Any fashion lover has go-to pieces and outfits that feel authentic to them. I wrangled stylish Emersonians to share their sentimental pieces and their unique approaches to dressing for themselves.

KELLY

“Sharp, functional and utility” are the words Kelly Chen employs describe her style. Sitting under her bed, she files through a sea of brown, navy, and black to uncover her favorite items. She first addresses the curious blue-gray Crocs.

“These are the Crocs that my camp idol wore,” she gushes. “She was just the best counselor and she was really good with kids and her photography was great… And she wore these. So two years later I went and got them.”

Another well-loved accessory is a blue fisherman net bag that she snatches off the floor. She pauses, “For someone who’s so private about eating, I love to carry four huge bags of spinach around in this for everyone to see.”

She unearths a brown Pink Floyd “Millenium” long sleeve tee that reminds her of something her dad would wear, though she admits she doesn’t reach for it often anymore. She’s lately preferred her monochromatic ensemble of a black turtleneck and whatever black pants are lying around.

“When I'm feeling particularly out of order I wear all black and try to look really intimidating so nobody questions what I'm doing.”

ELOISA

Eloisa de Farias likes variety, sitting before me in a windbreaker, geometric earrings, and translucent-framed glasses.

“I like simple things that stand out,” she says. Naturally, she also gravitates towards vintage.

She plans her outfits the night before on her notes app. “I lay in my bed and think of things I haven’t used in a really long time and try to make them work.” To combat the restrictive Boston weather, she adds “extravagance” to simple outfits with jewelry and her collection of go-to headscarves.

Turtlenecks play a major role in her style and are her favorite weapon against the cold, as someone who calls Hawaii home.

Eloisa also keeps a black and white striped sweater in rotation, which was a gift from her grandma. Its initial purpose was to keep her warm when she lived in Brazil and experienced her first winter. Thoughtfully, she notes, “It reminds me of Brazil and my family and it’s a part of my culture. It’s something I’ll never get rid of.”

YUHAN

Before Yuhan Cheng adds to his closet, he makes sure the item fits him and his “analysis of himself”. Balance and comfort are key.

“I always try to make myself seem like I have better proportions,” Yuhan says, explaining his signature combination of a high-waisted pant and tank top. He likes to set off feminine pieces with oversized pants or jackets.

He cherishes a pair of high-waisted jeans from freshman year that suffered a tear in its butt, dooming them to retirement. Its wide-legs perfectly housed his boots and the high waist allowed him to experiment with crop tops. "I realized I bought pieces based on the pants,” he said. “I had to buy something that looks exactly similar.” He admits he’s never considered the way he styles himself. It comes naturally.

Yuhan’s most loved accessory is a tiger print scarf he found at Goodwill over a year ago. He laughs, “I wear it basically everyday.”

GRETA

Greta Kip identifies with the words “wise, grandma and strange,” as she sports a boy tee and a strand of pearls.

Greta’s favorite fashion item is the very treasure sitting on her neck, gifted from her mother on her 16th birthday. “They were her mom's pearls and they've been passed down. They're like my good luck charm. I'm always wearing them no matter if they match the outfit.”

Greta’s perfect outfit: One of her grandfather’s “old 80s whacky sweaters”, jeans and her cowboy boots.

The boots came from Greta’s “very Jewish grandma who was not into flashy fashion.” She did, however, allow herself to enjoy pearly-white, luminescent cowboy boots that now spend a lot of time on Greta’s feet.

Her ten-year-old J. Crew sweater is another staple. “I've accidentally shrunk it a bunch in the dryer so it's very small on me,” she says. “It's like the one thing that goes with all my outfits. I will keep wearing it until it's in rags.”

So, how do you connect with your clothes? Material goods aren’t always lifeless. Fashion can inspire us to live authentically, devoting us to a life-long love affair with a piece that we’d never want to escape. Even if said item has shrunk in the dryer hundreds of times over or bears a rip in the butt.

Crocs and Pearls: What's In Your Treasure Trunk