Cheryl Shops

This is the outfit I meant to post last week, however the photos accidentally got deleted from the memory card, so we had to reshoot them. It seemed like a minor catastrophe at the time, but I think these turned out even better than the originals. Anyway, there’s no particular theme to this shoot, other than this has basically been my winter uniform so far: wool coat, cashmere sweater, jeans, and boots. I know I’ve been featuring a lot of jeans recently, but I promise I have some dresses coming up soon. In the meantime, here’s what I’ve been living in.

Ironically, the day we shot this outfit, it was unseasonably warm in the Bay Area—I was at an outdoor party earlier in the day and had to strip down to my T-shirt because it was so hot in the sun. Of course, by the time I got home, it was getting foggy and windy, and such is life in Northern California. Anyway, if you watch my Instagram stories, you know that I wear this leopard-print midi skirt all the time in real life, so in spite of the fact that I shared it just a few months ago, I wanted to feature it again, this time with a more winter-friendly spin.

Lately I've been super into neutrals, particularly lighter ones. There's something about the craziness of the holidays that makes me want a minimalist palate-cleanser. There's also something that feels slightly rebellious about wearing winter white in winter—yes, in spite of its name—but thankfully I live somewhere where the worst weather we get in winter is rain, not snow, so I don't need to worry too much about getting my whites all splattered with sludge. Ok, you might be thinking, "But you're not wearing all white." Which, technically, is true. But it's also the key of wearing all white in winter—you need to mix it up with a little camel and/or beige. That's pretty much a spoiler alert for this whole post, but if you want the details of how it all came together, read on. 

Snowy days can present a wardrobe challenge if you are not properly prepared. For me a combination of military coat plus waterproof dressage boots and cossack faux fur hat are my standard snowy day uniform. This tailored look works for city streets and a few handpicked snowy mountaintop occasions. It may not work for sub zero temps, but it works for most winter days. A cossack hat covers your ears, keeps your hair in place and you won't need to wear muffs. I own a cossack faux fur hat and I love how it adds a bit of cold weather whimsy and wintertime luxe to my look.

Dressage boots are the real deal, worn by equestrians during their romps in the ring. French bootmaker Aigle's Dressage Rubber boots are sturdy and are made to slosh in the rain and mud. I picked up a pair of Aigle boots from Tal-Y-Tara, a local polo/dressage gear and tea shop here in San Francisco. The Aigle boots pictured here are also available from J.Crew for $195.

A military inspired coat adds a tailored appeal to this wintery 'uniform' and pairs perfectly with the dressage boots for a sleek look. Go long with this Marc by Marc Jacobs Wool-felt military coat ($399 at Net-a-Porter). Or opt for a shorter belted version like this charming Latte by Coffee Shop Double Breasted Military Coat with Belt ($285.60 at Bloomingdales).

Accessorize your winter Doctor Zhivago inspired look with the cossack fur hat and a pair of long lined leather gloves. You'll be glad you dressed up for the snow days ahead, you never know when you'll get caught under the mistletoe!

Content provided by TheFind in partnership with Cheryl Shops.