Cheryl Shops

It's been cold in San Francisco. Really cold. Like, record-breaking, close-to-freezing cold. I know those of you who don't live in California may be playing the world's tiniest violin right now, but considering we're used to pretty consistent temperatures that take a slight dip in the winter, the weather lately has been a bit alarming. Case in point: it's usually about 10 degrees warmer in Napa than in the city (and even more in the summer), so I when I left my house last weekend in a thick, long sweater and scarf, I thought I'd be nice and cozy up in wine country. And while it was rather sunny—the weird thing about California is that the skies are oddly crystal clear when it's this cold—it was windy, and I spent most of the day wrapped in blankets, fighting off the chill. So before I get into my outfit, I should add a disclaimer that if you are going to Napa in the winter, you should add a warm coat to a look like this. But if the weather were totally ideal...

I've been a fan of her style for years, so I was delighted to see that this week's most-saved look on my Outfit ideas for ageless style Pinterest board was a photo of Sienna Miller strolling down the street and looking chic as always. And thus we have a very special celebrity edition of get the look, this time called get her look! 

When I'm in the city, which is most of the time, I stick to blazers, tees, jeans...most of what you see here on my outfit posts. It's a uniform of sorts, and it works. When I'm on vacation, however, I go full-on boho: embroidery, tassels, fringe...the whole nine yards. I have a bunch of hippie tops and dresses, and they linger in my closet for most of the year, except when I'm vacation, when I break them out like European trust-fund brat on a yacht in Ibiza. I love my vacation alter ego (she also lets her hair go au naturel, i.e. curly) because it's fun to play around with a totally different style of dressing than what I'm used to.

I am a big weirdo, because I don't like to get my nails done. There are a few exceptions—Ten Over Ten in NYC being one of them—but I tend to feel incredibly awkward, I'm not sure if I'm supposed to make conversation, and I am really OCD about the disinfection of tools (here's a story that will scare the crap out of you). Most importantly, I think I do a better job on my own nails—I file them in the exact shape I want, and if I get a chip, I can fix it easily myself. And, to point out the obvious, it saves a lot of money! But because I do my nails myself, I've never had a gel manicure (and also, to be honest, they seem a little scary and potentially toxic to me). I know there are at-home kits you can invest in, but still, that seems like too much work. But one day I decided to buy a bottle of Essie Gel Couture polish and my nails have never been the same since.

As I mentioned back in December, I've been looking for a leopard-print coat for what feels like forever, and this is a problem of my own making, because I'm very, very picky about my leopard prints. I also didn't want a faux-fur coat (I already have one, and it's rarely cold enough in California to warrant it), which really narrows one's options. I'd had my eye on a particular Ganni coat as a contender, and when it went on sale at Net-a-Porter, I jumped on it. And I'm so glad I did, because I've been wearing it pretty much nonstop. For those of you who don't believe leopard is a neutral, I'm going to try my best to convince you.

I know the rest of the country is getting snow dumped on them at the moment, but it's been 70 and sunny for the last week in Northern California, and all of a sudden, spring is here. So it feels a little weird to still be posting winter looks, but then again, this cozy-looking outfit was my most-repinned style of the last few weeks on my outfit ideas for ageless style Pinterest board, so here we are.  And it is a great look—it reminds me of a butterscotch sundae, which is a compliment, because butterscotch is delicious. Let's call this one winter's just desserts.

This is the time of year when my Instagram feed gets flooded with red and pink dresses for Valentine's Day. Now, I am all about red dresses—and so are men, if that's who you're really dressing for—but they just seem a bit obvious to me. And can you imagine walking into a restaurant on Valentine's Day (that is, if you choose not to follow my hygge plan!) and every woman is wearing a red dress? That would be just a bit awkward. So for those of you who wish to move to the beat of your own drummer, here's my take on sexy dressing for Valentine's Day.

Valentine's Day gifts have always been a little weird and unnecessary to me, unless you want to get me a Chanel bag, in which case, I prefer the medium lambskin in black with gold hardware. Anyhoo, I like the spirit of Valentine's Day, in that you should spend some quality time with your sweetie, but the "holiday" can also be awkward, especially when you're seated next to a couple that fights or barely talks throughout a three-course dinner. I also hate being forced to have an overpriced three-course meal with bad service, so I tend to stay home for Valentine's Day. Thus, in the spirit of Hygge, here are some gifts that the two of you can enjoy together...at home.