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STYLE GURU BIO: Tess Stairiker

January 8th, 2016 at 2:00am

If I were able to make a living off of making sarcastic comments and finding funny things on the Internet, my life would probably be a lot easier. But until someone pays me to do that, I’ll just keep making coffee and doing standup while getting my degree in journalism.

It took me a while to figure out how to express myself through my outfits, thanks to my high school wardrobe consisting of ill-fitting jeans and boring T-shirts. I thought it would get easier in college since I would have my own paycheck and free reign over my clothing choices, but that freedom mostly led to a bunch of cheap body-con dresses and a slew of impulse buys.

My current style resulted from the realization that I was surrounded by a ton of awesome women, as well as the fact that I can wear black jeans in nearly every situation, from my barista job to an 8:00 a.m. class. My mom, my best friend, my roommates, my boss and my co-workers are all such incredible, self-assured women, which is what I aspire to be everyday. Why would I want to dress like anything other than my own cool self? Or somewhat cool, since I still jump whenever my laundry timer goes off.

An internship with a jewelry company didn’t hurt either, as it introduced me to the wonderful world of baubles and stones and metals (oh my!). One of my closest friends is a gemologist and she gave me a thorough education on different types of jewels, famous jewelers and the things that make every piece unique. Of course, the downside is that I’m now addicted to jewelry and watches.

I think of my personal style as casual edginess, since I could pair a leather jacket with skinny jeans just as easily as I could with some fitted sweats. My closet has a pretty limited color palette of black, grey and white with the occasional shades of burgundy and plum thrown in.

I always have jewelry on, thanks to my five (and counting) piercings and a slight obsession with silver stacking rings and necklaces.

But don’t let the dark colors and resting angry face fool you, I’m an incredibly clumsy goofball that loves to dance it out with my roommates and gorge on brownies while watching an HGTV marathon.

I can’t wait to share mine and Penn State’s style with you; in between making caffeinated beverages and stupid puns, of course.

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