Cheryl Shops

In recent months, I've been gravitating toward the simple things, and it sounds like you have been too, because this month's most-pinned look from my Outfit ideas for ageless style Pinterest board is pretty classic—with a twist. The top is slightly exaggerated, the jeans are basic (but fit well), but the accessories are what make this one really stand out. (Spoiler alert: they don't come cheap.) Here's how to get the look. 

As you may have guessed from the title of this post, I'm in a bit of a wardrobe rut at the moment. I'm kind of tired of everything in my closet, and I haven't been shopping recently because of some economic uncertainty (which, thankfully, is now resolved). I'm not exactly tired of summer—the truly warm weather is just getting started here in San Francisco—but I can't enjoy it much at the moment because the air is super smoky due to the wildfires burning all over the freaking state, so we have to stay inside. Again. Alas, the show must go on, so here I am in an outfit that I actually like, although I feel the need to warn you that it's not my most original look. It is, however, one that I feel comfortable and cute in, so that will have to do for now. 

It is finally summer here in San Francisco, and while everyone else is starting to think about transitioning to fall clothes, I'm breaking out the sundresses and bare legs. It was in the 90s last week, which is super rare; and even though I don't have air-conditioning, I won't complain. Coincidentally, we tried to shoot a version of this outfit twice before and had to scrap it because I was too hot and sweaty both times. I ended up going with a slightly different T-shirt and skirt than I had originally intended, but I like this version even better—so much so that the cargo skirt became the key piece of this look. Here's how it all came together. 

The last few months have made me truly appreciate the simple things in life, and one of those is shopping in a store that's not Target or the grocery store. Yesterday I went to Sephora for the first time since March, and I was so happily overwhelmed that I was there for over an hour and had a conversation with every Beauty Advisor in the store. I didn't even care that I couldn't use any of the testers; being there was exciting enough. Sephora is likewise excited to welcome its clients back, and to sweeten the deal, they're running a sale now through Sunday, August 23rd: $15 off a $75 purchase or $20 off a $100 purchase. You can use code WELCOMEBACK once online, but the best part is that you can use it as many times as you want in stores. The location I went to was super clean, and I was offered hand sanitizer when I entered, plus everyone was wearing masks (which should go without saying at this point, but...); the stores are also running a giveaway game that you play on your phone. I didn't win, but I did buy a lot of stuff. Full disclosure: as I mentioned in my last Sephora post, I work for their corporate office, so I received some of these items gratis. But here are my current recommendations on what to buy during the Sephora sale. 

Today's the day that Insiders are finally allowed to shop the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale and while many of my sale picks from last week are now sold out, the good news is that almost all of my favorites from past years are still in stock. I wear (and love) all of these pieces and highly recommend them—read on for my Anniversary Sale best buys!

 Two truly miraculous things have happened in the last week. One is that I was able to get my hair colored. Our hair salons in San Francisco are technically still closed, but it had been six months since my last appointment and I was starting to feel really depressed—call me vain, but, yes, my physical appearance does affect my mood. I cheated on my regular stylist with a friend of a friend (my color is not 100% right, but it's close enough) and I don't regret it for a second. (Sorry, Richard!) I feel like myself again and I realize the irony in that it involves artificial hair color, but whatever, I contain multitudes. Anyway, the other miraculous thing is that I went into H&M to kill time before my chiropractor appointment, and not only do they have a ton of dresses on sale (plus a bunch that are sold out on their website), but after over a year of searching, I finally found the perfect tiered dress. The best part? It was on sale.

Retailers have been hit rather hard by Covid—layoffs, store closures, bankruptcy filings—and even Nordstrom's famous Anniversary Sale got postponed by nearly a month. Things are definitely different this year; in lieu of the catalog, which always gets me super pumped by showcasing the best items, Nordstrom offered an online preview, which, while less sexy than a beautifully art-directed catalog, is actually more practical. There are fewer designer brands participating this year, but I was able to load up my wish list with a lot of great finds—some of which, due to Nordstrom's staggered access days, are already sold out, thanks to the highest tier of Nordy Club members, who began shopping Monday. (Godspeed to Nordstrom's community managers, who have been responding to a lot of angry comments on their Instagram.) I am crossing my fingers that my favorites are still in stock by the time I'm able to shop next Thursday—here are my clothing, shoes & accessories, and beauty Anniversary Sale picks for 2020. 

Ermigahd, how is it August already! Spring seemed to drag and now we are blitzing through summer, which is actually fine with me, because I can't wait for autumn. September and October are generally the warmest, clearest, most glorious months here in San Francisco, but first we have to make it through Fogust. And in case you were wondering why I'm wearing a coat (albeit a lightweight one) in the middle of summer, that's why. Generally, it's foggy until midday, at which point the sun comes out for a few hours, then by mid-afternoon, the wind picks up and the fog rolls back in. And now that you know way more about San Francisco's weather conditions than you ever wanted to, let's delve into the outfit. 

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: