Cheryl Shops

I'm writing this post literally as the sun is setting on the shortest day of the year, and spiritually, I hope today is a turning point. I've seen a lot of people sharing this post on social media, implying that when all of this COVID stuff is over, we're going to have another dressed-up, partied-out, roaring twenties, which I am 100% on board with, so long as it's not followed by a huge stock market crash. I advocated for dressing up a few weeks ago—and I fully plan to do so for Christmas and New Year's Eve—but the reality is that all Californians are in lockdown at least until the 4th of January (and, TBH, probably for several weeks after that as we deal with the fallout from holiday gatherings), not to mention my friends in London, who are on stay-at-home orders that are just as strict as ours. Long story short, I think it's ok to cut yourself some slack and be comforted with some soft, cozy clothes. It's what I'll be wearing for the next few weeks (and possibly beyond), and that's fine, because like all of this, it's only temporary. As soon as I am vaccinated and able to be out in the world again safely, it's going to be all sparkles and heels and freedom. But for now, it's my last outfit post of the year, so I thought I'd sign off with the most 2020 outfit of them all. 

2020 will probably go down as the year of sweatpants, and while I really tried to not fall into an elastic-waistband wasteland, I'm only human. Sweatpants are comfy AF, and considering only Sean sees my lower half on a daily basis, totally commonplace to wear every day of the week (although I try not to). I've tried to dress this pair up in the past, but they've gotten a little stretched out with age and are currently confined to the weekends. As I found earlier in the day when we shot this post, they're also not the best for winter, as the wind whipped right through the soft yet airy knit. In other words, these are indoor sweatpants, which just feels appropriate for this year anyway. I'm in a medium and should have ordered a small; I'd advise taking your regular size, or at least erring on the small side. 

This year wasn't necessarily remarkable in terms of cashmere sweaters, except that my honest review of direct-to-consumer cashmere brands was my most-read post of the year and has been driving a lot of affiliate income for me, so thank you to everyone who's been supporting Cheryl Shops that way! Of all the cashmere that I featured in that post, my favorite sweater is, hands down, this one from Nakedcashmere. It is so ridiculously soft, it feels like angels' kisses. It's a little more fitted, so it looks lightly less sloppy with sweatpants; I'm in a size small, and would say it runs true to size. And as for the fact that I'm wearing gray on gray, that just felt like the right thing to do. Gray is one of the easiest colors to wear in a monochromatic context—just make sure you vary the tones and shades to keep it from yourself from looking like a big blob, unless that's what you're going for. 

Do you ever buy something and wear it so much at first that you then can't bear to look at it for awhile? That's how I felt about this faux shearling jacket. I wore it nonstop earlier in the year (you last saw it on Valentine's Day, coincidentally in the same location, where we shoot at least once a month) then had to give it a rest. Thankfully both the weather and I were ready for it again, because I think it looks pretty cool with this outfit—it's casual enough that it doesn't look out of place, but it's chic enough to elevate the rest of what I'm wearing. My jacket is from Zara last year, but I've linked a very similar style below. 

Of all the surprises of 2020, I never thought one of my most-worn pair of shoes would be these Vans high-tops. You last saw them with a housedress, and obviously I've worn them a ton since then, because look at all the dirt on the toes, whoops. They are in my regular sneaker rotation and I often wear them while walking Zuni (hence the dirt, from the park); they're so comfy and effortless, and the fact that they look just as good with a dress as they do with sweats speaks volumes. I hope that I'll be wearing them with more of the former in 2021; either way, they're here to stay in my wardrobe.

OUTFIT DETAILS: Zara jacket (similar here) | Nakedcashmere sweater (current version here) | Rails sweatpants | Vans Sk8-hi sneakers