Cheryl Shops

Way back in December, I mentioned in this post that I was contemplating buying a black midi skirt, but I talked myself out of it because I figured I could re-create the look with a dress. That worked for winter when I was wearing heavily layered looks, but now that it's warmer (and we've had a crazy heat wave), lighter is the way to go. So, long story short, I pulled the trigger on a black midi skirt, and I've worn it approximately five times in the last two weeks. It goes with so much, but here's one of my favorite ways to wear it.

It's been awhile since I've done a get the look post, but while I've been sleeping on it, you guys have been pinning up a storm—and this month's most-pinned look from my Outfit ideas for ageless style Pinterest board feels just in time for summer in San Francisco. And by that, I mean it's lighter-colored and incorporates sandals, but also layers, because fog. I'm so excited about this look, I kind of want to get it for myself, so here's how I'd do it.

Ok, before you get all technical on me, this dress is probably not actually a muumuu. It has an empire waist and some crazy sleeves, and I doubt Hawaiians make their muumuus out of toile. It was also not super-well suited to the 98-degree weather we were having when we shot these photos (yes, in June!). But this dress is loose, comfy, and easy to wear, plus it captures the laid-back spirit of summer (and of Hawaii), so I think that makes it an honorary muumuu. That said, this dress is a lot of look. so let's jump right into how to wear it.

In my neighborhood alone, there are several beauty retailers to choose from—everything from big guns like Ulta and Sephora, to single-brand fragrance stores (Atelier Cologne and Le Labo), clean beauty (Credo), and super luxe  (SpaceNK). For a beauty junkie like me, the more the merrier, which is why I was eager to check out the latest addition to my neighborhood, Bluemercury. Owned by Macy's, this very boutiquey chain is ramping up its presence in the Bay Area; the location nearest me, in Laurel Village, was one of nine new stores that opened last week alone. But what makes Bluemercury different from other stores, and why should you shop there?

The first thing you may notice about this outfit is that I’m wearing Birkenstocks. I will get to that in a moment. I would like to start with the fact that we shot these photos a mere week ago and I was literally freezing; today the high in San Francisco was 97 degrees. In the six years I’ve lived here, I think it’s been that warm here once, two years ago, and that was in September, which is usually the hottest time of the year. I know I complained about how crappy the weather was in winter and earlier in the spring, so it probably seems a little hypocritical (or even whiny) of me to complain about the heat now, but keep in mind, this is a city where most people don’t have air-conditioning…because even temperatures in the 70s are rare. Long story short, global warming is real. So in the name of less complaining and more action, here are 10 easy things you can do to stop global warming, courtesy of my alma mater. Now that’s that’s been said, let’s move on to my outfit.

As I mentioned on Tuesday, it seems like Mexico City is THE place to go right now, and for good reason—it's really affordable, it has world-class museums and restaurants, and it's a quick flight from most of the US (it was only about 4.5 hours from San Francisco). There's so much to see and do that it's hard to pack it into a single trip; we were there for five days and definitely feel like we need to (and want to) go back for more.  That said, I was happy with what we accomplished in our time there. So without further ado, here's what did, where we ate, how we got around, and why we loved Mexico City so much.

In case you haven't been following me on Instagram (shameless plug, sorry), I spent an extended Memorial Day weekend in Mexico City. I had wanted to go there for awhile—I feel like nearly everyone I know has been there in recent years—and without spoiling my upcoming trip diary, it completely lived up to the hype. The food was amazing (and cheap), the city very urbane, the people incredibly kind, and I had a fantastic time overall. We were incredibly lucky weather-wise—it rained briefly a few times at night (it's the beginning of the rainy season) but was sunny and in the low 80s during the day. The city is at a very high elevation (7,000 feet!) and the air is quite dry, so the weather was actually quite temperate (and my hair remained blissfully frizz free). I stuck to a light-neutral color palette for this trip, which made both packing and getting dressed quite easy. Plus, the city is gorgeous and brightly colored in lots of spots, so it totally popped in photos against my outfits. Speaking of which, here's one of my favorite looks from the trip.

I'm just back from a trip to Mexico City—yes, my full travel diary will be coming soon—and after five straight days of eating and drinking to my heart's content in a warm, dry climate, it almost feels like forever ago that we shot these photos. I also still have a bit of vacation brain, so apologies in advance if this post kind of meanders. There is no overall theme to this week's post, other than these are the pieces I've been living in lately, many of which I brought on vacation, and most of which you've seen before. Together, they're all neutral pieces (yes, leopard is a neutral!) that just work really well together. Here's how.

For some people, the start of summer means barbecues, fireworks, and the beach. To me, it means sales. For some reason, I enjoy shopping summer sales more than winter ones—I feel like winter sales happen around the holidays, when I'm stressed out for various other reasons. Summer is all about fun—bright colors, light fabrics, bare skin. And since the sales are just getting started, here are 16 items from some of my favorite designers, currently in my various online shopping bags. Everything here is under $500, with a handful items under $100 too. Pretty much every boutique and department store is on sale right now, from Barneys and Nordstrom to Shopbop and Net-A-Porter, so shop to your heart's content!

This week's outfit post is a bit different than my usual format, and it's all the weather's fault. May is usually a gorgeous month in San Francisco, but it's been unseasonably cold—it's even been raining lately, which is unheard of for this time of year. I had planned on wearing the first look featured here, but brought warmer layers so we could go out to dinner afterward. As it turns out, my warmer layers looked cute too, so we just ended up shooting both outfits. One is more dressed up and polished; the other is more casual and cool—and I can't decide which is my favorite, even now. Let me know what you think of this new format in the comments, and if it's a hit, I'll do it again from time to time.

I tried Armoire free for a month but was not paid for this post.

In this day and age of Marie Kondo, I think we can all agree that we probably own too many clothes, especially ones we haven't worn in months (or years). It's very liberating to get rid of a lot of them. And while the concept of a super-minimalist, capsule wardrobe appeals to me, I'm only human and need a little variety now and then. Which is why I'm fascinated by clothing rental services. Do we even need to own our clothing anymore? After all, we share cars (Getaround and Turo, not to mention Uber and Lyft), homes (Airbnb), workspaces (WeWork), money (Lending Club, Kickstarter), even knowledge and skills (TaskRabbit, UpWork). My curiosity was piqued when Armoire offered me a free trial—it's billed as an "infinite wardrobe," in that you can borrow up to 8 pieces at a time and swap them out as frequently as you want, all for $149 a month. So, in the name of investigative reporting, I said yes. Here's my honest review.

I've been on both a Marie Kondo-ing tear and a subsequent spring shopping spree lately, and both felt good. The Kon-Mari has cleared out a lot of space in my closet and also made me more conscious of what I'm buying. I am only shopping for things that spark joy, and I am thinking long and hard about whether I'm going to wear something for just a few months or if it's going to be a long-term addition to my closet. Of course, sometimes the best intentions don't always pan out, and it's hard to predict the future, but this pale pink linen blazer is certainly sparking joy for me, and I have a feeling it's going to stick around for awhile. I've already worn it multiple ways, but here's a wear-now, wear-anytime kind of look—and one of my favorites right now.

This post is sponsored by Brita, but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

Real talk: plastic water bottles are bad for the environment. Like really bad. Americans consume 2,000 bottles of plastic water per second, and if we keep going at this rate, there will be more plastic bottles than fish in the ocean by 2050. The good news is that there's an easy solution to this problem: filling your own reusable water bottle with filtered water. It's a super easy thing to do that has a huge impact on the environment, plus you'll save money (hey, those plastic water bottles add up!) and filtered water tastes just as good as (or even better than) the stuff that comes from a bottle. Here's how I'm ditching bottled water with the help of Brita.

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.

This post is sponsored by Wellness CORE but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.



Woof, I'm Zuni, Cheryl's dog. Perhaps you've seen me on her Instagram—I don't have my own account yet, but maybe I should! Anyway, since this post is all about ME, Cheryl thought I should write it. She promised me my favorite Wellness CORE treats as a reward, but man, she always makes me work for it! Of course, I sleep a lot too. I'm a dog! Here's what I do all day, woof woof!

I've been on a light-colored minimal kick lately, so it's somewhat serendipitous that this month's most-repinned look from my Outfit ideas for ageless style Pinterest board is just that: a minimalist mix of beige, white, and tan. It's just the right thing to wear right now—the perfect spring transitional outfit. Here's how to get this all-neutral look.

When it comes to skirts, I have a type: above the knee, tiered, with a slight A-line shape. Off the top of my head, I can think of five of these already in my closet, although I probably have more. There's a reason I have a type—it's the most flattering on my body—but the downside is that my wardrobe starts to look the same after awhile. This was the argument that ran through my mind as I was contemplating buying this skirt, but I decided screw it, I really love it—plus I had a Free People birthday discount to burn. Once the weather started to cooperate, I ended up wearing this skirt three days in a row, which I almost never do, but that's how much I'm into it. Long story short, just wear what you love.

Wearing a dress over jeans is one of those next-level styling tricks that you see on street-style blogs during fashion week—it looks amazing but seems way too complicated to actually pull off. I, however, was up for a challenge, and after some experimentation, think I landed an outfit that works. It's all about proportion and strategic unbuttoning so you don't look like a big old blob. Here's how I styled a maxi shirtdress over white skinny jeans.

I saved the best spring trend for last: shoes! More specifically, slingbacks, which I wouldn't normally qualify as a trend, but there are so many amazing ones out there right now, I had to feature them. The good news for my over-40 feet is that the best ones have low heels, many in that 1-1/2–2" sweet spot. The even better news is that there are slingbacks with all manner of fun colors and details. The best news? You can wear them right now.