Cheryl Shops

By most accounts, 2025 has been the summer of the flip-flop. The Row's $750 rubber-and-grosgrain flip-flops were perhaps the most egregious example; while I wore Havianas back in the day, I need a little more refinement (and arch support) at this point in my life. Toteme's heeled flip-flops, on the other hand, were something I could get behind, especially in this year's red suede, which I saw in person on my trip to New York and have been pretty much lusting after ever since. I am a big fan of Toteme—I own a bunch of tops from the brand, including the monogram shirt I wore in this post, as well as the T-lock bag—but, I'm sorry, $450 for a pair of flip-flops is a bit much, even if they are leather. Due to the simplicity of the design, I figured this would be a pretty easy item to knock off, and I was right. I found a great dupe of the Toteme heeled flip-flops at Madewell. 

I subscribe to a lot—I mean, a lotttt—of email lists. Much of it is for competitive research (I'm an editorial director at a major retailer by day), but really, a lot of it is just because I like to shop. After all, my name is Cheryl Shops! Opening hundreds of emails a day does have its benefits, and one of my favorites is the bounty of happy birthday promo codes I receive every March. If you time it right, you can really score a good deal, which is what happened with this sweater I bought from Madewell. I was kind of on the fence about it—was I too late to the tie-dye trend?—but my indecision had a price, and that was an extra 25% off sale. So while I got a very good deal on a pretty cute sweater, I got something I wasn't even expecting, which was pure joy. I can't quite explain it, but this sweater makes me feel hopeful and alive and also peaceful. If spring 2021 were a sweater, this would be it. Let's unpack that, shall we? 

Happy new year, dear readers! I've been traveling and not working for the last week and a half, which has put me into that weird state of mind where I'm not sure exactly what day of the week it is or where I'm supposed to be. And while I enjoyed my time off, I have high hopes for 2018 and am excited to tackle a lot of new things in 2018. That said, one of my pet peeves is "new year, new you." I am all for making resolutions—as you'll see, I'll be sharing several of my own here over the next few weeks—but you don't need to totally reinvent yourself. Just do you. A better version of you, maybe, but still you. Which brings us to this week's outfit, starring one of my favorite sweaters, the classic ivory cable knit.


A cable-knit fisherman sweater is so classic and cozy, and for the next few months, I'll pretty much be living in one. This particular sweater is from last year's Madwell collaboration with Sézane, although Madwell pretty much makes the same one every year—the one linked below is a very close approximation. Obviously, you can wear it with jeans, but I decided it dress it up a bit for a stroll down one of my favorite streets in San Francisco, Maiden Lane.

Madewell launched in 2006 (or 1937, as they'd like you to believe) and though it's still smaller than their sister brand, J.Crew, to me, it's the far superior place to shop. (And I'm not alone.) I haven't felt compelled to shop at J.Crew for several years, but Madewell just keeps getting it right: collaborations with cool brands like Daryl K and Sézane, on-trend but not fashion-victim pieces, and generally good quality at the right price. That said, the vibe is more casual and definitely more millennial, and sometimes Madewell can veer into twee territory—ruffles, flounces, pithy statements—which, at my age, I'm actively trying to avoid. So the question is, can I still shop at Madewell?



This is the embroidered dress that drew me into the store; I saw it in an email Madewell last weekend. Apparently so did a lot of other people, because I'm wearing a small, which was the largest size they had in stock. The body was perfect but the arms were a bit snug; this is a frequent problem for me at this store.


I own several dresses from Madewell and they all kind of look like this. They're great for summer...which in San Francisco lasts about two months and happens in fall (go figure). This eyelet dress was on sale for $99.99. which seemed a bit much, but now it's down to $69.99, which is darn tempting. I'm wearing a medium in the above photo and think I need to size down to a small.


I also own a few tops like this embroidered peasant top. I loved the fit (I'm in a medium again) and the cotton was nice, but it was a bit sheer and, at $98, a bit pricey.


I saw this loop-edge pullover when I first walked in and decided to try it on, immediately breaking the busty girl's first commandment: thou shalt not wear fringe on top. This was not flattering on me, and the yarn was kind of weirdly textured. I'm wearing a small, which was boxy in the body but too small in the arms (see?).


I feel like wide-leg cropped pants have been happening for awhile, and I've been wanting to try a pair, even though I'm kind of afraid of them. As you might have guessed by the model's odd stance, they're hard to photograph well, but they're not unflattering. I'm not yet convinced that I need a pair, but at $68, I thought these were pretty reasonable. Unlike Madewell's excellent jeans*, these appear to run true to size—I'm in a size too small in the photo, so please excuse my FUPA.


I had a Madewell chambray shirt several years ago and I wore it so much, it became threadbare in several places. This chambray ex-boyfriend shirt seemed like a good replacement until I tried it on in two sizes and both gave me the dreaded boob-gape. I'm in a medium, the larger of the two, and it's hard to tell from the photo, but I'm swimming in it.

I liked the cleaner look of the previous style but this chambray oversized ex-boyfriend shirt fit much better (maybe it's the key "oversized" part) and in a size small, at that. Sold! But that does bring me to my biggest pet peeve about Madewell, which is that most of their clothes are small-medium-large sizing and as someone who falls between two sizes, I'm constantly trying to guess which one I am (and it changes style by style). Of course, the reason retailers does this is because it saves a lot of money—fewer sizes mean they can produce more of each and hopefully pass on the cost savings to the customer. But because of this sizing uncertainty, it makes Madewell one of the rare stores that I prefer to shop in-person rather than online.

But the question is, can I still shop at Madewell? 

With 6/8 items I tried on ranging from not bad to pretty cute—and I bought the ex-boyfriend shirt—my conclusion is yes, as long as you avoid fringe and frills.


*Madwell's jeans are incredibly flattering, really comfy, and a great deal. I own several pairs, so keep your eyes peeled for them in upcoming posts.

At this time of year, when everything is on clearance, there's really no reason for you to pay full price for a pair of shoes. (Or for anything else, for that matter.) And yet, a coworker of mine had on the most chic, low-key, perfect summer sandals, which she gladly divulged were from Madewell and are apparently so coveted, they don't have to be marked down. They are the Whistlestop sandal, and with a totally manageable 1-1/2" heel, chic buckled design, and soft Italian calfskin straps, I'd venture they're worth the $128 price tag. My coworker claims they're incredibly comfortable, and she ended up wearing them all over Italy, home to some of the most fabulous footwear on the planet. These are the kind of sandals that become instant favorites in one's shoe wardrobe; had I found these two months ago, I would have totally given up on my other summer shoes by now. It may be August, but you can still get a good month's worth of wear from these, and I'd venture that their understated look will stick around for seasons to come. Which means there's a good reason this style isn't on sale: It doesn't have to be.

Cheryl Shops...new Soho stores
Four notable new stores have recently opened their doors in Soho, just in time for holiday shopping. Here's what's worth your time...and what's not.

MNG by Mango
In the former Kate's Paperie at Broadway and Prince is Spanish retailer Mango's long-overdue (if you ask me) first NYC store--for some reason, they started rolling out stores in California and the Midwest before finally coming east. Regardless, this is a very exciting development, because I love Mango. Their prices and quality both fall somewhere in between H&M and Zara, and the clothes are trendy without being fashion-victimy. I am also a big fan of their shoes, which are made in Spain, although I was a bit sad to see a pair that I bought while on vacation in Europe this fall--hopefully I won't be seeing them all over the city. The store itself is all black lacquer and mirrors--very 70s disco revival--and, thankfully, way more spacious than its fast-fashion neighbors. When I was there last week, Mango had a lot of sparkly dresses, tops, and accessories, all perfect for the holiday party season.

Madewell
Madewell's actual two-level store at Broadway and Broome ran into construction delays, but until it opens early next year, you can score the line in a temporary shop in the old Scoop store at Broadway and Spring. An offshoot of J.Crew, Madewell is aimed at a younger, more fashionable customer--think J.Crew meets American Eagle with a little Urban Outfitters thrown in. And while prices are mostly under $100, quality is definitely up to J.Crew's standards. There are some great tissue-weight wool sweaters, gorgeous riding boots that give Frye a run for their money, and simply cut jeans in nice-looking washes. The store is a little densely packed, but in a cozy way. Stop by this Saturday between 3 and 7--Ultragrrrl will be spinning songs to get you in a shopping mood. Of course, the clothes are so cute, you probably won't need much arm-twisting.

CB2
You know how they say brand loyalty no longer exists for people of my generation? I beg to differ--this might be a condition of being raised in Chicago, but I am a loyal Crate & Barrel customer. So I was extremely excited for the arrival of CB2, C&B's younger, more modern sibling, and I was not disappointed. Everything is fun and colorful, and unlike its big sister a few blocks north, housewares and furniture are fully mixed together throughout the store. Prices are a bit more expensive than, say, West Elm, but the quality is much better. And unlike West Elm, CB2's employees are engaging and helpful (must be the Midwestern roots). I have my eye on the white leather bed; let's hope Santa is extra-good to me this year.

Muji
Muji, the "Japanese IKEA," arrived last month with a healthy dollop of hype--too much hype, if you ask me. I know I'm not a fan of the whole Japanese-minimalism thing, but the store is incredibly drab and dull. Like IKEA, Muji sells all manner of household items, although I didn't see much in the way of furniture; unlike IKEA, however, the prices are not cheap. Like, you're better off taking the bus to Jersey or waiting for the Red Hook store to open. In fact, they had a lot of acrylic organizing-type things that I think might even be cheaper at the Container Store. There are also clothes at Muji; I found them to be kind of boring, on the small side, and, yes, expensive. In fact, according to my coworker, all the price tags have the prices in yen--and apparently there's quite a markup. So I don't think I'll be going back to Muji anytime soon, but thankfully there are enough new stores in Soho to hold my attention!