Cheryl Shops

The Internet recently lost its collective mind over the Wirkin (no longer available), a knockoff of the famed Hermès Birkin bag offered via a third-party vendor on Wal-Mart. The bag promptly went viral, then sold out and spawned a bunch of think pieces on whether it's the end of luxury as we know it (short answer: nope) and/or whether it's signaling a class revolt (well, maybe). In case you're not familiar with the Hermès Game, the Birkin (named after the famous model Jane Birkin, who was previously known for using a literal basket as a handbag) and the Kelly (the Birkin's older, slightly more structured shoulder bag, named after the iconic Grace Kelly) are highly controlled in terms of inventory and only offered to clients who spend a certain amount of money with Hermès—e.g. you can't just walk in off the street and buy one when the mood strikes. Oh, and they start in the high four figures. This scarcity—plus the fact that they're hand-stitched by actual French artisans—is what makes them so luxurious, so the irony of a dupe being offered at the most pedestrian, middle-American mass-market store of them all is not lost on me. Granted, you're not going to fool anyone with a Wirkin (especially if you're shopping at Wal-Mart), but that's beside the point. Yes, Hermès has been duped for years, but when a luxury item is knocked off so much, it can lose its luster. Shall we topple the aristocracy? 

Do I own any real Hermès items? Yes. Do I own any dupes? Also yes. These A New Day slippers were $15 at Target, and while they're faux, they're a pretty good dupe of the lamb-fur version of the famous Oran sandals. They're comfy, they're chic, and did I mention they're $15? Size down. Read on for more Hermès dupes. 

1. While we're on the topic of Oran sandals, they've been duped to high heaven, but arguably the most democratic entry is Steve Madden's $60 Haydn sandal, a real leather style they keep bringing back year after year. 

Steve Madden Haydn slide $59.95

2. The secret, of course, is that Orans actually aren't very comfortable at all; if you can handle the dorkiness of the Birkenstock-esque Chypre, it's a much more walkable sandal. Steve Madden's version doesn't have a leather footbed, but overall, I think it's a pretty damn good dupe. 

Steve Madden Mayven $89.95

3. The Birkin and the Kelly get all the notoriety, but I personally prefer the slouchy look of the Picotin, which, if you're lucky, you can sometimes order directly on the Hermès website (and often for under $5k, a veritable bargain!). This, however, is a good bag to dupe, because the logo stamp is on the inside of the bag, making it somewhat easier to pass off as the real deal—if that's what you're going for. 

Amazon leather bucket bag $79.88

4. All luxury brands are dupe-able if you ask Tiffany & Fred—a search on Rue La La brings up faux Bottega Veneta, Celine, Balenciaga, and so on. I am partial to their scaled-down take on the Garden Party tote, another more under-the-radar Hermès bag. 

Tiffany & Fred Paris Pebble Cashmere & Leather Tote $169.99

5. But if it's a quota bag you want, Lily & Bean makes ridiculously tiny, candy-colored versions of the mini Kelly that, at this price, seem actually cute; as a so-not-authentic bonus, you can add your name or initials (I'd be tempted to go with, simply, DUPE). 

Lily & Bean Hettie bag $144

Normally I'd combine my best buys of the year into a single post, but I had so many good products I wanted to tell you about, I decided to break it into two. Last week I recapped my favorite clothes, shoes, and accessories of 2024; this week, it's the best beauty products I tried in 2024. In full transparency, because I receive so many gratis products, I haven't actually paid for all of these with my own money, but I am noting which ones I received for free. That said, I highly recommend (and would spend my own money) on all of the following, so let's dive in.

Before I move on to 2025—and set some clear shopping intentions—I thought I'd take look back at the best things I bought in 2024. Note: while I often feature a lot of gifted products here on the blog (which I always disclose!), these are all things I spent my own, hard-earned money on. This week I'm focusing on clothes, shoes, and accessories, and I'll be back next week with my beauty favorites. Here are my best buys of 2024. 

Mid-December is the time of year when I start to get all introspective—and retrospective. I started 2024 by trying Dry January for the first time; I lasted 18 days, which I was proud of, and caved as soon as I set foot in NYC, which in spite of being cold AF, was a great trip. I also traveled to New Orleans, Vegas, Chicago, and, of course, Italy. Sean got a new job; the book I co-wrote finally came out. I saw a lot of great concerts and movies, had a lot of quality friend time, did a No-Buy July, discovered the joy that is ResortPass, and started doing yoga again. It was not all sunshine and rainbows—I had a few really bad viruses, I got stuck with a ridiculous medical bill after a totally unnecessary (and stressful) procedure, and the presidential election didn't go the way I had hoped, to put it mildly—but I prefer to focus on the positive. Working on this blog is always a bright spot in my life, and I hope 2025 is my best year yet. But first, here's a look back at 2024. 

Full disclosure: I love the holidays. I love the lights and the decor. I love that everyone is in a joyful, celebratory mood. I love spending time with people I love. And I especially love getting all dressed up in something brighter, fancier, and/or more sparkly than what I normally wear. For the holidays, that tends to translate into the color red and a bunch of sequined things, sometimes at the same time. Not every holiday occasion is a super-dressy one, however. Nor do you need to buy an entirely new outfit for everything. Over the years, I've built up a small but effective collection of pieces I tend to wear only a few times during the holiday season, and that's ok—you don't have to wear everything in your wardrobe all the time! Things you wear infrequently, like sequins, can last years, and the best part is that you don't have to spend a fortune on them (keep reading for more on affordable sequined things). Here are my favorite ways to dress festively, whether you want to show a little holiday spirit or a lot.  

Whew, I feel a little late to the game this year—it seems like every other blogger and influencer on the planet has already dropped their gift guide for the holidays. But hopefully mine was worth the wait. I always love putting these together—it's like shopping for gifts with an imaginary unlimited budget—and I hope you find some great ideas. I already own and highly recommend many of these items (and some may be, ahem, on the way), but everything is something I'd be glad to give or receive. Also, special shout-out to Anthropologie for sponsoring this year's gift guide—I've included something from them in every category, as their store is a treasure trove of really great presents. Ready to check off your holiday shopping list? 

Use code Cheryl15Fall24 for 15% off your purchase at Inez. 

You know that thing that happens when all of a sudden, you start hearing about a brand everywhere? I feel that way about Inez—over the summer, their Sara sandals were inescapable, with everyone raving about how comfortable they were. I was somewhat skeptical, especially about a 90mm heel—post-pandemic, coupled with the fact that I'm now in my mid-forties, anything that high is a tall order for me, pun intended. In other words, the sun is setting on my days of wearing heels. But before I go gentle into that dark night—and yes, I am completely mixing my metaphors here—Inez reached out to me and asked if I'd like to try a pair of their shoes. So in the name of investigative journalism (and perhaps as a hail Mary for my once-strong arches), I said yes. While Inez sent me a pair of boots for free, the following are my own unfiltered opinions on Inez shoes. 

I bought these leopard-print Madewell Dimes boots earlier this year on major sale, shoved them in the back of my closet...then promptly forgot about them until I was recently doing some cleaning. This doesn't happen to me as frequently as you'd expect; most of the time, I am very excited to wear my new things, but in this case, my timing was off in terms of seasonality. Thankfully, it's now peak fall and peak boot season, so here they are. I was first attracted to the Dimes boot because it's a dupe of the Staud Wally boot, which is itself a dupe for the Khaite Arizona boot. (Yes, I'm sharing yet another Khaite dupe—the fact that this brand is so popular yet so easy to knock off is...thought-provoking.) What all of these styles have in common is a squared toe, a boxy ankle, and a low, set-back heel—all of which are things I love in a boot. There are pros and cons to each (starting with price!), but I've done a thorough analysis. Read on for my honest thoughts.

The Sephora Beauty Insider Sale starts today for Rouge (VIBs and Insiders get to shop 11/5–11/11), so instead of rehashing my usual content (PSA: you can see all of my Sephora recommendations here), I decided to do a deep dive on one of my favorite skincare brands, Paula's Choice, which is of course sold at Sephora as well as on Amazon and a bunch of other sites. I've been using Paula's Choice for years and while not everything has been a success for me, I am incredibly loyal to several of their products. Thankfully, the appreciation is mutual and Paula's Choice keeps sending me new stuff to try. While I received all of the products pictured here for free, the following is a completely honest and unbiased review of Paula's Choice skincare. 

Even though it's late October, it's still pretty warm here in San Francisco, although that seems to be the case across the rest of the U.S. too. I really want to wear my cozy sweaters and newer fall items, but I keep telling myself that hopefully the longer I wait to wear them now, the less tired of them I'll be next spring. That said, we have been getting an occasional cool day here and there—or experiencing a pretty dramatic temperature drop at night—so I have been breaking out the cashmere here and there. I'd like for it to be actual fall sooner rather than later, but until then, here's what I'm wearing in the in-between-seasons weather. 

Confession: I sometimes forget what a great store Anthropologie is. They have a little something for everyone: boho printed dresses, unique but affordable jewelry, indie beauty brands, and housewares that look like you found them in a French antiques market. The prices indicate a certain level of quality but aren't too out of reach; the fashion feels current but not trendy; the size ranges are generally very inclusive; and overall, it has that lifestyle vibe that so many other retailers aspire to but often struggle to get right. Often when I'm looking for something specific and can't seem to find it anywhere—the right shoe, a printed curtain panel, a statement earring—I end up finding it at Anthropologie. So when they reached out to me about a partnership, I of course jumped at the chance to work with them. Anthropologie sent me the dress and accessories I'm wearing gratis, however they didn't ask me to write a review and the following opinions are 100% my own. Read on for my honest review of the Anthropologie Somerset velvet dress. 

You all really loved my post on Khaite belt dupes earlier this year, so I'm back with another Khaite dupe. It's a really good (and affordable!) one for the Khaite Scarlet cardigan. Katie Holmes first made this style popular in a now-famous paparazzi shot in which the plush-looking cardigan slipped off her shoulders as she was hailing a taxi, exposing a matching cashmere bra. If you can believe it, that photo was taken five years ago, but the sweater has been so popular that Khaite has brought it back every year since. I feel like I've also been looking for a good dupe since then as well. Good news: I've found one. Even better news: it's under $75. Now are you ready for your mind to really be blown? My cardigan is from Gap!

Some seasons there's a trend you can't seem to escape, and for fall, it's suede. It's everywhere this year—especially accessories—and to be honest, I have mixed feelings about it. Suede is notoriously hard to keep clean—dirt tends to get stuck in the nap and getting it out requires a thorough, frequent brushing. Lighter colors especially get schmutzy quickly; there's a reason you never see white suede. That said, there's something rich and textural about suede that lends itself to fall. Traditional autumnal colors like chestnut brown—and all the shades of brown that are also incredibly popular at the moment—really look good in suede. And if properly cared for over time, it can develop a gorgeous patina. I wouldn't recommend going for something you plan to use every day, but if you're strategic about it, suede can be a really luxe addition to your wardrobe. Here's how I'm wearing it. 

When I was a kid, I hated shopping for jeans. I would eventually acquiesce to a pair every season...then never wear them. This pattern continued through my adolescence, well into high school, where I found vintage Levi's 501s, which weren't perfect but were better than nothing. When flared, low-rise jeans came into fashion in the late '90s and early '00s, I finally found a fit that I liked, and I've been a jeans person ever since. I may have struggled at first with skinny jeans, but I eventually got used to them—although for the last 15 or so years, my go-to fit has been the straight leg. I will freely admit that since Gen Z declared that skinny jeans were "cheugy" and everyone started seeking out wider, higher-rise, and baggier fits, I have struggled to find a variation of this that works for me. I have a feeling I am not alone. Nowadays, the denim fit options are overwhelming—barrel, kick flare, palazzo, trouser, wide-leg, relaxed, reverse, '90s, whatever—and the sizing is frankly all over the place. It's enough to make a woman want to go back to her trusted skinnies, and if you want to do this (or never left them in the first place), you have my full permission. I still wear my slim-straight jeans all the time. But after a prolonged period of frankly ugly-looking jeans, I feel like denim has found its happy place. Brands have figured out a good balance of high (but not too high) waist, wide (but not too wide) leg, and relaxed (but not too relaxed) fit, and I'm especially liking all of the dark-wash options at the moment. Here's what I've learned in my wide-leg denim research.