copy + paste 11
punctum, but make it jewelry (SORRY TO ROLAND BARTHES)
copy+paste is a series of attempts to either digitally or physically recreate an outfit I saw and admired IRL. (You can find all installments here.) I love seeing street style photos, but ethically, I feel uncomfortable including my iPhone creep shots in a public newsletter unless I’ve explicitly asked someone for permission to share. So the actual photo will remain on my phone, but you will still be able to share in the essence and hopefully appreciate the outfit as much as I did!
This copy+paste is inspired by a new-ish friend, not a stranger. She’s the girlfriend of one of my husband’s closest friends—someone I’ve only recently started spending time with one on one, and am so glad I did. Every time I’ve seen her, she’s wearing something that feels effortlessly1 cool, and I find myself taking mental notes, even if only to recreate the aura in a future outfit. The four of us drove out to a restaurant in Brighton Beach a few weekends ago, and she showed up in an outfit that made me wish I’d thought of it myself.
She’d layered a faded black sweater, slightly oversized, over a red wool knit shirt/cardigan hybrid, and wore it with structured cotton canvas pants in a color that I imagine a brand would label ‘muslin’ or ‘bone’. The shirt was a merino wool button-down from Uniqlo that I’d tried on months ago in the store and rejected—suddenly, I couldn’t remember why I’d left it in the dressing room. The pants were B Sides, acquired from a friend’s store in the city. (Hers were this specific style, which I highlight here just so you can see the detailing—unfortunately, I couldn’t find these specific ones secondhand for you!) She carried the red and black to her feet with a bright red sock and a classic black leather loafer (normally I prefer a lug sole, but the slimmer silhouette worked perfectly here).
But the punctum2 was the silver jewelry—chunky, gleaming silver rings, multiple ones, on each of her hands. Yet again, I found myself seduced by a combination of red and silver.
Some secondhand options for each element below:
I recently rented a pair of DL1961 barrel jeans in a shade called ‘flax’, so I was only missing two components of the outfit—the red Uniqlo cardigan/sweater/shirt and the silver jewelry. I had a red short-sleeve button-up that was able to act as the collar, and I brought in this studded Madewell belt for the silver element. Voila! I’m looking forward to styling these pants in the warmer months, but I really like them in this wintery context, too. I still wish I had some chunky silver rings, but I’m excited to do a deeper sweep of Etsy and eBay and maybe find a couple pieces to add to my (small, and heavily gold-leaning) jewelry collection.
If you missed the previous installments of copy+paste, you can find them here!
Look out for a piece on the paradox of ‘effortless’… coming soon!
A word I learned my freshman year of college while reading Roland Barthes’ Camera Lucida for a photography class and cannot use in a way that is not insufferable but it was the specific word that came to mind when I saw her rings! The best way I can define the word punctum is a detail (in a photograph, in Barthes’ context) that may seem insignificant or small but causes an intense or visceral reaction in the viewer.
Full hand of chunky silver rings is the hottest accessory imo. You rounded up such good ones!!
Might just buy those b sides! $45!!!!