I first fell in love with author and brand strategist Erika Veurink when I stumbled upon her funny, opinionated posts about fashion on Instagram. “Would anyone in the 1993 J.Crew catalog wear this?” she famously asked. “If the answer is no, don’t wear it.” Her expression is hilariously nonchalant, but she’s utterly delightful. I also hope to one day love anything as much as she loves button-down shirts. Here, Erica shares the five things she wears during the week…
Shirt: Frank and Erin. Sweater: babaà. Shorts: Made from Erica’s wedding dress. Bags: Paris grocery store. Shoes: Sperry. Bracelet: Dorsey. Pointer Ring: Works of Silence. Wedding Rings: Ceremony Jewelry and Spur Jewelry.
“These shorts were made from leftover material from my wedding dress—you can see the lace detail at the bottom. My wedding dress came from eBay, but I had it remade at Bode, a tailor shop on the Lower East Side; and then they made these shorts .I always enjoy wearing them.
“I found this bag seven years ago in a grocery store in Paris—a small store that sold cloth napkins and canned beans. They had a bunch of baskets outside, so I grabbed one.
Clothing: local women. Shirt and bag: Vintage. Shoes: Rossi’s.
“I’m 6’2” so I’ve always had a hard time finding clothes. When I was younger I shopped in the boys’ section because it was my style and the clothes fit me – but I was made fun of. Now , as an adult who still wears boys clothes, it feels like poetic justice, but people aren’t mean to me anymore! My friend sent me a link to this football jersey; I love stripes and this feels like one! A new way of dressing.
“Four or five times a week, strangers talk to me about my height. ‘Do you play basketball? ‘Do you model?’ ” ‘How high yes you? I’d be in a thrift store in Delaware, and someone would come up to me and say, “Wow, you’re so tall.” There was a time, especially when I was a teenager, that I was like, Don’t fucking look at me! It doesn’t bother me anymore now – I’ve become more eye-rolling than angry – but my message to the world is, don’t talk about other people’s bodies. This might be a good place to start.
“Rothy’s black flats are my most-worn shoe. They go with all my outfits. and I can walk 15,000 steps. When it comes to shoes, I feel like comfort trumps anything else – I feel like that’s the thing about New York. I love that you can throw them in the washing machine.
Shirt: silver. Pants: Vintage. Hat: Odeon. Basketball: Rowan. Bag: Margot. Shoes: Solomon.
“I can never buy jeans off the rack. My inseam is 36 inches. Even “high” jeans are usually only 32 inches. I found these vintage pants for $3 – they have an unfinished hem which is a real tip for tall girls. Search eBay for “unfinished hems” or look for the longest pants sticking out at the bottom of the rack at a thrift store. Typically they will come with like a 40 inch hem, so you can take them to your tailor to have them hemmed.
“I love restaurant merch. I bought this hat at the Odeon four years ago so it’s well worn. I had some crazy gossip in their cozy bar and I hosted a dinner party upstairs and it felt like a The living room where my husband and I went for a date night felt sexy and Scandinavian. I also wore my Salomon sneakers, which were very comfortable. I was a little late to the party, but happy to be here.
Dress: Chava. Bracelet: Doshi. Boots: Naturalizer, similar. Bag: Mark Cross.
“For a style icon, Jenna Lyons meant a lot to me growing up because she was tall and worked at J.Crew, a brand I could afford and find in Iowa. Some of her clothes are forever etched in my mind. I love Katharine Hepburn’s cool, irreverent menswear looks and I’ve always copied the clothes of Paul Newman and Tom Selleck because we have a similar frame.
“My father died when I was 15. I was very sad and unstable, but I realized I could go to Goodwill and try anything and be anyone. Fashion brought me great comfort. After that, I just wanted to , I got to go to New York to work in fashion.
“I bought these boots from eBay for $15, but they were actually Naturalizer. I wore them to my first fashion week show. I was so nervous because I knew everyone else was going to be wearing designer clothes. But then Someone took a street style photo of me and I’m so excited that these little Naturalizer boots from eBay showed up at Fashion Week.
Shirt: J.Crew, similar. Shorts: Vintage. Sunglasses: Ookioh. Wallet: Parker Thatch, similar style. Shoes: GHBass. Socks: Adidas.
“This is a very, very profound EV outfit: colorful nylon shorts with ties. My brother and I bought these matching J. Crew shirts my senior year in high school, just before I left for New York. We found them On sale for $30. I was like, this is our forever shirt and it’s still one of my favorites.
“I love everything about retro fitness classes, so I found these Adidas socks and wear them with sneakers all the time. They come in a three-pack.
“I have this feeling or doctrine, personal style should Getting a little boring. Mastery comes from repetition. We’re used to consuming all the time and seeing TikTok users wearing these wild outfits. But when you find something that works for you, you almost take a deep breath like I don’t need to find anything else. It’s a relief, and it should be.
Thank you, Erica! We adore you. If you’d like, you can follow her on Instagram or Substack.
PS More women share their outfits from the week, including a pastor and a book editor.
(Photo taken by Yumi Matsuo for Cup of Jo.)
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