Cheryl Shops

Today is my birthday and I'm 45 years young. I say that because strangely enough, I don't feel like I'm in my mid-40s—I still kind of feel like I'm in my late 20s—and in terms of looks, well, let's say I'm making the most of it. When I was turning 30 (which I was freaking out about at the time, hahahaha), a friend asked me what 18-year-old Cheryl would think of 30-year-old Cheryl, which made me put things in perspective. While many things have changed since then, I remain pretty damn happy with my life overall, and I hope that shows, inside and out. Tonight I'll be celebrating with friends, followed by dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in San Francisco, and here's what I plan to wear. 

As I mentioned in my newsletter last week, I've been hearing a lot about dopamine dressing, which is basically wearing clothes that bring you joy because the last two years have been all about sad sweatpants and scuzzy slippers, and we're all OVER IT. So as I enter my 44th year on this planet—yes, today is my actual birthday—I am fully embracing that concept. This week's outfit feels very "me" on several levels. For one, it includes some of my favorite pieces. On another, it pays homage to one of my favorite Peter Lindbergh editorials from Vogue, featuring all of the supermodels draped over motorcycles in Dumbo, dressed in a mix of Chanel and Schott. But on the deepest level, this is how my inner child would like to dress, ballerina skirt and all. And I'm totally embracing it. 

As I wrote the title of this post, I thought, "Hopefully it will be the last birthday I'll ever have so spend in quarantine." Granted, as far as quarantine goes, it was a pretty glamorous one. In case you missed it, we spent a weekend in Santa Barbara to celebrate my birthday, and it was so nice to get out of our apartment and have a change of scenery. The weather was pretty much perfect, Santa Barbara is a gorgeous place, and I felt very grateful to be able to take a road trip there, safely. We also did a bit of celebrating (e.g. wine tasting) before we took these photos, so let me preface this post by saying that I look a little more, er, relaxed than usual. Then again, maybe it's just because I love my outfit so much ;) 

Apologies for totally bailing on the blog last week. I had a ridiculously busy week at work and, honestly, was not feeling super inspired to write. After a very relaxing weekend, however, I've recharged my batteries, and I'm back. It still feels a little silly to be writing about fashion right now, but maybe we can all use a little distraction? Either way, if you have any topics you'd like me to cover, feel free to leave them in the comments below, or email me.

As I noted in my Paris outfit post last week, it feels rather surreal to be writing this post—and maybe more so now that we in San Francisco have been ordered to shelter in place for the next three weeks. How funny to think that just two weeks ago, I was in a foreign country, going to museums and out to restaurants like I didn’t have a care in the world! Selfishly, I’m glad I got to enjoy my vacation, and my heart goes out to everyone who’s had to cancel a trip. Granted, I know the collective health of the world is way more important and there are much bigger things to worry about. But if you could use a little distraction, here’s what I wore in London on my birthday.