Friday Fashion Pulse

Editor’s note: Friday Fashion Pulse is a new weekly feature on lansingcitypulse.com. We hit the streets to find the latest fashion trends exhibited by those in the Lansing area. The author’s work has appeared on the website, College Fashionista.

Friday, Jan. 11 — Fifty degrees in January? Even for Michigan weather, that is obscene. One of the biggest challenges about drastically fluctuating temperatures is dressing for the day. This morning’s balmy air called for a lightweight jacket — but later on, when the temperature drops, spring attire might be a huge mistake.

Matt Valassis, a Michigan State University biochemistry junior from Orchard Lake, has a great style solution: “I really like the layered look.”

Layering has great functionality because you have the freedom to add or take away pieces without appearing like you’ve disassembled your attire for the day.

Valassis stands out with a colorful and lightweight QUIKSILVER winter coat. Underneath the first part of his look is a Hollister flannel plaid shirt — in honor of what he calls “flannel Friday” — over a white undershirt. This sequence is simple but never tires because you can mix and match patterns, graphics and colors.

An understated part of Valassis’s ensemble is his jeans. I say understated because they might not scream at you from across the street, but they pull his look into a classy rendition of what he calls the “shredder style.” He strategically chose the slim straight cut of his pants — not so baggy as to recall the dreadful ‘90s trend of jeans you can swim in, but loose enough to avoid an awkward wardrobe malfunction while longboarding.

The rest of his outfit is louder than his slacks. The Volcom visor beanie is reversible, offering two looks for $20. Valassis’s blue Nike Lunarswift 2 shoes mimic one of the sides of the beanie and pulls the entire look together.

Valassis said his style is a tribute to that of actor Andrew Garfield (“The Amazing Spider-Man,” “The Social Network”). To achieve this, he mixes athletic pieces with more stylish features found at places like EXPRESS. The versatility of this style can be easily personalized by anyone.