Cheryl Shops

Whoa, how is it June already?! This year is flying by, which I guess is a good thing—I feel like every day, week, and month, we get closer to normal life again. Case in point: We stayed in a hotel for the first time in over a year last weekend. We spent the long weekend in Calistoga, which is a town in northern Napa County—I'll share more details about that trip in next week's post—and aside from a few moments of mask-wearing, hand-sanitizing, and wavier-signing, it felt pretty much like a normal getaway. It also finally feels like summer, at least in Napa, so finally the weather is cooperating with my strong desire to wear a sundress. I've been on a dress binge lately, and while I love everything I've bought so far this year (don't worry, they'll all be making an appearance here soon enough), this Ganni dress is my favorite. Here's how I wore it in wine country.

You may recognize this Ganni sundress from my birthday wishlist back in March; as I noted then, Ganni makes a variation of this silhouette every year, and while I've missed out in the past, I finally treated myself. Now, this is a lot of color for me, and I spent many hours questioning whether it was too much, but I figured life is short and color is what's making me happy right now, so I bought it. I freaking love this dress. It's super comfy and flattering, and I love that there's enough room (and stretch) in the bust that I don't look like a Bridgerton extra. It has quite a few ruffles—another thing I tend to stay away from—but I think the wackiness of the colors kind of balances it out. My only quibble is that the straps are a little long, but I'm going to have them shortened, problem solved. I'm wearing a size 38, which is what I usually take in Scandinavian sizing (Ganni is a Danish brand), so I'd say it runs true to size. Also, I know you're probably surprised to see my (very white) arms making an appearance here, but it was 99 degrees in Napa when we shot these, so no way was I wearing anything else on top! But I think it will look super cute with my trusty denim jacket.

Can you get more summery than a straw tote bag? You last saw this Mango tote with a tie-dye sweater, and I was pleasantly surprised by how the orange-y tone of the leather picked up the orange in my dress. (Side note: I used to hate the color orange but have found I love it in small doses. Who am I?) This one in particular is super practical because it holds a ton, it has an inner pouch so stuff doesn't fall out, and I love that it has an extra crossbody strap. Mine is from last year, but Mango made an almost identical version this year, which I've linked below. 

Also from Mango are these lace-up suede sandals, which you last saw in September, and which I acquired too late in the summer last year to really get enough wear out of, but I'm certainly making up for that so far this year. They also have a warm, orange-y tone that I love—it's a little matchy-matchy with the dress, but I think it works. These are long sold out, but I've linked a similar pair below (they're a little pricier, but on major sale). 

Another key accessory, especially in summer, is a good straw hat. I've had this one for awhile—here's one of my all-tine favorite outfits with it—but it's held up quite nicely. I like how it has pompom trim, which nicely complement the geometric plaid of the dress. This one is sadly long gone (sound familiar?) but I've linked a similar, affordable style below. I should also note that, yes, my hair is up in these photos—that's how warm it was, but I'm not complaining. After what felt like a very long, cold spring, I'm so happy for summer to be here. 

OUTFIT DETAILS: Ganni dress (also love this color and this one) | Sole Society hat (similar here) | Mango bag (current version) | Mango sandals (similar here)