Cheryl Shops

If you've been reading this blog for awhile, you know that I used to live in NYC for a long time (13 years, to be exact) and it will always have a big part of my heart. I normally go back for a visit at least once a year, but thanks to the pandemic, I hadn't been there since January 2020. When I've been gone for too long, I can almost feel it in my bones; spending even a couple of days in New York is like a defibrillator for my soul, in the best possible way. Even though he's never lived there, Sean loves NYC as much as I do, so convincing him to go there for a long weekend in celebration of his birthday required only minimal arm-twisting. Of course, after having been away for so long, I had no idea how New Yorkers were dressing, and if you've been reading my newsletter, you know that I've been panicking about what to pack. I may not have totally blended in—I've been a West Coaster for 8 years now, after all—but I could at least hang in this outfit.

 

November weather can be all over the place in NYC, and it certainly was for this trip—we had everything from 66 degrees and sunny to a hailstorm, and it got super chilly on our last night there. This Sara Campbell coat was the perfect thing to pack, however. It has a fluffy, wooly texture, but it's unlined, so while it's not as warm as it looks, I was perfectly comfortable wearing it with a long-sleeved T-shirt during the day and layered with a sweater at night. I'd almost call it more of a coatigan than a proper coat; I've been wearing it a lot here in San Francisco too. If you've never heard of her, Sara Campbell is a Boston-based designer and most of her clothing (including this coat) is made in the USA. This is my first piece of hers, btw, and I'm already a big fan. The coat is true to size; I'm in my usual small. 

You might recognize these jeans from my newsletter, but if not, they're the '90s loose fit by Re/Done. I had been seeing '90s supermodel-style jeans on several influencers, and I decided to order this pair in particular after spotting them on So Heather. I am a big fan of Re/Done jeans, which are sustainably made, and while they're not Sean's favorite, I love how they fit. That said, I realize they don't photograph well; I swear they look less FUPA-y in real life. Anyway, I had to order several different pairs of this jean to find the one that fit me properly; the first wash I tried ran huge, but in this pair, I'm wearing my usual size 28 and as you can see in the photos, they're super snug, which is intentional, because you want them to mold to your body (they're 100% cotton with ZERO stretch). These are very high waisted and fit very close through the hips and upper thighs, then the magic is in the loose leg, which I find to be just so good...in person. They are definitely the anti–skinny jean, although I will say, I saw women wearing all manner of cuts in NYC. But back to this pair, I highly recommend wearing them with a belt in case you need to unbutton them after a large meal, not that I had to do that, ahem. 

 

The problem with a major silhouette change is that when you wear a new cut of pants, you need to switch up your tops too—the longer, tunic-style tops and cardigans I wore with my skinny and slim-fit jeans look all wrong with a looser fit. Thankfully, a cropped cardigan like this one from Saint + Sofia is just right. As I noted in my post a few weeks ago, Saint + Sofia is a newish British company that uses a lot of sustainable materials and practices, and I've loved everything I've worn by them so far. This sweater is a bit oversized yet cropped at the same time; I'm in a medium but probably would have been fine in a small; as you can see, it's a wee bit big on me, alas. The yarn is kind of the perfect weight for in-between weather: warm but not too warm. And in a true nod to the '90s, I'm wearing a bodysuit underneath, which I highly recommend with loose, high-waisted jeans such as these, so you don't have to worry about tucking or things shifting around. 

 

I'm wearing a bunch of tried and true accessories here, from my Isabel Marant belt (last seen with flare jeans) to my A.P.C. sac demi-lune (last seen in the same post) and Chloé boots, which I know I'm wearing two outfit posts in a row, but this just proves that they look just as good with a dress as they do with jeans. This loose-fit leg silhouette is kind of tricky in terms of shoes; so far I'm finding a low heel and an almond-shaped toe looks the best. I did see a lot of platform shoes in NYC, and while I am wary about thick-soled platforms, I'd be willing to give them another try. In the meantime, these studded boots do the trick—and make me feel like a true New Yorker at heart.

 

OUTFIT DETAILS: Sara Campbell Chloe coat (c/o) | Saint + Sofia Soho cardigan (c/o) | Spanx bodysuit (c/o) | Re/Done '90s loose jean | A.P.C. sac demi-lune | Chloé Susanna boots