Cheryl Shops

I'm going to cut to the chase and acknowledge the elephant in the room, which is that, yes, I am wearing a dress. A somewhat dressy dress. In the middle of a global pandemic when I'm supposed to be sheltering in place. And yes, even though I'm allowed out in public to exercise and make supply runs, I felt very obvious walking around my neighborhood in a zebra-print maxi dress. I'd like to think it's because this dress is so beautiful—and it is—but when everyone else in your vicinity is wearing athleisure and you're in a floor-length gown, you can't help but stick out like a sore thumb. That said, I have contractual obligations and social distancing was fully observed while shooting this post. Plus, we'll be able to return to normal soon, so might as well dress for it, right? Right! So let's talk about this dress that I can't wait to wear again for real.

San Francisco is not a very dressy place, especially compared to New York, where I lived for 13 years. True, I have the occasional wedding, holiday party, or charity event to dress up for, but most of my fancy dresses spend a lot of time just hanging in my closet. And that's a bummer. The good news is that with a little strategic styling, you can dress down a fancy dress for more casual, everyday occasions. Here's how I did it.