Cheryl Shops

Historically speaking, I've featured party outfits in December, and omicron variant be damned, I do plan to do my fair share of partying this month. But I also thought I'd end the year with a more true picture of where my wardrobe is at the moment. I had a bit of an identity crisis earlier this year; after months of wearing little more than sweats, I was like I NEED FUN CLOTHES and ended up buying a bunch of stuff that just wasn't me. Not that I'm not fun, but I can be fun without looking like I'm in a funhouse. Anyway, I like neutrals—always have, probably always will—and while I might not have the most interesting wardrobe in the world, it's the right one for me. So with that in mind, here's to ending 2021 on an authentic note. 

This dress is by Tory Burch, a brand I have not historically shopped but recently have found myself drawn toward; I'm not big on logos or preppiness, but I do like the Palm Beach/Bermuda direction she sometimes goes in. I could have sworn I saw this dress on Blair Eadie but of course now I can't find the original post that influenced me to buy it. Either way, this dress feels just a little outside my comfort zone, in a good way—I was a little unsure about the color scheme at first (I'm generally not a fan of brown), but I'm finding the older I get, the more I gravitate toward warmer neutrals, like camel and cream, so I think it works. The dress itself is super comfortable; the fabric is a thick jersey, not quite sweatshirt weight, and I feel like I can probably wear it year-round here. The belt helps give it a little shape, and as a bonus, it has pockets! (Can we all agree that pockets are essential in dresses and just be done with it?) The only weird thing is that the neck hole is a bit small; getting the dress on is not a problem, but taking it off can be a bit of a struggle for some reason. Sizing is a bit on the generous side; I'm wearing my usual small and it's quite roomy. 

I had actually planned on wearing my camel coat for this post, but it's been unseasonably warm here (not that I'm complaining!), so I'm back in my J.Crew sweater blazer, which you last saw in October. I was worried that this look needed a little more contrast, but I think the fact that the camel is somewhere between the cream and brown colors of my dress helps make it a nice monochromatic sundae of a look. I've featured this jacket so many times, I could probably devote a whole post to all the ways I've worn it; it's definitely one of my wardrobe workhorses. My one quibble is that the sleeves are inexplicably short, but other than that, it's totally worth the investment. It runs true to size (I'm in a small). 

I recently did a big closet purge and unearthed a bunch of bags I'd forgotten about, including my vintage Dior bag, which you last saw in this Friendsgiving post. Again, it works here because it picks up some of the colors of my outfit, but not exactly. I also like that it's adding another print to the mix, but subtly. I got this bag during the original Sex and the City era; I wonder if Carrie will be wearing any vintage Dior when And Just Like That starts later this month. (Are you going to watch it? Of course I am, Samantha or not!) 

My shoes, however, are definitely not Carrie Bradshaw material; I think the Internet would lose its collective mind if she ever wore Birkenstocks. As you know, I am hopelessly devoted to my Birks, and this year I decided to invest in a new pair of what I call "winter Birkenstocks" ("summer Birkenstocks" are pretty self-explanatory). These have a nice shearling lining, which keeps my feet nice and toasty when I'm walking Zuni late at night; I've pretty much worn these nonstop since I got them, and as you can see, they even go with dresses! Yes, they kind of look like bedroom slippers. No, I don't care. (Then again, I spend most of my day in bedroom slippers anyway.) They run true to size; I'm in my usual size 39 (I'm almost always an 8.5). Expect to see a lot more of these in the coming months, as you may have to pry them from my cold, dead feet.

OUTFIT DETAILS: J.Crew sweater blazer | Tory Burch striped dress | vintage Dior bag (similar here) | Birkenstock Buckley mules