Konnichiwa, Fashionistas/os and welcome to my bio page. My name is Silvia Dykstra and it’s my third semester as a Style Guru for the University of South Florida. Being a Style Guru has been a great way for me to grow as a fashion lover while making important connections in the fashion industry as well.
So, here’s a little bit about me. I was born and raised in Nihon, also known as Japan. It is actually almost my third year living in the states, and I miss my home country in the far east each and every day. Since I lived on Camp Zama, a U.S. military base in Sagamihara, I had a unique childhood. Due to the frequent deployments of active duty soldiers, most of my friends moved every two to three years, making it hard to create deep connections among friends. Although this was the case, I was able to make such a wide range of connections and learn about so many cultures and customs of my friends who now live all around the world.
During my middle school years, I really wanted a paying job. Now, living in a foreign country on a military base, the options for job opportunities were very limited. It was either newspaper delivery or babysitting, thus I thought “I live near Tokyo, so why not modeling?” Soon after, I signed up at a modeling and acting agency in Shibuya and began auditioning for jobs in the city. I have to say that the first year and a half was rough. I actually didn’t book a single job, but I kept going to auditions and giving my all, and finally I booked my first job. Soon one job turned into two, three and many more.
My initial thought was that modeling is so easy since all you need to do is sit and look pretty. WRONG. By working, I learned that modeling includes sitting in an uncomfortable position for an hour straight, to freezing your butt wearing summer clothes in the middle of winter. Thus, modeling isn’t as easy as people assume it to be. On the other hand, working as a model, I learned about all of the hard work and creative passion that goes into photoshoots and creating fashion magazine spreads.
Choosing what colors, designs and photos go where, the creative director’s job seemed to interesting and exactly what I wanted to do. Hence, upon graduating, I want to be a creative director for a fashion magazine in Tokyo, Japan. I know the job is a stretch, but I believe that no dream is too big as long as you are willing to give it your all. As Walt Disney would say “If you can dream it, you can do it!”
My go-to outfit, which I am wearing above, is my favorite camo jacket paired with my combat boots topped with a comfy beanie. Comfortable but stylish, just the way I like it.
