As a kid, I thought my older sister, Dia Ahmad ’23 had a terrible style. She would wear awkward fitting clothes, chunky shoes, and oversized coats. I saw the potential, but her outfits looked terrible on paper. I thought to myself, “unless she has some crazy epiphany, her style is going to be trash for life.” On the first day of school this year, she changed my mind.
What makes her style hers is that she doesn’t only borrow from trends, she’s constantly experimenting with the unconventional. She can go from pearl necklaces, thrifted dresses, mary jane shoes and leg warmers to baggy Maison Margiela trousers and old polo shirts. She doesn’t actively avoid trends either. Her opinion is that, “if a trend speaks to you, do it. Even tweak it a bit so you can make it yours. But if you’re following a trend just so you don’t look bad…” She followed this statement with laughter.
When asking about what inspires her, she tends to pause and blankly state “I don’t know. I wear what I like and if I see something that looks good I wanna copy it and make it my own. I watched a lot of anime and cartoons as a kid. Maybe that.” Dia is a huge fan of the anime Nana. The show takes heavy inspiration from the brand Vivienne Westwood, which is also the brand of ring that Dia wears on her hand everyday.
Dia does not believe that money can buy someone’s style. Many people purchase fake Vivienne Westwood jewelry because they’re in love with the Saturn-like orb on the logo. Her opinion on this is, “I think everyone deserves to look good no matter what their financial situation is like. I buy fakes myself, but the only reason I bought this ring is because I had enough money, it looks super cool, and it was my middle school dream.”
Despite her opinion on the relationship between money and style, her biggest dream right now is to possess a pair of Maison Margiela tabi boots. She’s always been into unique styles but was too scared to experiment. However, she has a confident mindset now.
Her celebrity style influences are Seulgi from Red Velvet and V from BTS. As for more mainstream celebs, these include Dev Hynes, Faye Wong, and Bella Hadid.
She spends a lot of time going through my dad’s and my wardrobe, looking to see if she can turn random clothing items into an outfit. She stole her dad’s necktie, a brown jacket, and printed pants in order to reenact Hoyeon Jung’s Louis Vuitton runway look.
Her biggest tips for anyone trying to get into fashion can be condensed into a few points. In summary, she said to not be scared to try new things. “Break your comfort zone from time to time. If your outfit draws attention, then let it. Try new colors and don’t let people dictate how to dress based on your skin tone or body type. You don’t need big brands on your feet to look good. You just need to mess around a little and be confident.”
