Cheryl Shops

At the end of last year and the beginning of this year—which feels more like 10 years ago at this point—I was working on a sustainability campaign for my day job. Throughout my research, I kept coming across similar statistics about how horrible fast fashion is for the environment; it was enough for me to make sustainability my main 2020 resolution. That resolution had several parts, one of which was "no new stuff." I was doing a pretty good job until COVID came along, and with it some promo codes and sales that I was too weak to resist. I'm not beating myself up about it; I do feel like I'm being much more conscious about what I'm buying—only things I love, of the best quality I can afford. That said, I have been doing quite a bit of secondhand shopping this year, and while 2020 is almost over (THANK GOD), it's a habit I'm going to stick with. Not only is buying secondhand better for the planet, it's way more affordable than buying something new, and it's not hard to find barely (if at all) used items. So while this post is long overdue, I wanted to celebrate my progress with a totally secondhand outfit. Here's how it all came together.

I live in sweaters much of the year here in San Francisco, and cashmere is my favorite yarn—it's super-soft and warm, but not too warm (there's no such thing as too soft, in my opinion). Of course, cashmere is not cheap, and while I don't think I'd ever get rid of mine, there are plenty of people out there who will. I bought this Equipment sweater on ThredUP, which is one of my favorite places to thrift online. (Note: I wouldn't recommend consigning your stuff here unless you really don't want to do any work yourself; the prices definitely tend to favor the buyer, which is good for shopping but not so great if your'e the seller.) ThredUP is the online equivalent of thrifting in a warehouse-like secondhand store; there's a lot of polyester from fast fashion stores, but there's a lot of designer stuff too, and you just have to know how to find it. I recommend saving searches for your favorite brands, which is how I found this beauty. Equipment makes my favorite silk shirts, and while this is my first cashmere sweater of theirs, it won't be my last—I love the slouchy shape and longer length, which will look great with jeans too. I'm in a medium, which is a size larger that I wear normally, but I wanted an extra-roomy fit, which is exactly what I got. Never shopped at ThredUP before? Take $20 off your first purchase. 

Another one of my go-to brands is IRO, a French label that you can find in stores like Saks and Revolve; their clothes just fit me really well, so I'll take a risk buying it on platforms like Poshmark where you can't return the item. That's where I got this skirt, which thankfully did fit perfectly (then again, it has an elastic waistband). This skirt is a typical "Cheryl skirt"—it's a tiered silk mini skirt—but I generally don't wear a lot of prints that aren't stripes or animal, so this was slightly outside of my comfort zone. Anyway, the key to shopping Poshmark is to heart items you like, even if the price seems a bit high; sellers will frequently send you special offers at much lower prices, or you can make your own offer on any item. As a seller, I will say that some people take that feature a bit too far (like, sorry, I'm not selling something for 95% off), so be reasonable, but don't be afraid to bargain. If you've never shopped Poshmark before, use code CHERYLSHOPS for $10 off your first order. 

I admittedly have nowhere to wear these boots at the moment, but I've had them since last fall (and I've never featured them here, sadly!) and they were looking very lonely in my closet. I will say, it's been awhile since I've worn heels and my feet were not super happy with me after this shoot, so consider easing back into dress-up shoes if you're in a similar boat. Anyway, I bought these Tibi boots on The Real Real, which is where I go for designer stuff in excellent condition. I consign a lot of stuff on TRR and can attest that they will only accept items that are in new, excellent, or very good condition, plus they authenticate everything, so you can trust that you're getting the real deal (or the real real, as it were). I am a little squeamish about used shoes, and these looked like they'd never been worn before, so that made me happy.  

This Jerome Dreyfuss bag was one of the first things I bought on The Real Real, and it remains one of my favorites—I feature it frequently here, most recently with an IRO dress (see, I told you it was one of my favorite brands). Handbags tend to be final sale on a lot of resale sites—they are on the Real Real—but if you know what you're looking for, they're one of the best secondhand deals out there. I think I paid something like $150 for this bag, which now retails for $750! Happy treasure hunting! 

OUTFIT DETAILS: Equipment cashmere sweater | IRO skirt (similar here) | Tibi boots (similar here) | Jerome Dreyfuss Bobi bag