Cheryl Shops

I was tempted to call this post "50 shades of grey," but that's so three years ago, and all things considered, I'm probably only wearing like five shades here. Also, some of them are maybe technically taupe. That said, monochromatic looks can be kind of tricky to pull off when you're wearing anything but black, but gray is actually a fun color to play with, because there are so many shades of it—probably more than 50, so there! There's really no wrong way to do it, from a charcoal and a heather to several similar shades, but an easy way to wear it is to pair pieces in similar shades but different textures. In this case, I wore a heathered, ribbed gray sweater with a satin skirt, and while it's not Seattle, I picked the moodiest background I could find to showcase this look.

While the origin of the statement stripe sweater (say that 10 times really fast) is unclear, there are a gazillion takes on the trend this season, and I'm here for all of them. Some are more subtle than others, but if you're like me and find yourself starved for color in the winter, this is a pretty easy solution. From skinny rainbow stripes to a more bold, wide, colorblocking, there's something out there for everyone. (There are also softer, more neutral versions, but meh, this is all about bright color.) Here are my favorite statement stripe sweaters for fall.

This post could also be titled "how to wear a sundress in fall." As I've noted in the last few posts, fall in the Bay Area is one of the most beautiful, temperate times of year, and most visitors are surprised by how warm it is. Wine country—Sonoma and Napa counties especially—tends to be much warmer in the summer, but by fall, it's just right, with highs in the upper 70s. It's the perfect weather for a sundress...but as with weather year-round in the Bay Area, layers are key. I recently went up to Sonoma and Napa for the day, and here's what I wore.

I know what you're thinking: enough with the leopard print. I've worn a skirt, a dress, and a coat here this year (not to mention a belt), and while it's true that leopard is a major trend this season, to me, it's a classic. It's my second-favorite pattern after stripes, my true love, which I also consider to be a classic. And as far as classics go, no apologies are needed. Which is just a very roundabout way of saying that, sorry not sorry, I'm going to keep wearing lots of leopard, because I like it. Here's my latest acquisition.

I wore a lot of corduroy in the '90s. In fact, I wore so much that I probably haven't worn much since. But like everything else from the '90s, it seems to be back in fashion, and while I'm passing on some things this time around—babydoll dresses and Doc Martens, I'm looking at you—corduroy is something that I feel like I can still pull off. The key is wearing pieces that don't feel too juvenile—think tailored rather than cute. Not only are there a ton of ways to wear it, but there are a bunch of bright, unexpected colors too. Here's what I'm loving for fall.

As I mentioned in last week's post, this is the warmest time of year in San Francisco, and while I'm enjoying the balmy 70s temperatures, I totally have fall on the brain. Luckily for me, the other 10 months of the year are totally sweater weather in San Francisco, and I managed to wear one of my newest purchases just a few weeks ago, before things started to heat up. Now, statement sweaters are a big thing for fall—I will be featuring a trend report post on them here shortly—and while I always just say no to a trend that's not right for me, thankfully there are many interpretations of the statement sweater. I said yes to this one, and I already know it's going to be one of my favorites this year.

Now that it's actually fall, we can talk about fall trends, and first up is animal print. I'd argue that as far as animal prints go—especially leopard—they're more of a classic than a trend. That said, there are all sorts of different animal prints out there this season, like zebra, snake, and cheetah, and some of my favorite takes on the trend play with color and scale, as well as pattern. Here are some fresh new ways to wear animal print for fall 2018.

While the rest of the country is breaking out the sweaters, boots, and pumpkin spice lattes, San Franciscans are busting out their sundresses and sandals. Strangely enough, September and October are our warmest months—it's something to do with the land and ocean temperatures evening out, which then keeps the fog away. After a particularly rough Fogust, I'm not complaining about it. At all. There will be enough time to wear cashmere and scarves and vests later in the year. So here's how I'm dressing for Indian summer* in SF.

When asked to describe my style, like many people, I have a hard time putting it into words. I would call it "classic with a twist," but so would 80% of other women, and as a fashion blogger, I'd like to think I'm a little more unique than that. (That could be wishful thinking, however.) How I usually describe it is if Françoise Hardy and Betty Catroux had a child. In case you haven't heard of either of these iconic French women, Françoise Hardy was a folk singer in the '60s (still going strong today!), and Betty Catroux was one of Yves Saint Laurent's muses (and is now Tom Ford's). The former is a little boho-meets-rock-and-roll, the latter is sexier yet tailored. Together, they'd create a look that's edgy but feminine, classic but interesting, fresh but timeless. What better place to find the components of this look than in Paris?

I first traveled to Paris when I was 13 years old—I participated in an exchange program in middle school—and while I've been incredibly lucky to travel all over the world since then, Paris remains my favorite city in the world. I'll take any chance I can get to visit it, even if it's only for a day or two. This was my fourth time visiting the city of lights, and while it was definitely a whirlwind, it was totally worth it. We only had 48 hours there, but we covered a lot of ground. Here's what we did.

I have a go-to pants cut, and that is straight leg. I think it's the most flattering for my body shape, and while I've been known to dabble in skinny or flared from time to time, I pretty much stick to it. But fashion has been stuck in a skinny rut for over 15 years, and the industry is itching for a change. Wide-leg pants are the latest contender, and while I had resisted them for months, I finally tried on a pair after seeing nearly every chic woman in Paris in a wide-leg crop. I still think straight-leg is my go-to silhouette, but I'm happy to have another fit in my repertoire. Adapting to a new cut is always a challenge, so here's how I put it all together.

As you might expect with a name like Cheryl Shops, I shop quite a bit. Probably too much. I had read Ann Patchett's column about her year of no shopping at the end of last year and it definitely stayed with me; a year of not shopping is probably unrealistic for most people (especially me, with the blog), but I figured I could do a month, especially so that I could shop in France and not feel guilty about it. I decided to not do any shopping in the month of August, until I landed in Paris on August 29th (to be fair, I started July 28th, so I had a full month). I was allowed to buy groceries, or to replace anything that ran out (like mascara or sunscreen), but no new clothing, shoes, accessories, etc. It was frequently a challenge to resist, but overall, a very eye-opening experience.

Paris is probably the most stylish city in the world, and it's my favorite for people-watching (it's my favorite for a lot of things, but I'll cover that in another post). I know it's a cliché, but the women—and the men—are just so incredibly chic. This may be because Paris is a global fashion center, but probably more because dressing well is a culturally ingrained behavior. In other words, French women are just innately stylish. There's no way you can compete, but there is a way to blend in, and that's dressing in such a way that feels, as the French say, bien dans son peau—good in your skin. So I wore something that made me feel pulled together, confident, and like myself, and it was a reminder that I should always dress that way. Maybe I should go to Paris more often!

Perhaps you have seen the Realisation Par Naomi skirt on Instagram. It's been sold out for months (although now, of course, it looks like it's back in stock in some sizes) and like many bloggers out there, I've been obsessed with it. I do know, however, that bias cuts do not do my lower half any favors, so instead, I got a leopard-print midi skirt during Zara's sale last month. I wear it all. The. Time. It's great to dress up for work, but it's even better on the weekends with a T-shirt and sneakers. Expect to see it here again, but in the meantime, here's one of my favorite ways to wear it.

Have you ever seen the "Girl, you don't need makeup" sketch from Inside Amy Schumer? (Ok, hopefully you have now.) It's hilarious on many levels, but what resonates the most for me is the male belief that they don't like makeup...but then realize that women need, as the song says, "Just a little makeup, some natural-looking makeup." Which is exactly what I sing whenever my boyfriend tells me I don't need to put any on. I do, believe me. That said, I like to look as natural as possible—I personally feel my best this way, but I hold no judgment against anyone who prefers a more dramatic look—and I also like to use as many clean products as possible. Here's what my current routine looks like.

Some of the outfits I feature here take months of careful planning. Others come together at the very last minute. Today's look falls into the latter group. I had worn the dress during the day and totally intended on changing into something else, but after a pre-shoot drink (a ritual to loosen me up) turned into two and the light started to fade, I realized I had to pull something together ASAP. The result felt very "me," if a little haphazard; there are some things I would have changed, but more on that later. The key takeaway for me is that sometimes a little spontaneity is a good thing.

Usually the most-pinned looks on my Outfit ideas for ageless style Pinterest board are neutral and minimalist, with the occasional leopard print. So I was, ahem, tickled pink to see that the most-repinned look this week was this totally bright, unapologetically feminine all-pink shot of what I'm pretty sure is street style icon (and now author) Giovanna Battaglia Engelbert. The best part? I've recreated her look with pieces that are all under $100.

Happy blogiversary to me! Exactly a year ago today, I had an epiphany that I needed to start blogging again, so after a three-year break, I wrote this post announcing my intentions, and here I am a year later. I am amazed and humbled by what I've achieved so far, and I'm grateful to you for reading and supporting me! To commemorate this occasion, I built an outfit around the dress I wore in my first outfit post back in August of last year. (I am almost embarrassed to link to it—we shot it in broad daylight, so there are shadows all over my face, plus my boyfriend has since upgraded his lenses and become an overall awesome photographer. Needless to say, we have learned and grown a lot in the last year!) And because I was so happy with how this shoot turned out, I'm including lots of extra photos. Ready to start scrolling?