Cheryl Shops

 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.

Last summer when I was in Copenhagen (remember when we could travel to Europe?!), all of the women were wearing these floaty tiered dresses, and while I tried on a bunch, I couldn't find one that really suited me. The silhouette is back this summer (I featured it in my summer dress guide), and, again, I've tried multiple styles that all swallowed me in fabric. I've had my eye on this H&M dress for awhile, but for whatever reason, I'd been wary of shopping online (for like the first time in my life, and for no good reason at that). Lo and behold, I spotted a lone XS on the sale rack last week, and since H&M's fitting rooms are closed at the moment, I took a chance and bought it. It fits beautifully—the key is getting it right through the shoulders and bust, because if it's too big up top, it's just going to get worse from there. (I am normally a small at H&M, so, yes, you should size down in this style.) The balloon sleeves are voluminous but not too crazy, and the tiered shape floats away from the body in a dreamy—not drowny—way. I think it helps that the fabric is so light too; amazingly, it's cotton, not rayon or polyester, so it's not at all bulky. This dress is shorter than what I normally wear, but the volume balances out the length, plus I think it will be super cute later in the year with knee-high boots. I wore this dress two days in a row last week, and I'm totally going to wear it again this weekend—can't wait!

Speaking of the weekend, it was actually warm enough for me to get away with a light jacket and bare legs on Saturday, so out came my trusty denim jacket, last seen with my favorite maxi dress. The waist-length cut of this jacket really works with this dress because it hits right at where the dress starts to flare out—it lets the dress do its thing and doesn't get in the way. As I note every time I feature this jacket, I've had it for ages (probably close to 20 years by now) and am wearing a medium; it's Gap's Icon jacket and they've been making it forever, wisely. 

My poor handbags have been languishing in my closet (as have my fancy shoes), so I decided to take my Balenciaga bag out for a spin (you last saw it back in February with a sweater tunic). Dear god, I love this bag—I've had it for a gazillion years and it just gets better with age. I'm glad Balenciaga still makes it, and I'm even more glad that I've never sold it. It actually holds quite a bit, and it's so lightweight and soft. Note to self: carry it more often.

And while most of my days are spent in slippers and Birkenstocks (with the occasional sneaker thrown in), I've been trying to wear a heel now and then, because I'm hopeful that at some point in the future, I'll have occasion to wear them again. These Jambu wedges barely count because they're so comfy, but they give enough lift to your legs, which is especially good when you're wearing a short dress like this one. I feel like these sandals would be perfect on a vacation where you're doing a lot of walking (like in Europe), so let's hope I'll be able to take them somewhere fabulous next summer. 

OUTFIT DETAILS: H&M dress | Gap Icon jacket | Balenciaga bag | Jambu Modena sandals (c/o)