A love for leggings: Emily Stetson

Students at Central Michigan all have their own personal style. As you hustle to class, do you ever wonder where your fellow Chippewas shop, how they dress to impress on college student budgets, or what their favorite thing to wear is?

Student Style Spotlights will feature your everyday Chippewa, outlining their personal style, where they shop and more, to help you get to know your fellow students on a fashionable basis.

This week, the spotlight is on Emily Stetson.

Stetson is a junior from Lathrup Village, who has made style part of her personal identity. Though she is majoring in Commercial Recreation with a double minor in Management and Leadership, she leaves a little time for stylish independent studies.

Stetson, a resident assistant in Carey Hall, says that comfort is her main focus, and style comes second.

Dressed in black and white Aztec print leggings, a black top and a black sweater, Stetson explained that wearing solids with printed leggings allows her to maximize comfort and capitalize on style.

“I really like to be comfortable, so I wear a lot of leggings and sweaters,” she said. “I went through a phase where I was like, ‘I really need some printed leggings,’ so I bought like a million of them.”

However, Stetson explained that she recently shook things up a bit and started wearing more black and dark-colored leggings.

Stetson explained that her switch from printed to solid-colored leggings has changed how she wears one thing she loves almost as much as leggings; patterns.

“If I’m wearing patterned leggings, I’ll wear solid colors in the rest of my outfit; but if I’m wearing solid-colored leggings, I’ll wear a patterned shirt.”

Although Mount Pleasant is not exactly a fashion hub, Stetson still manages to look her best on a daily basis.

“I get a lot of stuff from Forever 21,” she said. “My sweaters and stuff I get from Goodwill; that’s where I get a lot of my solid clothes.”

Stetson gave a few pointers on how to get the most out of Forever 21 and Goodwill, explaining how she shops both in-store and online.

“Whenever Forever 21 is having a sale, I get a little carried away,” Stetson said.

Still, despite the overwhelming sales at Forever 21, Stetson says, “I usually only buy stuff when I know I need something. If I need a black sweater, I’ll go specifically for a black sweater.”

And when she needs a sweater, her first stop is Goodwill; a favorite here in Mount Pleasant. Stetson seems to have a good handle on how to shop the popular thrift store.

“I always go for the sweater section,” she said.

She said she will sometimes shop the men’s sweaters, as she noticed that she usually likes a lot of the sweaters Goodwill has in that section.

However, not all her beloved sweaters are from Goodwill, though her favorite sweater is also pre-owned.

Stetson’s favorite article of clothing is a black sweater splattered with a gold paint-splatter print. She explained that it was her mom’s when she was young. She said the sweater had once been long, but that she cut it and tied one bottom corner, altering the sweater to fit her personal style.

It happens that Stetson alters her clothing quite often.

Just like her mom’s old sweater, Stetson altered a Beastie Boys T-shirt she got this summer, so she would actually wear it.

“I never wore it before, but now I wear it all the time,” she said.

Things like making comfort the basis of her ensembles and altering her clothing to fit her personal style brings on one question: What is Stetson’s personal style?

“I just kind of do whatever I’m comfortable with. If I think something’s cute, I’ll just throw something else on with it,” she said.

Stetson said she bought a teal blazer that added a little fun to her wardrobe.

“I was like, ‘This is so awesome, I love this so much,’ but then I realized that I don’t really wear anything that would match it. So I just go with it and fake some matching,” Stetson said with a chuckle.

Though she feels that she is bad with following trends, this “flaw” allows Stetson to dress for comfort with a free spirit, making her wardrobe pliable and open for changes. What does she like most about her personal style?

“I don’t follow rules. I’m free spirited with it, and kind of do whatever I want. That’s what I like about my style.”