Cheryl Shops

It's summer, and that means it's Birkenstock season. Well, that means it's Birkenstock sandal season, because if you're like me, you own what I call Winter Birkenstocks (aka the shearling-lined variety) as well. Then again, you can always wear Birkenstock sandals with socks year-round, so maybe let me backtrack again and say it's sockless Birkenstock sandal season. Whew, glad we cleared that up! I own Birkenstocks in all shapes, colors, and warmths, but my favorite pair to wear in the summertime is the Arizona EVA sandal in black. I actually think they're more comfortable than the traditional cork footbed—the foamy EVA material is more cushiony and absorbs impact better—and they have the added benefit of being much more affordable than traditional leather or suede. (They're also vegan, if that's important to you.) I own them in black and am strongly contemplating a pair in white, because as I'm about to prove, they're one of the most versatile pairs of shoes in my closet. The fact that they're a single color makes them a little more streamlined and sophisticated-looking than the traditional leather-and-cork combination, and I pair mine with pretty much anything. Here are 7 ways to wear the Birkenstock Arizona EVA sandals.

Historically speaking, I've featured party outfits in December, and omicron variant be damned, I do plan to do my fair share of partying this month. But I also thought I'd end the year with a more true picture of where my wardrobe is at the moment. I had a bit of an identity crisis earlier this year; after months of wearing little more than sweats, I was like I NEED FUN CLOTHES and ended up buying a bunch of stuff that just wasn't me. Not that I'm not fun, but I can be fun without looking like I'm in a funhouse. Anyway, I like neutrals—always have, probably always will—and while I might not have the most interesting wardrobe in the world, it's the right one for me. So with that in mind, here's to ending 2021 on an authentic note. 

The first thing you may notice about this outfit is that I’m wearing Birkenstocks. I will get to that in a moment. I would like to start with the fact that we shot these photos a mere week ago and I was literally freezing; today the high in San Francisco was 97 degrees. In the six years I’ve lived here, I think it’s been that warm here once, two years ago, and that was in September, which is usually the hottest time of the year. I know I complained about how crappy the weather was in winter and earlier in the spring, so it probably seems a little hypocritical (or even whiny) of me to complain about the heat now, but keep in mind, this is a city where most people don’t have air-conditioning…because even temperatures in the 70s are rare. Long story short, global warming is real. So in the name of less complaining and more action, here are 10 easy things you can do to stop global warming, courtesy of my alma mater. Now that’s that’s been said, let’s move on to my outfit.