by Michele Coffill

photos by Bernadine Carey-Tucker

Here’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 well-connected.

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Davis will work with male and female clients on a closet purge, advising what staples to keep and what pieces of old or outdated clothing to toss, or as a personal shopper, helping to build a wardrobe or find a special occasion outfit.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 and very street,” he said, adding he’s just as comfortable in deconstructed jeans and a plain T-shirt as he is in a white dinner jacket with a velvet bow tie.

He is an avid reader of men’s magazines GQ and Esquire and said he appreciates how far men’s fashion has come in the past few years, but there’s one trend he rather dislikes. “Things are more tailored now and the silhouettes are cleaner, but that doesn’t fit everyone’s body type,” he said.

Follow Davis’ advice and looks on Twitter and Instagram @ XVIIXVIICOLLECTIVE and on Pinterest at Mr. XVII XVII.

The things he likes are many: color in men’s clothing, prints, polka dots, accessories and layering pieces. “I love accessories for men: cuff links, bracelets; I call it a liberation — it’s dandy mixed with androgyny,” Davis said.

Davis’ wife, Elicia, enjoys shopping but he said he continues to surprise her with items she may not have chosen herself.

His advice for shoppers who wander malls and boutique shops in search of treasures is classic.

“Pay extra for good denim. Good jeans will last a long time. You can’t put a price on your feet; wear shoes that have solid construction and your feet will thank you,” Davis said.

From the runway to the studio

Three members of the student organization Model Entertainment posed for a quick fashion shoot at University Communications.

Bennie Rambin

Rambin is club president, and a communications major from Detroit. He said he started Model Entertainment as an outlet for his passion for fashion.

Aside from prepping students for fashion or runway shows, the organization helps build self-esteem through what Rambin called “confidence improvers.”

Kiara Clark

Clark is a social work major from Chicago. A veteran model, Clark has been in more than 100 fashion shoots and played a role in a reality show called “Chicagolicious,” which aired on the Style Network.

Clark is the vice president of Model Entertainment.

Talia Wood

Wood is a hospitality and tourism management major from Dexter. She joined the group looking for more experience with modeling.

Wood, who used to play volleyball for the Lakers, said she enjoys shopping at consignment stores and is learning to be more creative with re-purposing her outfits.