Cheryl Shops

When I first got engaged last year, I thought, I'm not spending a lot of money on my wedding dress--I'll only be wearing it for a few hours. After several rounds of hearing, "OMG, Cheryl, you're going to have the most amazing wedding dress ever," however, the pressure was on--I guess being a fashion blogger does raise expectations. My next thought was to get a designer evening gown in white--not a bridal gown per se, but something unique. I soon gave up on this for several reasons: One, designer evening gowns (I was looking at Lanvin, J Mendel, and Donna Karan, among others) are often more expensive than bridal dresses. Two, tracking one down requires a lot of work--I probably went to five or six stores before realizing it was an effort in futility. Finally, I actually fell in love with a gown in the bridal salon at Saks Fifth Avenue; I was entirely surprised by this, as was my wallet, but as the saying goes, the heart wants what it wants.

For brides-to-be with more willpower, shopbop.com has introduced a Wedding Boutique, featuring everything from traditional (and non-traditional) wedding dresses to accessories and honeymoon clothes. Lots of stores, from Net-a-Porter to Nordstrom, have recently introduced similar mini-shops, but it's the wedding dresses that really set Shopbop apart. You'll find chic alternatives to the traditional dress by top designers like Thakoon, Temperley London, and Halston Heritage, as well as shorter versions by Ports 1961, Doo-Ri, and 3.1 Phillip Lim. Most are white or ivory, but there are light pink and dove gray options as well. Almost all of the dresses are under $1500 (most are under $1000), which considering what traditional gowns cost, is really reasonable, especially for such in-demand designers. There's also a great bridesmaid section, and while we've all heard "You can totally wear this again," I think that old chestnut could actually apply to the styles here (most are in the $200-$400 range). I also recommend checking out the accessories section, stocked with lots of sparkly headbands (the cool-girl alternative to veils) and jewelry from the likes of Tom Binns and Dannijo. If you need help with any of the above, you can contact a wedding specialist during regular business hours, and like the rest of Shopbop, you can "heart" your favorite items and save them in a special bridal section. It's all basically a bride-oriented version of regular Shopbop, but in these high-stress times (and believe me, planning a wedding is stressful), shopping a familiar site is kind of like shopping with your maid of honor: nobody knows you better than she does.

Last weekend I put away my Christmas decorations, which officially means we've entered the most depressing time of year: winter. Yes, the next two and a half months will be cold, dark, snowy, cold, bleak, and cold, so, really, there's only one solution in my book: Take a vacation. Seriously, most of the Caribbean is a 5-hour (or less) flight away, and even a long weekend in a tropical locale will do a girl good. There's Mexico, Turks & Caicos, Bahamas, St. John, Dominican Republic, Aruba, Antigua, Barbados...the possibilities are nearly endless. But, of course, you can't take a vacation with last year's faded, stretched-out swimsuit, can you?

Enter Swimspot.com. It's been around for a few years, but they've recently revamped their website with all manner of swimwear bells and whistles. The best place to start if, well, you don't know where to start is the Fit Specialist--you can either call or email with a personal shopper to figure out what suit will work best for your body. (There are also a lot of great tips and suggestions on the page, in case you're not quite ready to interact with another human being.) If, like me, you're a bikini fan, head straight to the Bikini Builder® (yes, it's so awesome, it's copyrighted), where you can play around with the mix-and-match bikini separates from four brands (Athena, Hurley, Next, and Spendid). Here's one of my favorite tips: Buy two bikinis from the same brand in similar colors/patterns/styles--you can change it up and create four different suits from the four separate pieces. My one criticism of this feature is that not all the brands on the site are included here, but hopefully that will change in the future.

If you'd rather shop the old fashioned way, you can do so by brand, or narrow down your choices by style, trend, size, body type, color, and/or price. That's how I found this Ella Moss Gypsy Bikini, which is, in its skimpiness and triangularity, totally up my alley. If it doesn't hold up to my expectations, it should be noted Swimspot offers free shipping, free exchanges, and free returns--super awesome, because on many websites, swimsuits are final sale. And there's nothing worse than trying on a swimsuit, looking like a bloated whale in it, and knowing you're stuck with it.

Now if only Swimspot could go to the gym for me...

Google dominates how we search on the Internet (and, for many of us, how we email, advertise, blog, share video and photos, and do a bunch of other stuff), and while it's had a shopping search engine for awhile, it hasn't been the sophisticated shopping experience that, say, TheFind or ShopStyle is. Until now, that is. Yesterday, Google officially debuted Boutiques.com, which incorporates elements of the aforementioned sites, tied in with editorial content, social media, and Google's famous algorithms. It's interesting and new; I'm not sure how well it works yet, but I'm fascinated enough by it that I'm willing to keep experimenting with it. For example, 90% of the items in my boutique are black and gray, which, okay, I wear a lot, and it has many of my favorite designers (Alexander Wang, Rag & Bone), but so far there's not enough variety; it almost feels like shopping in my own closet, not my ideal closet. Still, I'm confident that the more information I give it, the better products it will give me--that's how it works, right?

You start by choosing between a series of images; this defines your style as one of six styles: boho, casual chic (which is what I got), classic, edgy, romantic, or street. Then you pick colors, silhouettes, and brands you love and/or hate, and Boutiques.com generates a long list of products for you. You can like or hate these products based on several criteria; you can save any item you see to your favorites. This being Google, there's also a search component, and I must say, the facets (options by which you can search) are some of the best out there. What's getting the most attention, however, are the "boutiques," which are shoppable pages with items chosen by everyone from bloggers like Rumi Neely of Fashiontoast and Jane Aldridge of Sea of Shoes to celebrities like the Olsen twins, Carey Mulligan, and Rashida Jones. There are designers--Tory Burch, Christian Siriano--and independent retailers like Les Nouvelles and Mick Margo. You can follow your favorites, hence the social networking aspect of it. Here's my boutique if you want to follow me; like I said, it's not too exciting yet, but give it time. I don't know if Boutiques.com will be my new go-to search engine, but it's a fun new way to shop and, if anything, a great diversion.

Show me a woman who doesn't like Anthropologie and I will show you a liar. Hence, everyone should be happy that the Urban Outfitters–owned chain is opening another location, this time in the Chelsea Market. In addition to the usual mix of vintage-inspired clothes and housewares, the new store will feature several exclusive lines: SOR reworked vintage dresses from Nolita's Some Odd Rubies, one-of-a-kind dresses from Lorraine Kirke (of the West Village's Geminola), and hand-painted jeans by Carol Horn. The store opens this Friday, 4/16, at 75 9th Avenue (15th & 16th Sts.).

For vintage lovers with a slightly bigger budget, Milly by Michelle Smith has launched an e-commerce shop. My favorite feature is that you can shop directly from a video of her fashion show, although you can also shop more traditionally by look, occasion, or item. Milly is always one of my favorite fashion shows because what goes down the runway is what actually ends up in stores. Case in point: this asymmetrical ruffle dress was my favorite look from last September's show. When it comes to getting straight-from-the-runway looks, there's nothing like going straight to the source.

There's a fresh crop of pop-up stores, well, popping up all over Manhattan just in time for the holiday shopping home stretch. Here are the latest arrivals.

Just in time for the party season, Alisha Trimble's flirty frocks and handmade jewelry are on sale at Arrojo Studio on Saturday 12/12 from 10-5, 56 King Street (6th Ave. & Varick St.).

For the athlete on your list, you can find everything from $9.99 socks to $39.99 waffle tees up to super-high-tech jackets for $549.99 at the Under Armour pop-up shop. It's open now through 1/24 from 10-8 (11-7 Sun.) at 3 W. 57th St. (5th & 6th Aves.).

Find luxe, menswear-inspired gifts like silk and cashmere scarves, cashmere throw blankets, and stuffed animals at the Bryce & Co. pop-up shop. Hours are 11-8 M-Th and 11-9 F-Su at 92 Perry Street (at Bleecker St.).

Mackage makes some of the most flattering, chic, and yet still warm and comfortable coats around. They've moved on from the Meatpacking District and have opened a new pop-up shop in Soho. The new location is open through the end of December from 11-8 (noon-7 Sun.) at 148 Spring St. (W. Broadway & Wooster St.).

Finally, Twinkle by Wenlan is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a pop-up shop this weekend at Cadillac's Castle in the East Village. Expect to find fall clothing and bedding items, plus reissued classic pieces and limited-edition items created just for the pop-up store. 12/10-12/12; noon-6 Thurs., noon-8 Fri. & Sat.; 333 E. 9th St. (1st & 2nd Aves.).

I am always getting emails about pop-up shops and new websites, and I tend not to write about them because I never know where to put them. But sometimes the news is too exciting not to pass along, so I'm starting a new feature, called New Shopping News! (yes, the redundancy is intended), wherein I will mention anything new and noteworthy in the realm of shopping, whether it's a new store, a new line, a new website...you get the picture.

So that Upper East Side girls don't have to trek down to 40th Street to score their sparkly party frocks, Alice + Olivia has opened a pop-up shop in the Scoop at 1275 3rd Avenue (at 73rd St.). Hours are 11-8 weekdays, 11-7 Sat., and noon-6 Sun., now through 1/1. But even more exciting is the fact that Alice + Olivia has launched an online shop, so not only do you not have to leave your own neighborhood--you don't even have to leave your apartment.

Also joining in on the e-commerce fun is Vince Camuto, who makes trendy but unique shoes at very wallet-friendly prices. All orders ship for free through 12/6, and starting next week, you'll be entered to win up to $1,000 in shoes when you sign up for emails. I have my eye on the Desmond wedges, pictured here.

Finally, the quintessentially Parisian line Paul and Joe has delved into its archives to create a special line for one of my new favorite websites, The Outnet. Sort of a Paul and Joe's greatest hits, the collection includes slim plaid shirts, sleek tuxedo jackets, and some great-looking military coats. The best part? This being the Outnet, the prices are way below what Paul and Joe normally retails for--from $125 for plaid blouses to $300 for coats. Do I really need a new coat? No. Am I tempted to buy this slightly metallic Peter Pan-collar princess style? Yes.