Grand Valley Magazine Winter 2015 - (Page 30)
Fashionisto
to Lakers
by Michele Coffill
H
George Davis
is pictured at
Fitzgeralds
Men's Store in
Breton Village
Mall in Grand
Rapids.
photos by
Bernadine
Carey-Tucker
30
Winter '15
ere's an example of
how fashion runs through
George Davis' mind.
Last fall he was shopping in
the men's section of a department
store and noticed a high school
student struggling to decide
between two different pieces
of clothing.
Davis, associate director of
Admissions, walked over to the
teen and began a conversation,
asking questions about the
occasion and his color choices.
Based on those few answers,
Davis picked out a suit for
the young man to wear to his
football banquet, and correctly
guessed his shirt size (15-inch
neck, 34-inch sleeve) without a
tape measure. The teen's mother
was so impressed, she made
arrangements to hire Davis as
a stylist for his senior photos.
Fashion and Davis are wellconnected. He and his sister
were child models for Jacobson's,
the Michigan department store
chain that many remember for
its superior customer service.
The love of trendy garments and
the thrill of a shopping hunt runs
deep in his family.
"Saturdays with my family
meant going to Hudson's," Davis
said. "My youngest memories
have involved fashion."
That doesn't mean Davis was
always sharply dressed. Like most
people who shudder when they
look back at their high school
photos, Davis said he harbors a
few fashion regrets.
"I put together some weird
combinations in the fourth and fifth
grade," he said. "I was always the
nonconforming kid who dressed
differently."
On campus, Davis often sports
colored pants, patterned shirts
and bow ties. When he's not
traveling to high school recruiting
fairs for Admissions, Davis enjoys
working as a stylist and wardrobe
consultant through his business
XVII XVII Collective. He also counsels
college students on their clothing
choices as they transition from
jeans, sweatshirts and sneakers to
a business-casual or jacket-required
work environment.
"For students, it's working with
their budget and finding things to
help give them more confidence
when they go to job interviews,"
he said.
Davis serves as advisor of a
new student organization for men
and women who are interested in
becoming models or learning more
about the fashion industry. Students
from Model Entertainment have been
tapped for Harley Davidson photo
shoots and area runway shows.
As a consultant, Davis will work
with male and female clients on a
closet purge, advising what staples
to keep and what pieces of old or
outdated clothing to toss, or as a
personal shopper, helping to build
a wardrobe or find a special
occasion outfit.
"I love it, I have always known I would
be doing this someday," he said.
Davis describes his own style
as eclectic. "I can be very classic
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Grand Valley Magazine Winter 2015
Campus News
Athletics
Donor Impact
Arts
RMSC celebrates silver anniversary
Get a job
Another man's treasure
YGR
Research
Sustainability
Q&A George Grant Jr.
Off the Path
Focal Point
Alumni News
Grand Valley Magazine Winter 2015
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/GVMagazineSpring2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/GVMagazineWinter2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/GVMagazineFall2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/GVMagazineSummer2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/GVMagazineSpring2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/Spring2016GVMagazine
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/Winter2016GVMagazine
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/2015FallGVMagazine
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/Summer2015GVMagazine
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/GVMSpring2015
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/GVMwinter2015
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/Grandvalley/GVMFall2014
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/Grandvalley/grandvalleymagazine
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/spring2014
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/winter2014
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/fall_2013
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com