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Wearing a pair of maroon jeans, bright red Converse, and a soft pink hoodie with a dinosaur and meteor embroidered on the chest, Sam Katz ’19 completes his outfit with a jacket displaying the world map in bright colors.
“Sam’s fashion really reflects his personality: chill, but quirky and bright. I think he takes a lot of pride in that. He doesn’t dress like anyone else. His style is a cool combination of high fashion streetwear with casual comfy things. [It’s] a little weird but in an endearing way — quirky. He wears very bright colors, usually ones that you wouldn’t pair normally,” said Jess Blumenthal ’19, a friend of Katz.
Katz’s fashion choices rely heavily on colors, and he often bases what he wears for the day on the color scheme of his jacket. According to Katz, he especially enjoys wearing clothing that follows a light red or pink color scheme in part to subvert gender expectations.
“I’ve always been drawn to pink and light red tones, [and] I’ve always hated the notion that certain colors are off limits to me as a boy and I rebel against that in my outfits. For example, purple is my favorite color, though I regrettably don’t own much purple clothing, and people often point out to me how often I wear bright pastel pieces,” said Katz.
Katz also draws inspiration from rapper Tyler the Creator whose outfits seem to rebel against the conformity of society.
“I really like the style of like Tyler the Creator, I’m really into his color and ambitious ways of questioning the status quo. I wouldn’t say that I would copy or modify his style, but he’s someone that I admire in the way that he really doesn’t just conform to the status quo in any way, not even a fashion world status quo. It’s his own thing,” said Katz
Katz derives his style from thrift shops and online stores, often purchasing bold pieces that he thinks will help complete an ambitious outfit. His most experimental piece includes a dark green lined jacket with flannel patterns that he found at a thrift store. While it’s missing half of its buttons and stands out from what he usually wears, its potential as an eye-catching piece has made it one of Katz’s signature articles of clothing.
“I always look for what I haven’t seen before. I am always on the lookout for things that I can see myself wearing, and I challenge myself to see what I can wear. Sometimes I end up wearing some ridiculous outfits and sometimes I go out and have a really good adventurous outfit, and it works,” said Katz.
In addition to bold and eye-catching outerwear, some of Katz’s other signature pieces include bright and bold jackets or blazers, which complement his colorful wardrobe.
“One of my favorite pieces is this blue velvet blazer that I wear that I got at a thrift shop for eight bucks, but it looks nice too… In terms of what I regularly wear, [my favorite piece would] probably be my fake Supreme jacket that’s a map of the world. It’s one of my iconic pieces because it’s easy to pick me out when I wear it,” said Katz.
T.WEI/THE PHILLIPIAN
