Cheryl Shops

As I mentioned in last week's post, San Francisco is in lockdown 2.0, but Napa County isn't yet, so we headed up there on Saturday to pick up wine and enjoy one last meal in a restaurant before the holidays. Things have only been shut down for a week in the city, but it felt glorious to be outdoors in the sunshine, sipping wine and savoring the finer things. Winter tends to be when we get our only rain of the year here in the Bay Area, but if you play your cards right, you can get a gloriously clear, sunny day. It can definitely be on the chillier side, but with some careful layering, you can enjoy a full day of outdoor wine tasting. Here's what to wear in Napa in winter. 

Yes, this is the exact same coat I wore last week, and since I bought it specifically for outdoor dining, this seemed like the perfect time to wear it. Plus, last week's outfit was more on the dressy side, so I wanted to show it with something more casual. And we shot in slightly brighter lighting, so hopefully you can get an even better sense of the ultra-fluffy texture. I am still debating getting this one in camel too—I've been wearing it that much—but for now, I'm in love with the black version. For reference, I'm in a size small, and as I noted last week, this coat runs a bit big. 

I almost always wear a sweater when I'm in wine country in the winter; sometimes you can get away with ditching your coat, but a nice, warm knit is always a must. This is Everlane's alpaca sweater; I've had it for several seasons, and you last saw it in a somewhat similar outfit in Healdsburg. (What can I say, it looks good with a black coat and white jeans.) I like the weight of this one because it's super warm without being bulky, and the color is interesting—it's somewhere between charcoal gray and black, which is probably why I like to layer it under a black jacket. In other words, it has just enough contrast. This sweater runs true to size; I'm in my usual small. 

When I lived in NYC, I didn't dare wear white jeans in winter, but here in Northern California, you're pretty much safe as long as it's not raining. I think they brighten up your outfit and keep it from looking too dark and dour, and even though the no-white-after-Labor-Day thing has long since been debunked, there's something so fresh about wearing white in the wintertime. This is my go-to pair from Old Navy, which you last saw with a leopard-print coat, and I added the Isabel Marant belt that I recently featured with wide-leg khakis. The funny thing about the belt is that I can't seem to tie it the same way twice, but I still love it—it just makes whatever you're wearing that much more interesting. But make sure you size up, because it runs super small (I'm in a large). 

Accessory-wise, I still haven't budged from my go-to A.P.C. bag; it's been the perfect size for all of my Covid-era essentials. But I did score this wackadoo pair of sneakers on Black Friday and while I know they're a lot of look, they are so freaking comfortable. This is my first pair of New Balance, which was shocking to Sean, since that's nearly all he wears. I've joked that I'm slowly turning into a sneaker person, so maybe now it's time to start joking since clearly it's already happened. These run true to size; I'm in a size 8.5. And before I go, I'd like to give a special shout out to The Charter Oak and Frog's Leap, where we shot these photos. They're two of my favorite places in Napa (St. Helena, to be exact), so please stop by the next time you're in the area. You can even order Frog's Leap online, or if you're lucky, you can find it in your local wine store—I highly recommend their sauvignon blanc and merlot. Cheers!

OUTFIT DETAILS: Uniqlo teddy coat | Everlane alpaca sweater | Old Navy power slim straight jeans | Isabel Marant Lecce belt | A.P.C. sac demi-lune | New Balance 574 sneakers