I wore my first sweater of the season this week — a momentous occasion for anyone with a good knits collection — and this crisp breeze has me daydreaming about autumnal pairings and palettes.
My ideal fall palette1 is that of an Arizona desert: cactus, copper, terracotta, clay, mauve, deep fuchsia, and dusty orange.
And as we discussed in the last letter, our western fall style muse is a weathered ghost hunter traipsing the halls of a haunted hotel.
Ingredients for a western autumn:
Well worn denim bleached by decades in the sun
Leather boots, scuffed and scarred
Suede and fringe wherever possible — even better if its suede fringe
A wide-brimmed hat molded to your skull from constant wear
Supple leather belts decorated with hunks of silver
A tabi toe here and there, to make your farm animals feel at home
Obvious western references: horses, horseshoes, ponyhair, cacti, cowboy boots, a lasso if you can make it work
And silver jewelry stacked on every extremity (bonus points for a flashy toe ring)
Today we’re continuing the conversation about the jewelry — specifically Mexican and Indigenous work that I grew up around and was passed down to me from my grandmothers. Below…
a non-exhaustive list of where to shop new
and 35+ pieces of secondhand and vintage silver
Shopping new
Swap meets & flea markets
I reached out to my friend C — who has the most stunning collection of silver pieces in the world — inquiring about his methods, and his best advice is making friends at the swap meet. He credits his taste to an older gentleman he met at a Phoenix swap meet. Over years of friendship, he’s cultivated an insane collection of silver (Mexican and Indigenous-made pieces mostly) and developed a genius eye for the best stuff.
To double down on the market rec, I saw the best selections of jewelry at art markets when I visited Mexico City this year. The San Ángel Saturday Bazaar was by far my favorite, and there were so many others I didn’t have a chance to explore. Rest assured I’m beelining to a local flea market when I’m traveling.
Museums
C also recommends exploring Indigenous-run museums — both to learn about the history of the jewelry and to browse the incredibly curated gift shops.
Some have great online selections, too. The Heard Museum in Phoenix, for example, has an insane online inventory of art including page after page of jewelry. I especially love these silver hair ties, these silver swirly studs, this silver and onyx bolo tie, and this mini silver coffee pot (would be so darling hung on a necklace chain).
Indigenous-run stores
Here in New York City, my bestie-once-removed (my bestie’s bestie) operates Relative Arts in the East Village, a community space and shop showcasing Indigenous designs. Back in Arizona, Native Art Market has a few locations in the Phoenix area for irl shopping and a cool online selection too.
Again, this is such a non-exhaustive list. I’d always recommend researching artists in your own community and visiting local shops and museums for inspiration :)
Shopping vintage
I scoured the depths of eBay and compiled my favorite silver pieces (turquoise and onyx lovingly featured too, of course). Most are from Taxco, Mexico, which I went into more detail about here. Personally the clown earrings have stolen my heart, if only I had my ears pierced…