When it comes to fashion, junior Felicia Sutherland approaches style in a different way than most. Keeping a tight hold on her wallet, Sutherland strays from the Eckerd norm of belly-bearing tops and outlandish styles of some to maintain a fashionable look on a budget.
“I would describe my style as reserved and laid-back,” Sutherland says. “[Usually] I just put on clothes in the morning and go. I like fashion, but I don’t like spending lots of money.”
Lately, however, fashion has been playing a larger role in her life as she makes efforts to dress to impress with classier styles to match the recent success of her boyfriend, Dale Carn, who currently plays international basketball in Chile.
“It comes from watching too much basketball wives and fashion shows,” she laughs. “I work for Avon, and I see all these women wearing nice clothes and dressing well. Now my boyfriend is going to be in the limelight a little more, so I think I need to learn to dress classy and sophisticated so I can represent him well.”
Though the weather is cooling down for fall, this New Jersey girl’s excitement for fashion is heating up as we enter her favorite fashion season. Her fall wardrobe includes boots, long sleeves and colors like browns and maroons. If you happen to catch her around campus, Southerland is most likely wearing one of her signature sweaters.
“I always have some kind of jacket or shawl on,” she says. “It’s cold in the classrooms, and I need something to keep me warm. I love that fall fashion keeps me warm.” When picking out an outfit, Sutherland has a pragmatic method of selection. “Whatever is cheapest but looks nice,” she says. “I have to have coupons. And I’m very picky. I’ll pick up ten things and before I get to the register I’ll put back half of them because they’re not worth the money.”
Frugality hardly knocks her out of the fashion game. To maintain a personal style, Sutherland opts for unique accessories like large, decorated handbags. “I love handbags. I want a bag I can fit my whole life in,” she says. “I want bags that I feel like not everyone’s going to have. I don’t want a plain bag, I want pockets and stuff on it, not just one color or one plain design.” She has similar taste in earrings. Southerland says she’s fond of anything out of the ordinary, and chooses large, unique pieces to spice up her wardrobe.
A strict budget doesn’t put a squeeze on this fashionista’s style, as she maintains a sophisticated style with money to spare.