copy+paste 09

🏀 DELUXE TUNNEL FIT EDITION 🏀

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.

Normally I limit myself to a description of the outfit I’m trying to recreate in this series—I feel uncomfortable including my iPhone creep shots in a public newsletter unless I’ve explicitly asked someone for permission to share. However, none of the photos included in this post are creep shots; they’re all professional photos of celebrities and public figures. Including them here feels very much okay with me!¹

Below you’ll find ten tunnel fits and my best attempts to recreate, riff off of, or take inspiration from them using clothes I already own. (If you’re new here and not sure what a tunnel fit is—here’s a primer I wrote earlier this year, and another on the WNBA.)

Let’s start out with a fun one—this double denim from Jordan Poole of the Washington Wizards. This is giving 2010 NYU undergrad (not in a bad way!) so I figured I’d have everything I needed to recreate it, and I was right. The denim shirt I owned was too faded and not structured enough for my liking, so I also tried some other light jackets (a corduroy shirt, a silk bomber, and a corduroy bomber), all of which I liked better. I haven’t worn these slimmer-fitting jeans (Calvin Klein, via Etsy) in a minute, but seeing Jordan Poole in his own casually cuffed pair is reminding me to put mine back into regular rotation. I’m also wearing a vintage Van Halen concert t-shirt, a thrifted Calvin Klein denim button-up, a thrifted black braided leather belt, and Bass loafers via eBay.

Bruce Brown of the Toronto Raptors is fully committed to the bit. Despite being from Massachusetts, he’s been dressing like a cowboy for years. I love my version of this outfit and will likely wear it multiple times this fall! (I’m preferential to the baseball cap he’s wearing in the photo on the right, because it feels less costume-y than a cowboy hat for my daily life.) I’m wearing a Levi’s x Karla shirt via Poshmark, the same braided leather belt as the previous look, a Who? Weekly baseball cap, rented DL1961 jeans, and Marni knee-high boots via the RealReal.

I’m like 95% sure this is David Duke, Jr. (of the San Antonio Spurs) but he wasn’t tagged in the post I screengrabbed, so please confirm if you can tell. (Yes… that is his name. I know. He knows.) I tried this look with my Nike Blazers first, and something about the white sneakers wasn’t hitting. So I borrowed my husband’s shoes and artfully angled my feet for the photo so they didn’t look disproportionately large. Much better with the darker, streamlined sneaker. I’m wearing a Nike rugby shirt via eBay, Needles trousers, and Nike Blazers on the left (Converse-adjacent men’s sneakers on the right).

I loved this outfit from Karl-Anthony Towns of the New York Knicks (I gave it an 8/10 in this post), and I feel like I captured its essence. Ideally, my pants would be even longer and more voluminous, but that’s a minor quibble. I like the texture of this chain necklace on top of the linen t-shirt. I’m wearing an Opening Ceremony silk bomber jacket via eBay, a chain necklace I thrifted in high school, a linen t-shirt from Uniqlo, Who? Weekly baseball cap again, cotton pants from Buffalo Exchange, and Nike Blazers.

Next up are some cozy tonal layers from Chris Paul of the San Antonio Spurs and Patty Mills of the Utah Jazz. I think I did a pretty good job with the general vibes here, but my shoe options weren’t ideal. I’ve also got some cool tones mixing with warm tones, but for the most part I think these outfits are working! On the left, I’m wearing a COS cashmere beanie, an Acne scarf via the RealReal, a sweater from Anthroplogie, a Black Crane sweater/jacket thing, a Cordera skirt, and Nike Blazers. On the right, I’m wearing a hand-me-down scarf, a thrifted coat, the cotton pants from Buffalo Exchange again, and Bass cow print loafers via Poshmark.

I love this matching set that Jared McCain of the Philadelphia 76ers is wearing, but the most interesting part of the outfit is that his jacket is completely zipped up. I’ve seen a lot of players this season wearing cropped jackets styled similarly, almost like a shirt. (One might call that a ‘shacket,’ but I just don’t like that word.) I recently rented a similar jacket by Vince, so I layered a black shirt underneath just like he did, but used a turtleneck instead (old J.Crew) so it would be visible above the collar. Instead of matching grey pants (which I don’t have), I went with cropped jeans (rented DL1961 pair again). Then, wanting to try it with something other than denim, I strayed even further from the inspiration and paired it with my Marni knee-high boots and this puffy, structured skirt from Sea New York (another rental). (I later realized this is essentially an updated version of the outfit Maria wears when she first meets Captain von Trapp. Didn’t think I could take you from tunnel fits to The Sound of Music that quickly, did you?)

if someone wore the Captain von Trapp suit in the tunnel, @leaguefits and @nbafashionfits would lose their collective minds

In case you needed more inspiration for ways to style a leather jacket (I always do), we’ve got Jordan Clarkson of the Utah Jazz and Tristan Thompson of the Cleveland Cavaliers here. I was able to recreate Jordan Clarkson’s look pretty easily (wearing a rented Dunst leather jacket, Agolde jeans, old Eastland moccasins), but the jacket was bulging in a weird way when completely zipped up, so I left it open instead and wore a black t-shirt underneath. I wouldn’t have thought to pair brown shoes with this jacket, but I don’t hate it? I also love the look of the wallet chain, which I was able to approximate with a necklace, but I’d feel silly wearing it out unless I was actually using it.

I took the pop of red from Tristan Thompson’s shoelaces and brought it into my own look with red socks under black Crocs. I’m also wearing an old black beanie and hoodie of my husband’s and Nike sweatpants. This is a perfectly serviceable winter dog-walking outfit. I would usually wear black boots, but perhaps an ugly shoe with an insistently bright pair of socks is a nice way to shake things up.

And finally, just for fun … here’s my attempt at recreating the anti-tunnel fit tunnel fit from Kyle Kuzma of the Washington Wizards. Would I wear this to take out the dog? That is the litmus test, and I think my answer is no. I’m wearing an old COS short-sleeved hoodie, grey Nike sweatpants, and strawberry Crocs with white crew socks.

In writing this post, I hoped to pinpoint why tunnel fits are such a big style inspiration for me. I think it’s partly that the NBA season begins at just the right time of year—mid-October, when the weather in New York finally starts to turn, and getting dressed begins to feel more like a pleasure than a chore. I’m a sucker for the autumnal promise of renewal. Most tunnel fits also include at least one element of style that always appeals to me: a practical yet stylish shoe, a masculine edge, layering, subtle twists on the classics (leather jackets, tailoring, denim, etc.) And while specific garments may be far outside my budget, most tunnel fits feel easier to replicate than any given runway look.

But above all, I just feel comfortable in an outfit that incorporates the elements of a typical tunnel fit. While I still enjoy wearing dresses and skirts, I feel the most like myself in a well-fitting pair of jeans, a crisp pair of Nike Blazers or lug sole boots, and a slouchy leather jacket. I’ve enjoyed witnessing

Hey Mrs. Solomon on Style

gradually discover her 'uniform'—I’m pretty sure my own uniform is composed of some combination of the garments I pulled for this post.

If you’re looking for some tunnel fit-worthy items to add to your own wardrobe, here’s a selection for you!

Pendleton red wool jacket (petite M), $40; Limited plaid wool jacket (XS), $40; Woolrich barn jacket (XXL), $40; Talbots wool cropped jacket (10), $35

Wrangler pearl snap western shirt (M), $55; Wrangler plaid denim shirt (XL), $40; Wrangler pearl snap western shirt (15.5-33), $28; Woolrich elbow patch shirt (L), $35

Land’s End brown leather jacket (L), $100; John Ashford brown leather jacket (XL), $60; Wilsons black leather jacket (L), $80

Opening Ceremony navy silk reversible bomber (XS), $40; Opening Ceremony red silk reversible bomber (XS), $68; Opening Ceremony NWT blue silk reversible bomber (M), $60

Tommy Hilfiger rugby shirt (XXL), $30; Munsingwear rugby shirt (L), $30; Granby Club rugby shirt (L), $45; Nautica rugby shirt (M), $35

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1. Most of these images are from—or at least sourced from—my two favorite NBA fashion accounts, @leaguefits and @nbafashionfits.