In Which I Recreate Sema’s Style in İçerde
Duygu Sarışın as Sema in Episode 36 of İçerde.
HELLO PALS,
I am Once Again back with another İçerde style analysis! (I say “once again,” but you know I will be back Several More Times with this series!!! I Cannot Be Tamed!!!)
For a General Overview of this A+ show, please enjoy this post ft. one of the lead characters, Sarp Yilmaz (played by Çağatay Ulusoy). As you will read Therein, Sarp is a policeman working undercover in the mafia. The only one in the police force who knows about this Deception is the chief of the organized crime unit, Yusuf Kaya (Mustafa Uğurlu). As Sarp and Yusuf try to keep their plan secret, the rest of the unit—including Sema (Duygu Sarışın)—tries to hunt Sarp down for his association with mafia boss Celal Duman (Çetin Tekindor).
I actually don’t know all the SpecificsTM about Sema’s character yet because I’ve only watched the full series in Turkish, in which I am sadly Not Yet Fluent! It’s pretty easy to follow the main plot, because the Important Moments happen onscreen and we get plenty of flashbacks that show the leads’ backgrounds, but since Sema is a secondary character, she doesn’t get as much detail. She also doesn’t appear until Episode 9, and the official channel only provides English subtitles for the first two episodes. (Thanks to high school/college Spanish classes and the wonders of autotranslated closed captions, the Spanish dub, Adentro, has been solving a lot of these knowledge gaps. It also has the best-matched voice actors I’ve ever heard.)
HOWEVER, here is What I Know So Far, subject to Adjustments later on. (As usual, all screencaps are from the official channel for Illustrative Purposes.)
Sema is the only female police officer with a significant role in the plot. She most likely graduated at the head of her police academy class, since Yusuf only invites the top graduates to join his squad…except, of course, when he sends his Top Graduate Sarp Yilmaz into the mafia and (spoiler alert) settles for Second-Place Secret-Criminal Graduate Mert Karadağ (Aras Bulut İynemli, who you also saw here) instead. Sema and her team—Mert, Selim (Uğur Yıldıran), and Musa (Barış Kıralioğlu)—are focused on helping Yusuf end Celal’s Reign Of Crime. Sema and Mert clash at first, especially when Mert tries to hide his Criminal Activities from his police pals, but as Yusuf and Mert’s relationship grows strained, Yusuf and Sema’s gets stronger. Sema eventually takes leadership of the squad, and Yusuf gives her a Secret Mission of her own—which, unbeknownst to her, ties into Sarp’s quest to find his brother.
Giving OrdersTM in Episode 20
When (spoiler alert again) Yusuf is killed, Sema initially blames Sarp for the murder. At that point, thanks to various Schemes, there are no records to back up Sarp’s claim that he’s always been a policeman. HOWEVER, Sarp knows about Sema’s Secret Mission, and as Sema puts the pieces together, she starts to believe him and advocates for him with the new police chief.
In short, SHE’S A BADASS AND I LOVE HER. Also, her style is A+.
Speaking of Style, it is apparently a Requirement that to be on the Organized Crime Squad, you have to have a LOOK. Like Leyla the Restaurateur, they apparently don’t worry about loose hair getting in their way on the job. (Vote: could this fight have been over in .03 seconds if Selim and Mert didn’t have to keep pushing their hair out of their eyes?!)
From left: Mert with ? grown-out red dye? and on his way to a Tiny Ponytail; Musa with a mustache worthy of Thomas Chamberlain; Selim with Disney Princess hair that cannot be contained by a hair tie, all from Episode 16.
Sema gives us the most Reasonable look, and also, by virtue of its heavy reliance on turtlenecks, leather jackets, and boots, CLEARLY THE BEST. A girl after my own heart!!!!!!
Episode #s
If, upon seeing these pictures, you’re thinking, “That’s really not a very high percentage of leather jackets,” JUST WAIT. I do all of these “style recreations” with clothes I already own, only rarely buying something to replicate a piece I’d liked on a character (so far only Leyla Sancak’s striped blouse). Since Sema’s AestheticTM is very similar to my own, I already had a lot of similar pieces—which meant I could replicate a LOT of outfits. Even so, I hadn’t combined most of these pieces the way Sema does. That’s been the most rewarding part of this series so far—it hasn’t just been looking at how a character’s overall style works (although that’s been helpful too); it’s given me new ways to wear clothes I’ve had for years.
Before we Analyze Outfits, though, we’re going to make a quick stop in the Hair And Makeup Department, because those are also elements of Style. Three characters could be wearing the exact same outfit but still read completely differently if one had a shaved head and black lipstick, one had a vintage hairstyle, cat eye and red lip, and one had simple hair and no makeup. I am by no means a Beauty GuruTM, but I do try to figure out why a particular character was styled a certain way, and generally try to replicate it for the Recreation.
In Sema’s case, her everyday makeup is very neutral and natural, except that she sometimes wears red or dark nail polish. (She does wear slightly more dramatic look for a Dress Occasion, which you can see on the far right.) Of course, being on the Organized Crime Squad, she has to have Long And Flowing Hair, which is usually curled, but occasionally pulled back in various styles. (This is why I hurried to take these photos before getting my hair cut. Sema probably does not keep her own cut-off ponytail on the back of her bathroom door or threaten people with Victorian hair jewelry.) Her jewelry also tends to be fairly minimal, like the earring and necklace shown below.
Now, having prepared our best shot at joining the Organized Crime Squad, we can move on to THE LOOKS.
EPISODES 9-11 (TOP) AND 30 (BOTTOM)
You MAY have noticed that a black leather jacket + black shirt + black boots combo is a common sight In These Parts!!! (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, honorable mention.) But even within this Formula, differences in the cut or fabric of these pieces, plus whatever pants I wear with them, make all the Looks slightly different. And even as often as I wear this formula, I’m still finding new combinations—I wouldn’t have thought to pair the Very Casual t-shirt with the dressier heeled booties above. (I know I’ve worn the bottom outfit before, as it and its black-jean cousin are my go-to when the weather is bad or I have to zoom around but still need to look somewhat Presentable.)
Leather jacket - Meijer ca. 2017 or 2018 - also worn here, here, here, and here.
T-shirt (top) - Fruit of the Loom, bought Many Years Ago (part of a multipack in the men’s section)
Sweater - JC Penney Worthington Tall Womens Turtleneck, bought either in 2020 or 2021 (I have two). These have come back in various colors for the past several years—this year’s are currently on clearance. Wearing size Large Tall. Also worn here; worn in other colors here and here.
Jeans (top) - Gap Always Skinny, bought Many Years Ago.
Jeans (bottom) - American Eagle Hi-Rise Jegging, bought Several Years Ago - similar styles still available. I find AE sizes to be consistent across styles. Also worn here.
Boots (top) - Indigo Rd. Adriela Bootie, bought 11/2021. I bought a size up and added insoles in an attempt to remedy the pointed toe, which has not been wildly successful.
Boots (bottom) - Ariat Heritage III Paddock, bought 12/2016 - similar (Heritage IV) still available. I have always found Ariat boots to fit true to size. Also worn here, here, here, and here.
EPISODE 12
As you will See, Sema is a fan of shirts tied around her waist. It’s a little too 90s-grunge for my taste, but after trying it, I don’t hate it—it’s a good way to add color and keep an extra layer handy. Please also enjoy a Secret Behind-The-Scenes Look at the style recreation process, where I tested two flannels to see which one looked the most similar. The buffalo plaid on the right was the winner in both Color and Size.
Turtleneck - JC Penney Worthington Tall Womens Turtleneck, bought either in 2020 or 2021 (I have two). These have come back in various colors for the past several years—this year’s are currently on clearance. Wearing size Large Tall. Also worn above and here; worn in other colors here and here.
Jeans - AE Ne(x)t Level Super High-Waisted Jegging, bought 8/2020 - similar still available. I find AE sizes to be consistent across styles. Also worn here, here, and here.
Boots - Ariat Heritage III Paddock, bought 12/2016 - similar (Heritage IV) still available. I have always found Ariat boots to fit true to size. Also worn above and here, here, here, and here.
Flannel (middle) - Thrifted (men’s section) in approximately 2010.
Flannel (right) - Heritage 1981, gift, pre-2010.
EPISODE 20
This is a VERY 90s look featuring not only a sweatshirt around the waist, but layered sleeve lengths.
Flannel - Target, gift, received sometime in the mid-2010s.
Long-sleeve tee - Target Mossimo Supply Co., ca. 2011
Sweatshirt - Gildan brand with souvenir print, gift, received ca. 2018.
Jeans - Gap Always Skinny, bought Many Years Ago. Also worn above.
Boots - Ariat Heritage III Paddock, bought 12/2016 - similar (Heritage IV) still available. I have always found Ariat boots to fit true to size. Also worn above and here, here, here, and here.
(HELLO I THINK I AM HILARIOUS)
EPISODE 24
THIS is my preferred way to wear flannel—equally ready to step onto the set of The Outsiders, pour some concrete on This Old House, or, you know, visit a coffee shop like Sema. I took pictures of this look last so I could wear it home for that hallowed Christmas Eve tradition, MAKE YOUR OWN SANDWICH NIGHT.
Flannel - Target, gift, received sometime in the mid-2010s. Also worn above.
Tee - Target Goodfellow & Co Short Sleeve V-Neck Perfect T-Shirt, bought 5/2022 - similar still available. Wearing men’s Medium Tall. It’s VERY long—I’m wearing a Large Regular here.
Jeans - AE Ne(x)t Level Super High-Waisted Jegging, bought 8/2020 - similar still available. I find AE sizes to be consistent across styles. Also worn above and here, here, and here.
Boots - Ariat Heritage III Paddock, bought 12/2016 - similar (Heritage IV) still available. I have always found Ariat boots to fit true to size. Also worn above and here, here, here, and here.
Jacket - Venus Lace Trim Utility Jacket, bought 3/2022 - still available, wearing size Large (probably could have gotten Medium). Also worn here.
EPISODES 33-36
Sema’s jean jacket has a peace sign on the back, but because I don’t have a peace-signed jean jacket, I had to bust out this chambray shirt. (I do have an un-peace-signed jean jacket, but I doubt it would stay tied for very long.)
Leather jacket - Meijer ca. 2017 or 2018 - also worn above and here, here, here, and here.
Chambray shirt - Target ca. 2017
Tee - Target Mossimo Supply Co. ca. 2010
Jeans - AE Ne(x)t Level Super High-Waisted Jegging, bought 8/2020 - similar still available. I find AE sizes to be consistent across styles. Also worn above and here, here, and here.
Boots - Ariat Heritage III Paddock, bought 12/2016 - similar (Heritage IV) still available. I have always found Ariat boots to fit true to size. Also worn above and here, here, here, and here.
EPISODE 37
Here we see a less Exact copy than some of the other looks, but it utilizes one of my most versatile pieces, the flannel shirt I thrifted for a Jack Kelly costume in 2010! (Someday perhaps I will inflict “In Which I Recreate Various Styles From Newsies 1992” on all of you, but first I will have to find a giant purple fan a la Ann-Margret.)
Shirt - Thrifted (men’s section), 2010
Tank top - Target Mossimo Supply Co., bought Many Years Ago.
Jeans (bottom) - American Eagle Hi-Rise Jegging, bought Several Years Ago - similar styles still available. I find AE sizes to be consistent across styles. Also worn here.
Shoes - Converse All-Star Classic Low-Top, gift, 2011-2012 (Converse run half a size big)
EPISODE 38
Here is another very easy outfit I’ve worn Many Times! (It was also a common College Look, but I don’t think the jeans were quite this skinny back then.)
Tee - Target Mossimo Supply Co., ca. 2010, also worn above
Jeans - American Eagle Hi-Rise Jegging, bought Several Years Ago - similar styles still available. I find AE sizes to be consistent across styles. Also worn above and here.
Converse - Converse All-Star Classic Low-Top, gift, 2011-2012 (Converse run half a size big). Also worn above.
EPISODE 39
Finally, we have a Fancy Outfit for a Special Occasion I can’t identify without spoiling the ending. I’d never worn this shirt with these pants—even given my love for an all-black Ensemble—and think it came out A+.
Shirt - Target Mossimo Supply Co., ca. 2011. Also worn above.
Pants - Boohoo Tall Paperbag Waist Belted Pants, bought 10/2021 - still available, wearing size 10 - also worn here and here
Belt - bought at a county fair booth ca. 2010 - also worn here, here, here, and here.
Shoes - Adrienne Vittadini Nocera, bought 6/21 - still available in other colors, true to size. Also worn here.
This concludes the Sema Looks, at least for now, but does it conclude Photos Taken While I Still Had Long And Flowing Hair? It does NOT!!!! There is no such thing as chronological order on this blog!!!!
There’s also no such thing as being limited to the women’s section, because as you may have Noticed, several of the t-shirts and layering pieces above are actually men’s clothes. This is a pretty standard trick, but for fellow Tall LadiesTM who haven’t given it a try yet, the extra shoulder room in men’s shirts and jackets sometimes turns into long-enough sleeves, and it’s often easier to find long torso lengths. HOWEVER, I do notice a trend toward more and more women’s tall sizes from everyday (non-specialized) brands, so There Is Hope! Perhaps I’ll do a post about this sometime soon.
Do you know anyone with a Similar Style to yours? Whose style do you admire? What do you buy from the men’s section? Let us know in the Comments!
In the meantime, I will be working on Yet Another İçerde Post.
Until next time,
I remain,
YOUR PAL.