Cheryl Shops

Real talk: I gained five pounds on my various vacations of the last two months, and I'm having a rather hard time losing it. (Welcome to your 40s, Cheryl!) I know I am not alone in struggling with my weight, especially at this age, so hopefully this post will come in handy. While I would prefer to lose said weight, I refuse to fat-shame myself, and I'm trying to be as patient with myself as possible (and not beat myself up for, say, having more than one glass of wine or more than a few bites of chocolate). In the meantime, I'm wearing some of my more forgiving outfits, because being uncomfortable—and thinking you look like crap—isn't going to help anyone's confidence. Here's my new favorite way to dress in a body-positive way.




This palm-print kimono came in my spring Rachel Zoe Box of Style, and while I received a great one last year (last seen in this post), this one is even better. First of all, I've been dying for something palm print for a while, and secondly, this one is a little more versatile—since it's not sheer like the last one, you can even make a wrap dress out of it! I also like the longer length, which helps to create an elongated line and, let's be clear, to keep more covered. The weight makes it a good transitional layer, especially for San Francisco. I have a feeling I'll be wearing this one a lot, even when I'm feeling thinner!





Because the kimono has such a bold print, I kept the rest of my outfit pretty simple. This tee is from Marine Layer, a San Francisco brand and one of my favorite places for supersoft basics. The jeans are my mom jeans (last seen here), and while normally I'd suggest wearing stretchier pants when your stomach is feeling less-than-flat, I think since these are a thicker, non-stretch denim, they hold you in better. The leg is also a bit looser, so it skims the body rather than clinging. It's all about tricking the eye.





It also may seem counter-intuitive to wear a big belt that draws attention to your waistline, but I wore this Gucci Marmont belt (last seen in my very first outfit post!) as a diversion: people will be so focused on your status symbol that they won't notice the bulge it's hiding! ;) Seriously, though, a darker color around the waist does create the illusion of smallness and helps break up your shape in a good way. That said, a good bag and sparkly jewelry can draw the eye toward your hands and face, respectively—and away from your midsection!




I was not kidding when I said I'd be wearing the hell out of these shoes (although I promise I'll wear another pair next week). As we were walking through our neighborhood for this shoot, my boyfriend remarked how literally every woman we passed checked them out. Did any of these women look at my gut? Probably not! And that's exactly how I intended it.





OUTFIT DETAILS: Rachel Zoe kimono via Box of Style (similar here) || Marine Layer tee (similar here) || Gucci Marmont belt || Levi's 505c jeans || Gucci Marmont pumps || Cult Gaia Ark bag || Stella & Dot Abundance necklace, celestial choker, engravable disc