Cheryl Shops

I have shopped at Everlane for years—the oldest receipt I found in my Gmail is from 2014, but l'm pretty sure we go back even further. I've stuck around all these years because they make pretty decent luxury basics at incredibly appealing prices, in a (mostly) ethical way. As someone who works in retail marketing, I appreciate their boundary-pushing ways of doing business (product waitlists and drops to build anticipation; sharing cost breakdowns and factory information; their choose-what-you-pay sales), however I think they sometimes come across as a little high on their own supply, and turns out they weren't so "radically transparent" about certain things. But, hey, people make mistakes, and I appreciate when companies take responsibility for their missteps and do try to make things better. So I'll keep shopping and advocating for Everlane, which is, after all, a local (albeit rapidly expanding) business based in San Francisco. While I'm not a superfan, I have bought quite a lot at Everlane over the years. Here are my favorite pieces. 

Sheltering in place has made me reassess a lot of things in my life. For one, I've discovered the wonder of online workouts, which I now do every morning, much to my (and my wallet's) delight. For another, I've realized I'm actually not a bad cook, that I enjoy cooking, and that most of the time, what I cook is just as satisfying as ordering takeout (but when I do order takeout, I make it really count—like mind-blowing pizza or a super-juicy burger). I've also been taking a hard look at my wardrobe; I recently stripped out about 50 items that will soon be making their way to my Poshmark closet. What's left are things that I really, truly love; that I feel good wearing; that feel true to who I am right now. And something that will always feel right to me is the classic combination of a blazer, white tee, jeans, and heels. The proportions may change, but the components will always be the same. So let's break it down.

I no longer know what day it is, what time of year it is, or where I'm supposed to be right now, which may explain the hot mess that is this outfit. The centerpiece is a boilersuit, or jumpsuit, and because it's spring (I think) and the weather has been all over the place, that may explain why I'm wearing a leather jacket and suede sandals with it. Earlier in the day, I was almost sweating while walking the dog, yet when we went out to shoot this, it became inexplicably chilly. And yet, I wanted to wear both this jumpsuit and these sandals, which Vionic sent me ages ago and yet it's been too cold to even think about putting them on, until now. Somehow throwing a leather jacket onto all of this seemed like an easy fix. I don't know...maybe it works? You be the judge.

Mid-February is probably not the best time of year to be talking about cashmere sweaters—one, because you’re probably tired of yours by now and two, because whatever is left in stores by now (which might not be anything at all) is on major sale due to spring (hopefully) coming soon. But, after several months of reflection on the cashmere sweaters I bought this year, I thought I’d take this opportunity to review what I got from the three major direct-to-consumer cashmere brands. Here are my thoughts.

I feel like my wardrobe is on the brink of a major transformation. It’s something that’s been brewing for awhile, thanks to ongoing Kondo-ing of my closet, but I think it’s about to come to fruition. I started a new job a few months ago; it’s creative, but in a corporate environment, and I’m now at a level where I’m feeling like I need a certain level of polish. It’s not necessarily dressiness; it’s more dressing to align with the authority of my position. I’ve found that I’m gravitating more toward a blazer-blouse-jeans combination, and when I wear skirts, midi suits me better. I’m not going to ditch all of my beloved minis, but I definitely need to pare down my collection, and probably confine them to the weekend. That is a rather lengthy lead-in to this post, but it sets the direction that my outfit posts will be moving toward. I never want to be the person to say what you should and shouldn’t wear at a certain age; I always say wear what makes you feel good—and at this point in my life, I’m feeling good in more tailored, polished things.

Ironically, the day we shot this outfit, it was unseasonably warm in the Bay Area—I was at an outdoor party earlier in the day and had to strip down to my T-shirt because it was so hot in the sun. Of course, by the time I got home, it was getting foggy and windy, and such is life in Northern California. Anyway, if you watch my Instagram stories, you know that I wear this leopard-print midi skirt all the time in real life, so in spite of the fact that I shared it just a few months ago, I wanted to feature it again, this time with a more winter-friendly spin.

Wrap dresses are one of those classic silhouettes that's always around, but they're definitely having a moment this year. I've spotted lots on my fellow bloggers and in stores lately, but I was most excited to see one of my favorite brands, Everlane, introduce a series of four wrap styles in their Go Weave fabric. I was so excited, I actually entered a contest on their Instagram to shop a private event in their San Francisco store last Friday—and I won! So I dragged my boyfriend (who, to be fair, managed to do some shopping of his own) out to the store, and in the name of journalism, I tried on all of the styles to find just the right one. This was the winner.

There are people who complain about the weather in San Francisco being always the same, and to those people, I say, take a look outside right now because it is pouring rain. The slightly weird thing about this is that it only rains in winter here—it's like northern California's version of snow—and yet people totally freak out about it. After four years here, I've come to somewhat loathe this time of year, as necessary as it is, because it's hard to look chic when you're loaded up with practical waterproof gear. But it's a small price to pay for the beautiful weather we have the rest of the year. And I've developed a formula that makes dressing for winter weather a bit easier.