Cheryl Shops

Here we are, five months into the Covid-19 pandemic, and since things are not getting better, more than 30 states are now requiring that masks be worn in public. Yes, they are slightly uncomfortable and not as easy to breathe in as you'd prefer, but wouldn't it be nice if everyone just wore one for the next month or so and then we'd have the virus contained and life could go back to normal? Since April, I have been wearing a mask every time I leave the house—even to walk my dog or ride a bike—and while I keep trying new ones in search of my holy grail mask, I've found that the key is figuring out what's most comfortable for you. Here's what I look for in a face mask. 

Let me guess: you're thinking, "You don't look dressed for summer," which could be true if I lived anywhere else in the country but San Francisco, where summer means fog, wind, and temperatures that hit the mid-60s if we're lucky. Earlier in the day when we shot this, it was glorious and sunny (we ate brunch outside and I actually got a little sweaty), but sure enough, late afternoon rolled around and so did the clouds. So long story short, always bring a sweater, which thankfully I did. That said, even if you don't live in San Francisco and, say, have to deal with blasting air-conditioning all season, this outfit will also work. While it's definitely a little dressier than what I've been wearing lately, it's also incredibly comfy (and can be even more laid-back with a change of shoes). Here's how to put it all together.

When I was a kid, we mostly went to the beach or lake for vacation—my family was not super outdoorsy, and we definitely weren't campers. I still love a good beach vacation, and living in California, it may seem like a pretty obvious choice, but with all the Covid craziness still in full effect, we wanted to stay away from people and be outdoors as much as possible. Neither Sean nor I had ever been to Yosemite, so when it reopened with limited capacity, we decided to tack it on to our Big Sur trip. So while we got a week-long pass, we ended up going only three days; you could definitely hit the major sights all in one day if you got an early enough start, or you could spend an entire week in the park—there's so much to see and do there. Oh, and did I mention how insanely beautiful it is? It's kind of surreal to see in real life things you've seen in so many photographs and movies—sort of like the first time you go to Paris or New York, but it's all nature. Now that I sound like a total city slicker (which, of course, I am), here's how we spent our three days in Yosemite. 

I recently heard someone refer to jeans as “hard pants,” which made me literally laugh out loud. We’ve obviously been wearing a lot of “soft pants,” i.e. leggings and sweatpants, the last few months, and if you’ve been eating and drinking like I have, the thought of putting on anything without a lot of give may seem daunting. So today I’m not only sharing the most flattering (and comfy!) pair of jeans I’ve put on in ages, but also how to gloss over the fact that you may have put on a little weight. Yes, you should love yourself at whatever weight you are—and I do—but I think it’s also important to feel confident because you look good. So here are my tips on how to accentuate the positive. 

House dresses are having a moment, which makes sense, because we are, for the most part, literally housebound. But as I noted in Monday's post, just because you're staying at home doesn't mean you can't look pretty. This month's most repinned look from my Outfit ideas for ageless style Pinterest board manages to feel both comfy and feminine, which pretty much explains why it's so popular. And who can say no to a little white dress at this time of year? 

For most of the year, I'd like to think that I dress in a pretty polished, minimalist-classic-yet-casual kind of way, but in summer, I've always gravitated toward a more boho look. There's something so effortless and appealing about light fabrics and a carefree vibe. This year, of course, things are a little different—for one, life is not so carefree, and pretending it is feels like a state of denial. But on the other hand, I'm dressing more casually than I ever have before, now that I don't have to go into an office, and while comfort is typically my number-one concern, I still want to look and feel pretty. So I've found myself gravitating toward midi and maxi dresses. They're super flowy and thus comfortable, but I don't feel like I'm letting myself go or succumbing to wearing athleisure all day (which I do do sometimes, so no judgment). I had hoped that this dress would arrive in time for my vacation, while it unfortunately did not, I found it worked just as well as a daytime dress to wear while working from home. Here's how I wore this boho dress out to dinner on Friday night. 

In spite of the fact that I'm not a textbook outdoorsy person, Big Sur is one of my favorite places on earth. I've day-tripped or driven through it multiple times, but had never actually spent the night there. So when my company announced that we had to take a mandatory week off—and flying anywhere was out of the question—Sean and I decided to take a road trip, and Big Sur seemed like the perfect place to hit first. Depending on traffic, it's about three and a half hours by car from San Francisco, and I highly recommend taking the scenic route, Highway 1, which goes along the Pacific. Big Sur is a magical place; it's surrounded by mountains, heavily forested, with a river running through it, and it stretches along some of the most gorgeous parts of the coastline. It's also incredibly peaceful and relaxing; on a usual vacation, it generally takes me a couple days to totally relax, but I felt completely mellow by the end of our first night. We spent four nights in Big Sur, but whether you're spending an entire week or only one night (considering we had a different neighbor every night, I think that's what most people tend to do), there are a gazillion things to do. Here's what we did in Big Sur.

I will preface this post by noting that it features a much more casual vibe than you're used to seeing here. I obviously like to bring more low-key pieces into the mix on a regular basis, but I rarely tend to wear them all at once. But when you're on a road trip, comfort is truly key, and when you're choosing to stop in very outdoorsy locations like we did, function and practicality are essential. My general packing philosophy is that (almost) everything you bring can ideally be worn together, so you have multiple outfit options out of fewer pieces (more on this here)—you'll see several items repeated throughout this post. We didn't capture every outfit I wore (you'll see a few more in my travel diaries, coming soon), but here are some of my favorites from our California road trip last week. 

As I alluded to in last week's post, having a dog is an incredibly rewarding experience on many levels, but you also need to put in a lot of work. There's the physical work, like exercising your dog, and there's mental work, which is often the more challenging kind. In order to make life easier for you and your dog, a certain level of training is in order. The most basic is housebreaking, followed by sit, stay, and come; you can get fancy and teach your dog tricks, and if they have the right temperament, they can be trained to be a service animal. However you train your dog, repetition and reinforcement are key—we practice training Zuni every single day—and in order to make it stick, you need to reward your dog. Some dogs respond better to action-based rewards, like getting to play with a favorite toy, whereas others respond best to treats. Zuni falls into the treat-based category, and when she's being stubborn (which is fairly frequently) it helps to have some that are really rewarding. Thankfully we've discovered Old Mother Hubbard, and Zuni loves them so much, she'll do just about anything for one. 

I will preface this post by noting that this is probably the spendiest outfit I've ever featured here, although as you read on, I will detail how it can be had for much less than the retail price. Now that we've taken care of that, this is one of my favorite outfits I've ever featured on this blog, because every piece is meaningful and was carefully considered. One of my big goals for 2020 was to be more thoughtful about what I buy, and several of the key items here were long-planned and saved up for, while others are just some of my all-time favorites. So to set the scene, let's go back in time to my birthday trip to Paris back in March...

Anecdotally speaking, people have been adopting dogs in record numbers over the last few months, and they're onto something. For one, since we've been staying at home more, it's an ideal situation to both focus on training your dog and bonding with it. For another, having a dog brings a sense of normalcy and stability to your life: you have to feed and exercise it on a very regular schedule, which forces you to take much-needed breaks—and for me, especially, walking my dog, Zuni, has been critical in terms of both my physical and mental health. But most importantly, Zuni and I have an emotional bond that's hard to put into words that don't sound cheesy. But I will try. 

I didn't do a trend report this season for multiple reasons. For one, I didn't feel like (or have the need to go) shopping for new things this spring, because I've been staying at home since mid-March. For another, I'm trying to buy less, so following trends kind of seems like a recipe for disaster. That said, I have been shopping a bit, and now that it's finally summer and I am starting to venture out into the world, I've had one thing on my mind, and that's dresses. I will probably never tire of buying summer dresses—they look great, they're comfortable (even more so than sweats, I believe!), and they're just so effortless. There are some trends emerging this year, and basically, the key look is a boho prairie thing, with puffy sleeves, a voluminous tiered shape, and a ditsy floral print here and there. You can often find more than one of those elements in a single dress, if you want to get even more bang for your buck. So without further ado, my top summer dress picks are below, plus I'm trying new widgets that let you shop even more of my favorite styles—let me know what you think! 

Smocked

More smocked dresses:

More wrap dresses:

Puff sleeve

More puff sleeve dresses: 

Ditsy print

More ditsy print dresses:

Tiered

White

More white dresses:

Based on how things are going in most of the country, I'm assuming that many of you are going back to your office soon, if you haven't already. I am a bit jealous—I'll be working from home until Labor Day, if not longer, and while I don't miss commuting every day, I miss the camaraderie of being in a workplace, plus all of the "let's go grab a coffee" or "let's meet up for a drink after work" normalcy. I also miss the temperature control of an office building; while air conditioning can be a bit much, it does wonders for one's seasonal allergies, as I'm now discovering after months of at-home watery eyes and sneezing. Anyway, for those of you dealing with the 90-degrees-outside-to-68-degrees-inside daily transition, here's my take on how to wear a summer dress to work. 

You know when you have something in your wardrobe that's just so good, you pray that nothing ever happens to it? That's how I feel about this shirtdress. It's a very special dress in the realm of Cheryl Shops; you last saw it in Carmel, but it has the honor of being what I wore on the day I decided to bring the blog back (also, coincidentally, in Carmel!). Long story short, you don't have to spend a fortune on a white shirtdress—this one is from Gap—but when you find a keeper, wear the hell out of it. Here's how I'm wearing it this year. 

As I mentioned on Monday, it's dress month at Cheryl Shops, so it's fitting that the most repinned look on my Outfit ideas for ageless style Pinterest board features a dress. It also features a blazer, which makes it very similar to last month's most-repinned look, but obviously you guys are vibing on this combo. I think it's perfect for summer; there's nothing easier than a flowy dress, and the blazer keeps you from freezing in the air-conditioning, plus the accessories make the whole thing feel casual yet chic. Here's how to put it all together. 

The last week has been a little heavy; as I write this, helicopters are circling my neighborhood, thousands of protesters are likely spending the night in jail, and the world feels even more unsteady than it has the last few months. I will always argue with people who call fashion frivolous, but writing about it does feel a little off right now. That said, life is beautiful and everyone deserves to enjoy it. I was reminded of this today when I ate lunch in a real restaurant (!!!) and looked around to see so many families and friends reconnecting with each other after months in isolation. We have more in common than we realize, and we have to fight for each other. So I'm opening my eyes and ears to the experiences of people of color, opening my heart to their struggles, and opening my mouth to fight institutionalized racism on their behalf. To start, I highly recommend reading this op-ed from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Next, here's a list of things you can do to help the Black Lives Matter cause. And finally, I know you probably didn't come here for Woke Cheryl, but thank you for taking the time to read this. If you can change one mind, you can change the world. 

My dad was always a hard person to shop for, and I'd always complain about and agonize over what to get him for Father's Day (and for his birthday, and for Christmas...). Of course, now that he's been gone for two years, I'd do anything to have to buy him a present again! Long story short, if your dad is still around, I hope you show him how much you love him, whether that's sending him a present, doing a socially distant drive-by, or breaking all the rules and giving him a big ol' hug. And if you're in need of gift ideas, read on. 

How quickly everything changes. A week ago, when we shot this, it was chilly and had been raining (which is very rare in May); today, as I'm writing this, it's gorgeously sunny and in the upper 70s. All of a sudden it feels like summer, and I'm here for it. I know I'm not alone in thinking what a crazy year this has been so far: I took my laptop home on March 13th, thinking I'd be working from home for a couple weeks; I just found out last week that my entire department will continue to do so until Labor Day. Long story short, nothing is certain, and the only constant is change. So with that in mind, I thought I'd try something new, e.g. a pair of pointy-toe white ankle boots. Anything that gets me out of my house slippers is a good thing, right?

It's no secret that retailers are hurting right now. It's also probably no surprise that nearly everything is on sale right now. And it makes sense: we haven't been going anywhere, so we haven't really needed anything to wear, hence we haven't been shopping. (Not to mention, stores have been closed for 2+ months.) Also, many of us are furloughed and/or unemployed right now, so maybe shopping isn't the best idea, to be honest. BUT, if you have disposable income and want to make sure that the stores and brands you love don't go out of business, who am I to stop you? Here are my favorite items on sale now, plus more stores with amazing deals below.

Back in March when I was in France, I wanted to shop...but I didn't, at least, not to the extent that I thought I wanted to. At the time, there were several factors: for one, I was sticking to my sustainability resolution (e.g. buying only the items I really, really wanted). For another, even with the VAT refund, full-price prices were still pretty high. But the real underlying reason I didn't shop very much was that COVID-19 was just starting to break, and when things are starting to feel very uncertain, the last thing you want to do is spend a bunch of money on stuff you don't necessarily need. I have no regrets about what I didn't buy in Paris (god knows, I bought enough as it was); that said, I made a mental note of things to pick up if I found them on major sale, and it didn't take long for me to find this Ètoile Isabel Marant tiered midi skirt at a price I just couldn't pass up. Long story short: I love it. Here's how I've been wearing it.