I first fell in love with author and marketing expert Erika Veurink when I came across her Instagram posts about style. “Would someone from J.Crew in 1993 wear this?” He asked knowingly. “If the answer is no, don’t wear it.” His passion is incredibly deadpan, but he’s also very interesting. I also hope that one day I will love everything as much as they love buttons. Here, Erika shares five outfits she wore during the week…
Shirt: Frank & Eileen. Sweater: man. Shorts: made from Erika’s wedding dress. Bag: grocery store in Paris. Shoes: Sperry. Bracelet: Dorsey. Finger ring: Silent Opus. Wedding Rings: Tradition and Spur Jewelry.
“These shorts were made with leftover material from my wedding dress – you can see the lace detail on the bottom. My wedding dress was on eBay but I reworked it with Bode, a tailor shop on the Lower East Side; and then they made these shorts. I like to wear them all the time. “
“I found this bag seven years ago in a grocery store in Paris – one of those little shops that have cloth napkins and canned beans. They had a bunch of baskets outside, so I took one.”
Dress: Local woman. Shirt and bag: vintage. Shoes: Rothy.
“I’m 6’2”, so I’ve had a hard time finding clothes. When I was younger, I shopped in the boys’ section, because that was my style and the clothes fit me – and I was teased. Now it feels like poetic justice to be an adult who still wears boys clothes but people are no longer rude to me! A friend sent me a link to this soccer jersey; I love stripes, and this one feels like a new way to wear it.
“Guests tell me about my height four or five times a week. ‘Do you play basketball?’ ‘Do you follow your example?’ ‘How tall and you?’ I’ll be at a grocery store in Delaware, and someone will walk up and say, ‘Wow, you’re so tall.’ For a while, especially when I was a teenager, it was like, Don’t look at me! It bothers me a little now – I’ve been more angry than angry – but my message to the world would be, don’t talk about other people’s bodies. This is a good place to start. “
“Black Rothy’s are my favorite shoe. Works with all my clothes, and I can walk 15,000 steps. With shoes, I’m more comfortable than anything else – I feel like it’s a New York thing. And I love that you can throw them in the washing machine. “
Coat: Argent. pants: vintage. Hat: Odeon. Notes: Rowan. Bag: Margot. Shoes: Solomon.
“I can’t buy jeans on the rack. I have a 36″ inseam. Even a ‘tall’ jean is usually 32”. I found these old pants for $3 – they had an unfinished hem, which is a real tip for tall girls. Search for ‘unfinished hem’ on eBay , or look for extra long pants off the rack at the thrift store. They’re usually like a 40″ hem, so you can bring them to a tailor to have them hemmed.
“I love the restaurant business. This hat is from Odeon four years ago, so it was well broken in. And my bag is from the Fort Greene restaurant Margot, which is everything you need it to be. I’ve had crazy gossip sessions at their great bar, and I’ve had parties upstairs, which feels like a living room, and I’ve had a night out with my husband, which is fun and Scandi. I have also worn Salomon skis, which are very comfortable. I’m a little late to the party but happy to be here.”
Dress: Dressed. Bracelet: Dorsey. Shoes: Naturalizer, similar. Bag: Mark Cross.
“In terms of style, Jenna Lyons was very important to me when I was growing up, because she was tall and she worked at J.Crew, a brand that I could buy and find in Iowa. Some of her clothes are stuck in my brain forever. I love Katharine Hepburn because of the look. well and irreverent. And I always wear Paul Newman and Tom Selleck clothes because we have similar frames.
“My dad died when I was 15. I was sad and lost, but I realized I could go to Goodwill and try anything and be anyone. Fashion comforted me a lot. After that, I was like, I have to go to New York and work in fashion. “
“I got these shoes for $15 off eBay, but they’re actually Naturalizer. I wore them to my first fashion show all week. I was so nervous because I knew everyone else was going to wear synthetics. But someone took a photo of me on the street, and I was so impressed that these little Naturalizer shoes from eBay made it during fashion week.”
Shirt: J. Crew, similar. short: vine. Glasses: Ookioh. Bag: Parker Thatch, similar. Shoes: GHBass. Socks: Adidas.
“This is a deep, deep EV dress: a cute nylon short dress with a button-down. My younger brother and I bought these matching shirts from J. Crew when I was a senior in high school, before I went to New York. We found them on sale for $30. I was like, this is our forever-together shirt, and it’s still one of my favorites.”
“I love anything retro sports, so I got these Adidas socks and wear them all the time with sneakers. They come in three sizes.”
“I have this idea or my theory they should being a little boring. Ability comes through repetition. We are used to eating all the time, and seeing TikTokers wear these wild outfits. But when you find something that works for you, there’s a deep breath, if I don’t have to find anything else. It’s a relief and it should be. “
Thank you, Erika! We love you. Follow on Instagram or Substack, if you like.
PS Many women share their weekly outfits, including pastors and book editors.
(Photos by Yumi Matsuo for Cup of Jo.)
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