Cheryl Shops

The last couple of years, I've focused on gifts that you and your significant other can enjoy together. It's a nice sentiment—and one still worth pursuing—but after texting with my girlfriends today, I decided we're all a bit starved for some self-care, and so this Valentine's Day, why not take an opportunity to practice some self-love? I mean of the treat-yourself variety; this is a shopping blog, of course. ;) Here are some of my favorite Valentine's Day gifts to give yourself (sharing always encouraged).

This is the outfit I meant to post last week, however the photos accidentally got deleted from the memory card, so we had to reshoot them. It seemed like a minor catastrophe at the time, but I think these turned out even better than the originals. Anyway, there’s no particular theme to this shoot, other than this has basically been my winter uniform so far: wool coat, cashmere sweater, jeans, and boots. I know I’ve been featuring a lot of jeans recently, but I promise I have some dresses coming up soon. In the meantime, here’s what I’ve been living in.

We were just in New York City in October, but when we got an invite to a dear friend's 40th birthday celebration (that just so happened to coincide with a holiday weekend), of course we couldn't say no to another trip. So we sent Zuni off to Petcamp, hopped on a 6 a.m. flight, and touched down at JFK just in time for the festivities. Here's how we spent three days in New York. 

I've been working on a sustainability campaign for my day job and it has really opened my eyes to all of the impact we, as humans, have on the environment. Coupled with the prediction that the world might more or less come to an end by 2050, I've been low-key freaking out about the future of our planet for the last couple months. Of course, one of the worst offenders is the fashion industry, which I unwittingly contribute to by convincing you to buy stuff. I will never stop using clothing as a means of self-expression, but I am seriously reconsidering my consumption habits and, to come clean, one of my resolutions is to not buy any new clothes in 2020. I am allowing myself to shop secondhand, and to accept gifts, but I am really, really trying not to buy anything new. As you can imagine, 16 days into the year, this is already a challenge for me, but I'm hopeful that it will get easier as the months go on. (And full disclosure: I'm granting myself an exception for my birthday and if I have any significant life changes worth celebrating.) That said, there are a lot of amazing sales happening right now, and if I can't shop them, maybe you can? Here's what I'd be buying if I hadn't made this @#$%! resolution.

There are quite a few things on my holy grail list, and a shearling aviator jacket is one of them. (In case you were wondering, an Hermès Kelly bag, a Max Mara camel coat, and Chanel ballet flats are also on it.) A shearling jacket does not come cheap, however, and so I have yet to buy the real thing, especially because I haven't been sure that I can actually pull one off. Am I too old? Too traditional? Too Californian? I decided to investigate with a faux version, which is less of a financial commitment and an item that can easily be donated to charity if it doesn't work out. Long story short, I love my faux shearling enough to wear it till it's threadbare. Here's how I styled it on its first outing. 

Winter truly brings out the casualness in me, and my go-to look most days consists of a sweater, jeans, and sneakers. So it's fitting that this month's most-pinned look from my Outfit Ideas for Ageless Style Pinterest board is just that. Granted, it's a very stylish take on the basics, but it's a totally easy look to re-create, so let's do it.

Back when I worked for Gap, our first fashion campaign of the year was always a neutral one. I think part of that strategy is that it’s in between seasons, so you don’t really need anything and aren’t looking to make a major statement, plus neutrals are a nice palate cleanser after all the rich colors and sparkle of the holidays. I also find myself gravitating more toward neutrals in general, although I do like a good strategically placed print or statement piece—and that’s what this look is, in a nutshell. You could wear it nearly any time of year (minus the heavier jacket) but the zebra print makes enough of a statement so that the outfit is memorable. Zebra will probably never replace leopard in everyone's hearts, but it's a fresh alternative. Here’s how to put it all together.

I wrote 2020 for the first time today and wow, was that weird—it truly is a new decade! That said, 2019 ended just a few days ago and I’m still in recap mode. So while my year in review post from Tuesday was all about me, this one is all about you: what you browsed, clicked on, and bought. I obviously love data, and analyzing it helps me deliver more content that you’ll (hopefully) enjoy. Plus, it’s fun to see what you got! So without further ado, here’s how you shopped in 2019.


OUTFIT DETAILS: Zara blazer | H&M tee (similar here) | Free People Normani skirt | Staud Bissett bag| Golden Goose Superstar sneakers