SUPERCRITICAL
the wardrobe as a network, starting with jewelry, selective attention
This January has brought an abundant deluge of inspiration, halted by a nasty flu, then a bout of nerve pain so debilitating that I’ve barely left my bed in days. Still, I have my books and my clothes. This letter is an attempt to answer my own imminent dressing questions (how can I get dressed in small ways) and, hopefully, some of yours (how can I make dressing easier? how can I reignite curiosity? how can I work on the right problem?).
Today we’re exploring the distinction between having ideas and diffusing ideas through a style lens, drawing on Kevin Simler’s essay, “Going Critical,” and one of my favorite reads of 2025, Nadia Asparouhova’s book, “Antimemetics: Why Some Ideas Resist Spreading”.
One framework that helped me (and helped me help others) get dressed last year was viewing the wardrobe as a network. We can think of the nodes as singular garments, and the edges (links between nodes) as pairings, or outfits. A node's ability to link hinges on variables such as immunity (pieces resistant to frequent styling, seasons in which dressing is difficult for one reason or another) and transmission rate (the speed at which data moves or the number of new pairings attempted).
The failure of the Solution-Du-Jour carousel (think sweeping movements like decluttering, capsule wardrobes, aesthetic minimalism, and now discernment) is that it assumes a linear progression or a single unlock, ignoring the perpetually shifting interplay among multiple variables.
Even if you can’t read both works in full, take a moment to play with one of the interactive graphics in Simler’s essay to see the rate and pattern of connection and transmission as variables change. As I’ve abandoned all efforts to lasso my wardrobe into static submission, I’ve witnessed corners of my personal knowledge base darken with connections. Per the outfit grid above, most of the fledgling connections may not be visually legible to anyone else, but my process has started to feel easy and fun.
Vacation packing is a perfect setting for meditating on a single variable and seeing what connections form. I tend to throw everything in a suitcase, say a prayer, and play upon arrival. This letter is a postmortem study of two weeks in Mexico City, starting the outfit with jewelry, a celebration of Tory Burch’s refreshed jewelry collection. Thank you to Tory Burch for sponsoring this letter :)
A DAZZLING PURPLE CARROT
This purple sparkly carrot is a “matches-nothing-but-goes-with-everything” piece. “Dressing up” a slip dress is a perennial frustration (too naked, too pajama), but starting with the necklace inspired me through color and texture rather than silhouette. I dug in my suitcase for anything purple, green, and nubby. I never would have paired the green bag with the pale dress for fear of coming off overly “easter”, but the studded finish inspired me to draw from the silver chain and add a silver cuff, too. Edit: I’m now wearing the purple carrot in bed! It made my loungewear set a little brighter for a meeting.
Despite loving the look of a collar, I’ve noticed they’re “high-immunity” pieces in my wardrobe, as I have low patience for negotiating necklines. This cord is adjustable, meaning I can switch between a belt, collar, or charm look while relying on the standard long look for everyday.
I followed the same principles a few days later with another dress. Instead of trying to “tone down” the tunic's brightness with a black jacket, plain bag, or neutral jewelry, I went for the glimmering carrot, a tasseled bag, and patterned heels. Doubling down on details, conversely, made the ensemble feel less loud.
TINY TEXTURES
This look illuminated a microscopic habit I’d previously overlooked: playing with tiny textures. Pulling out this station necklace, decorated with mixed shapes, challenged me to “throw on” an outfit for coffee that I’d feel good enough in to maintain eye contact with a hot stranger at the counter.
Instead of defaulting to jeans and a crewneck, I reached for pieces that mimicked the necklace's tiny textures: a loose knit sweater, a crosshatched baby heel, and a gauze-y skirt with plenty of ankle.
THE SQUINT TEST
I bought these pants on final sale without realizing they were blue…not black. This navy horse cannot be visually tamed with an otherwise all-black solution!! This is actually a common principle in UX and interior design, colloquially known as the “squint test”.
When working on an outfit, interior, or even a PowerPoint, try squinting to see what first catches your eye. That’s the visual information you, or your audience, will internalize first. In all black, my eyes first went to the pants. Although the earrings are the smallest part of the outfit, starting with a palette of brown, green, and yellow inspired me to choose a fringe bag over a leather tote, and a bright shoe instead of a neutral one.
These earrings and the station necklace both inspired this little ripple of repeated motifs, which I realized strikes my perfect balance of eclectic and fluid.
In hindsight, these same principles imbued another of my favorite outfits from the trip: this graphic-made-bohemian black-and-white ensemble, which started with my long-time favorite Tory Burch FRUIT EARRINGS!!! The outfit is very “A [GOOD, SUBTLE] CASE OF STRIPES”. I liked that the earrings blend into the palette of whites when engaging THE SQUINT TEST, but in person, delicately stand out as the only element that leans more sculptural than linear.
It was colder than I expected, so this contrast-stitched Tory cardigan made an appearance in almost every outfit.
HOLIDAY LEFTOVERS
I spent one day working from the apartment before meeting a friend for dinner, and I wanted to make these categorically **STANDOUT** earrings work casually. I opted for a layered top, studded canvas pants, undone hair, and sporty Tory glasses to make the layered, fluid earrings feel like part of a breezy, busy dance, instead of a sleek red-carpet moment.
They’re light enough to wear all day, even while working, without feeling overly aware of their presence. They have the comforting sensorial tickle-hug of an in-ear headphone.
AU NATURAL
I typically reserve this weighty, gold-and-studded pierced ring for a frivolous martini occasion or after-hours soiree. Building on the lessons learned from the fringe-earring-made-sporty day, I thought a bombastically glamorous ring (and a blurred purple lipstick) could be just the thing to take a white button-down and jeans combo from cater waiter to (approaching) the aspirational “off duty” trope. I threw on some bitchy square-toed heeled boots for good measure, and felt really good about it.
SARTORIAL ACTUALIZATION
As the trip went on, the tiny patterns inspired by the first days of jewelry play made the rest of my dressing a breeze. I paired this beaded, layered necklace with other messy, layered pieces to feel dressed up without feeling stuffy. Over a sleek dress, I felt this necklace would demand sleek hair, making it even more of a statement contrasted with such clean lines.
I got my “colors done” a few years ago, and they told me black is one of my worst colors. While I don’t much factor in the flattery aspect, stylistically, all black does feel a bit witchy for my spirit, so I like to temper it with brown and navy. More neutral mixing…
As always, I bow at the altar of Josef Frank’s ‘ACCIDENTISM’ — “IF YOU LIKE IT IT GOES TOGETHER!” Sometimes the dormant heartbeats of these beloved, but disparate nodes just need a little fusing…
Shop my current Tory jewelry faves (and aspiring future jewelry challenges) here, and see the full outfits in motion here.
Expect a DELUGE of jewelry content in the next weeks, thanks to Taxco inspiration and a strong experimental urge, never before felt, to attempt wearing the same outfit for most of the month, only changing jewelry…
TIL’ NEXT TIME! XO
Can we all just applaud at TB rising to the challenge of us all collectively getting weirder? Because making weird something that is now chic is everything I’ve been waiting for
went into a tory store for the first time in MY LIFE this weekend because of your influence and for that I have to thank you because what a garden of retail delights!!