During the fall months, senior Kami Koetsier loves to rummage through each article of clothing on the racks at Goodwill and shop for big grandpa sweaters in the men’s section.

Once she has selected her bunch of clothes, Kami will make any necessary alterations and style the up-cycled sweater in a comfy pair of leggings and possibly her UGG slippers or clogs.

“It is so comfy, but it’s also cute and it’s something different,” Kami said. “I always get compliments on my sweaters, [I] love those. I love to find unique pieces at the thrift store and sometimes, if it needs a little cropping, I’ll do that or cut [parts] off.”

Fashion is a topic Kami feels strongly on and uses her knowledge to dress the perfect way: comfy but well-dressed. At five foot ten inches, Kami is slightly taller than her boyfriend, and in the past, she has struggled immensely with being taller than her friends. 

In middle school specifically, it was hard to force herself to wear what her friends wore, given that they were much shorter than Kami and no clothes seemed to look the same. This left Kami uncomfortable in the clothes she wore, and ultimately, left her viewing her height in a negative way for a while. 

“Fashion is important because ever since I started dressing in my own way, I would feel so much better about myself,” Kami said. “I found ways to flatter myself with different types of clothing and it gave me a lot more confidence. And you know, you never have a good day if you don’t like your outfit. So, it’s important for me to feel pretty and comfortable but also put together. That’s why I just like fashion: it can really change the way I feel about myself. I can have the worst day if I don’t like my outfit, so that’s why it’s so important to me.”

Slouching and wearing sweatshirts wasn’t an option any longer for Kami, and she was ultimately trying to branch out and find confidence in her height. Transitioning from an uncomfortable style forced upon her to one of her own expressions made Kami realize just how important her height is. 

Now, Kami styles herself to accentuate her height, reaching for comfortable pieces she loves. She tends to stick with neutral colors, however, Kami isn’t afraid to include an extra pop of color to create a cohesive, comfy look. 

“I wanted to do my own thing,” Kami said. “I would see things that were cute on Pinterest, TikTok, [or] Instagram, and it definitely made me a lot more confident dressing how I like rather than trying to stick with what everyone else [liked] to wear.”

Throughout high school, Kami has been slowly discovering new concepts and continuing to evolve her wardrobe, never looking back on trying to dress to blend in and “be normal.” 

Kami feels much better about her overall style, now that she has decided to step out of her old comfort zone and dress to only her approval. Not only does she now see the beauty, but Kami’s confidence is guiding her to a much brighter outlook for the upcoming future. 

“When I started to be interested in fashion, I would look [and] see all the tall models and looked at what they were wearing, what flattered them, [and] what made them more confident,” Kami said. “Ever since I’ve started to go out of my comfort zone a little bit and [started] dressing in a way that made me [feel] better about myself, I’ve been a lot more confident.” 

Kami doesn’t consider herself a huge fashionista, but she keeps up with what celebrities are wearing and what’s trending, but most importantly, Kami is proud that she isn’t letting her height get in the way of her confidence anymore. 

“Now, I love being tall and it makes my outfits even better,” Kami said. “I always get compliments on my height now, whereas I felt like before, they’d be like, ‘Oh, you’re so tall,’ but now, when I’m wearing something cute, they’re like, ‘Oh my gosh. You look like a model,’ and then it just makes me feel so much better about myself.”