Cheryl Shops

Count me among the people who firmly believe in the philosophy behind this famous Audrey Hepburn quote: Paris is always a good idea. I've visited the City of Lights too many times to count—starting as a 13-year-old foreign exchange student and most recently in April of this year—but when I got an opportunity to join my partner on his work trip in early October, of course I took it. (The free hotel room didn't hurt.) Now, while Paris certainly has its challenges—record-breaking heat earlier this summer, current political demonstrations—it more than makes up for it in cinematic views, exquisite light, rich culture, and the best shopping on the planet. We happened to be there during Fashion Week, so the people-watching was off the charts pretty much everywhere we went. And while I doubt I ended up in any street-style roundups, at least one of my outfits garnered several compliments from real-life Parisians. I'll take that as a win! Here's what I wore in Paris in October. 

In case you've been wondering where I've been, I took a weeklong trip to Morocco, with a few days in Paris and London on each end, respectively. I'd been wanting to go to Morocco for ages, so to celebrate our tenth(!!!) anniversary, Sean and I finally decided to make the journey. Packing for it presented somewhat of a challenge, especially with the stopovers in Europe; like many parts of the world, Morocco's weather can also fluctuate quite a bit in springtime, and this year has been especially cool and rainy. But when in doubt, layer up! I was a little bummed that I didn't get to wear the fabulous Alemais dress I bought specifically for this trip (that is, until our very last night in London), but I did manage to put together a few looks that I really loved. Here's what I wore in Morocco. 

I never turn down a trip to New York City, even if it's cold and snowy. Sean had a work trip starting on my birthday, so we left a few days early for a weekend getaway celebration. NYC has been having a rough winter, and while signs of spring were on the way—the sun was shining and the snow was starting to melt while we were there—I still needed to break out my winter gear. Here's how I layered for the weather. 

When I went to Italy last year, I somehow managed to pack for 12 days in a carry-on. It was quite a bit warmer on that trip, so I suppose my wardrobe was more on the skimpier side, but honestly, I don't know how I did it. For this two-week trip, we planned to hit a few cities in northern Italy before meeting up with friends in Puglia (yes, again!). And while the weather in Italy tends to be absolutely lovely in May, it had been unseasonably cold with some light rain, which made packing a challenge. I also knew I wanted to do some shopping this time, so I acquiesced and checked a bag. I'm glad I did—more details on where I shopped coming next week, but in the meantime, here's (almost) everything I wore on my 14-day trip to Italy last month. 

I just got back from a weeklong trip to NYC, which felt like such a luxury. While it's been almost 12 years (!!!) since I've moved away, we tend to go back to visit at least once a year, however those trips are usually much shorter—I'd say three or four days on average, usually for a long weekend or a quick work trip. The pace of this stay felt much less intense, as I didn't feel the need to rush around and see everything on my list, although New York was its energetic, vibrant self as always. According to friends, it was also the first stretch of good weather they've had so far this season, and while it rained several days when we were there, it was so nice to be out walking around in the sunshine—walking is always one of my favorite things to do while I'm in NYC, and I averaged 18,000 steps a day(!). That said, packing for this trip was somewhat of a challenge due to the changing weather, so I broke one of my travel rules and decided to check a bag (it was a direct flight so I wasn't worried). I ended up overpacking a bit, but it was good to have options, and even better to have room in my suitcase for all the shopping I did. Here's what I wore on my trip to New York. 

Ciao! I am back from 12 glorious days in Italy and am full of Aperol spritzes, pasta al frutti di mare, and gelato. (All totally delicious.) I will say, Italy in August is not for the faint of heart—temperatures were in the high 80s or low 90s every day, and I was sweating in places I didn't know I could sweat from, which made rewearing things a bit of a challenge. As I noted in my Substack, I packed for the entire trip in a carry-on, and I'm proud to say I wore everything I brought except one shirt and one skirt; I really should have packed one less pair of shoes (especially since I bought two new pairs, whoops), but overall, I was really pleased with what I brought. I tried to capture photos of all of my outfits, either out and about or in the full-length mirrors in our hotels, so I could show you how careful packing can pay off. Here's everything I wore on my trip to Italy.

I don't know how nearly a month has gone by already, but it feels like just yesterday we went to New Orleans for my birthday. It's always such a fun city to visit, and it had been eight years since my last trip there. While some of my favorite spots were thankfully as lively as ever (the Carousel Bar is one of my favorite places on Earth), we explored some corners of the city I hadn't traveled to before, which was really refreshing. New Orleans is such a gorgeous, unique place, but it's the hospitality that always keeps me coming back—everyone is always so warm and welcoming and friendly. We spent a long weekend in the city in early March; here's what I wore. 

It's wild to think that a little over 10 years ago, I left NYC after 14 years to move to San Francisco. In those years since, I've been back to visit at least once a year (even in 2020, before the pandemic), although usually in summer or fall; I am the first to say that living in California for the last 10 years has definitely made me much less tolerant of actual winter weather (I do not miss it in the least). That said, I will never turn down a free hotel room in Manhattan, so when Sean had a last-minute work trip come up, I decided to join him. What was meant to be a super-quick 2-day trip turned into a really regenerative 4-night trip (thanks to Alaska Airlines for canceling my flight home!), and in spite of the COLD AF weather, we had one of our best NYC getaways ever. Here's what I wore in New York City in January.