Cheryl Shops

Apologies for totally bailing on the blog last week. I had a ridiculously busy week at work and, honestly, was not feeling super inspired to write. After a very relaxing weekend, however, I've recharged my batteries, and I'm back. It still feels a little silly to be writing about fashion right now, but maybe we can all use a little distraction? Either way, if you have any topics you'd like me to cover, feel free to leave them in the comments below, or email me.

As I noted in my Paris outfit post last week, it feels rather surreal to be writing this post—and maybe more so now that we in San Francisco have been ordered to shelter in place for the next three weeks. How funny to think that just two weeks ago, I was in a foreign country, going to museums and out to restaurants like I didn’t have a care in the world! Selfishly, I’m glad I got to enjoy my vacation, and my heart goes out to everyone who’s had to cancel a trip. Granted, I know the collective health of the world is way more important and there are much bigger things to worry about. But if you could use a little distraction, here’s what I wore in London on my birthday.




I almost always wear a dress on my birthday—they always feel special to me, and yes, I’m one of those people who likes to make their birthday a big production. This one is by Thakoon, and it’s from the anniversary collection of Target’s Go International line. I bought the original version of this dress in black and white years ago; I still have it, but I never wear it because it’s too big. When they brought back the greatest hits, I snapped it up in a much more suitable size medium, in blue and white. This is my first time featuring it here on the blog, because it sold out so quickly when the line hit stores; it's obviously long gone from stores, but you can find new-with-tags dresses on eBay or Poshmark. It's a great three-season dress; since it was still pretty cold in London, I wore it with tights and a cardigan, but it will be perfect in summer and fall with the sleeves rolled up and bare legs. I've made a personal pledge to wear more blue and navy, because it feels less harsh against my skin, versus black. The shibori print just makes me so happy too.


This would have looked like a more cohesive outfit with the navy trenchcoat I also brought, but since the sun was shining on my birthday, I opted for my warmer J.Crew jacket instead. You last saw this one on my trip to Healdsburg; it's a great transitional piece because it's warm but not as substantial or bulky as a wool or down coat. Again, I still wish I had brought a warmer coat, but with a bunch of layers underneath, this one kept me warm enough.



I brought only one pair of heels on this trip and wore them twice, only at night. As you may have noticed over the last few months, I have slowly transitioned to a low-heel life, and I'm totally ok with that. Especially on vacation, when you're walking four or five times as much as you normally do in a day, comfort is key. Vionic sadly no longer makes this oxford style, but you can still track a pair down on outlet sites. My Stella & Dot bag is also no longer available, but I've linked a similar style below. I love this one because you can carry it folded, long, or as a clutch with the strap removed. It's such a practical, versatile bag for a vacation.



We did a lot of walking on my birthday—these photos were taken in Primrose Hill (a super cute neighborhood), Soho, and St. James, near Buckingham Palace. I will (finally) be posting my London travel diary later this week, so please check back then!



OUTFIT DETAILS: Thakoon for Target dress (on eBay) | J.Crew quilted field jacket | Stella & Dot bag (similar here) | Vionic Hadley oxfords