits, “since I have taken on her sense of style.”
In the summer after her freshman year, Katia worked for The RealReal, an online luxury consignment, as an e-commerce and marketing intern. Located in her home city of San Francisco, The RealReal allowed her to combine her love of fashion with her academic focus on digital marketing. From gaining business experience to learning how to spot fakes, Katia found herself surrounded by people who were extremely confident in their styles — and that confidence can be seen in Katia’s individual style today. As a junior, she decided to take the fall semester off to intern at Chanel. Once again combining fashion with marketing e-commerce, she found herself working in New York City. Unlike The RealReal, which was only a startup during Katia’s time as an intern, Chanel was a more established organization, allowing Katia to meet people who were deeply involved in the fashion scene. For Katia, both of these unique experiences have greatly contributed to her love for fashion and have taught her how to be more confident in expressing herself through her style.
Evidently, this Penn senior embraces an all-black color scheme. Not only does wearing all black make mixing and matching various pieces easier, but it also gives Katia an air of class and sophistication. Her style is very much influenced by fashion from New York City, even though she considers the West Coast her home, she loves the trends and all-black fashion found in NYC. Accessories are an important aspect of Katia’s fashion sense as well. She loves fun prints, particularly prints of skulls. She also feels incomplete without a stack of rings of her fingers and a necklace or two looped around her neck. As for her favorite places to shop, Katia loves Zara because it constantly pushes the boundaries in fashion by introducing new, bold, and trendy pieces. She lists Bloomingdales and Neiman Marcus as two other department stores that offer a selection of brands that she loves.
Fashion is a form of expression for Katia. It allows her to be creative, to destress, and to translate her personality into a visual form. Every day she chooses clothes that reflect her personality because she views her clothes as a representation of herself as an individual. Katia hopes that when we see her outfits, we will also see her as someone who is adventurous, individualistic, and approachable. And Katia, we certainly do.
—Airika Yee
Images courtesy of Kaleb Germinaro