Cheryl Shops

As I wrote the title of this post, I thought, "Hopefully it will be the last birthday I'll ever have so spend in quarantine." Granted, as far as quarantine goes, it was a pretty glamorous one. In case you missed it, we spent a weekend in Santa Barbara to celebrate my birthday, and it was so nice to get out of our apartment and have a change of scenery. The weather was pretty much perfect, Santa Barbara is a gorgeous place, and I felt very grateful to be able to take a road trip there, safely. We also did a bit of celebrating (e.g. wine tasting) before we took these photos, so let me preface this post by saying that I look a little more, er, relaxed than usual. Then again, maybe it's just because I love my outfit so much ;) 

I've been wearing my J.Crew coatigan a lot (you last saw it with Spanx) and while it was great for the ride down to Santa Barbara, it was a bit warm for our first day there, hence why I'm only wearing it in a few of these photos. (I did wear it the next day with a short-sleeved dress, which was much more weather-appropriate.) I still wish I had sized down in this coat; it looks kind of sloppy in photos but I feel like the oversized coat is a bit more chic in person. Either way, I like how it keeps the outfit feeling casual yet polished—it's dressier than a denim jacket but not as formal as something more tailored. 

The next part of my outfit goes out to reader L, who emailed me to ask for more affordable hoodies after last week's outfit post. This one is well under $100, and while I had expected something a bit longer (I initially wanted a hoodie long enough to wear over leggings), the top-of-hip length and slightly boxy cut are super flattering. I also like that the fleece is a lighter-weight terry, rather than a thicker typical sweatshirt material—it's a little more streamlined that way. It also has the added benefit of not having a front pocket, which can make you feel a little bulky (although it is practical). Nordstrom recommended sizing up, so that's what I did—I'm in a medium, and it was the right choice. This hoodie has pushed me even more into the hoodie fan club. 

I am also a fan of this tiered midi skirt, which was an early quarantine purchase when all of the stores were panicking and slashing prices (you saw it here last May). As someone who typically doesn't like a lot of patterns, I can't quite explain why this one appeals to me, but it does. I also think it's a great working-from-home skirt, because the smocking means it's extra stretchy (and thus comfy), but the ruffles—and the fact that it's skirt and not sweatpants—feel like you've made an effort. I've really embraced the midi skirt at this point in my life, and I'm ok with that. Amazingly, you can still find this exact skirt online, but I've linked to a current-season version too. I'm in my usual size 38. 

While I love all the things I'm wearing in this post, I'm perhaps most enamored with the shoes. I've been looking forever for a more affordable version of Jenni Kayne's shearling mule and after several false starts, I finally found this very affordable (under $50!) pair on Zappos. I sometimes have trouble keeping mules on my bony feet, but these stayed put beautifully, and they were super comfy too—I walked 12,000 steps in them on the day we shot these photos, and I didn't even get a blister! I know they kind of look like slippers, but to be honest, I wear slippers 90% of the day anyway, so these feel just as comfy but look a tad more chic (and you can actually wear them out of the house). They run true to size—I'm in my usual 8.5—and while they may be an acquired taste for some, I think this is going to be my shoe of 2021. 

OUTFIT DETAILS: J.Crew Ella coat | Alternative Apparel day off hoodie | Etoile Isabel Marant skirt (current season here) | Farylrobin Madeline mules