During Martin Luther King Day festivities last week, I had the great honor of befriending Jeremy Carter. He is currently a senior at Eastern Michigan University, majoring in history and double minoring in political science and apparel, textile and merchandising.
When I first met him I was immediately struck by his keen, fearless fashion sense and bright personality. It was clear Carter was precisely the kind of interesting personality and killer wardrobe to be worthy of notice.
He showed up to our interview clad in a navy blue J Crew cardigan, his signature glasses and a red gingham shirt. About the color red, he said, “It’s really a statement color. A lot of people are afraid to wear it.”
Being courageous in your clothing selection was a theme that kept coming up throughout our conversation.
“A lot of the time, I like finding things that people are afraid to wear,” Carter began, “and I try to pull them together as tastefully as possible.”
Describing his style as “preppy, edgy and eclectic,” Carter is savvy in the ways of fashion. He is perfectly capable of talking for hours about his favorite styles, his biggest inspiration (who, by the way, is fashion blogger Susie Bubble) and his preferred place to shop—the Internet.
“I definitely prefer online shopping,” he said. “There are certain things online that you won’t be able to find in stores. You can get items shipped to you very fast.”
One of Carter’s strengths is his eye for mixing and matching colors in a pleasing way. He cites neutrals such as gray and navy blue (which, he added, goes together nicely with black) as strong colors that look great with just about anything.
I asked him to provide the male readers with a little advice on how to make their everyday clothing choices a bit more interesting and flattering. So what were his wise words? Don’t be afraid of color or fitted pants.
“You can wear a watch that’s pink or a tie that’s purple,” Carter said. “You don’t always have to wear baggy jeans.”
Some other suggestions include brown dress shoes, which he insists every guy should own at least one pair of. To class, he recommended a gray sweatshirt, jeans and brown boots, while his formal outfit of choice was a dark gray suit, red tie, brown belt and shoes and a white shirt.
It’s safe to say Carter has always had a great sense of style. Or is it?
“One thing I can say was definitely a fashion faux-pas was that I used to buy shoes that were a lot too big,” Carter said. “I have shoes from high school that were a size 11 — I’m really a size 8.”
His involvement with Fashionality and Fashion Avenue, the fashion organizations on campus, also sparked much conversation.
He has had plenty of experience putting together fashion shows with the aforementioned organizations that showcase up-and-coming designers from the Michigan area. The process of organizing one of these events is one that takes approximately three long months of planning, budgeting, fundraising and work.
About a show he organized as part of Fashionality, he said, “We became a family in such a short amount of time.”
In the future, Carter dreams of doing activist work and campaigning for civil rights organizations.
“There’s no way I can sit by while injustices are being committed against my community.”
He also tries to maintain a non-judgmental attitude about other people’s appearances, valuing the expression and uniqueness displayed through choice of clothes.
“It’s so easy to judge people and negatively critique people on what they are wearing. Try to see the positive aspects of people’s clothing, because they are expressing themselves.”
Perhaps Carter’s simplest, yet most overlooked tip is one we are all capable of incorporating into our everyday life — being friendly and reachable.
“I’m never in a bad mood,” Carter said.
Perhaps a smile really is the best accessory.
