Cheryl Shops

Inevitably, toward the end of each season, I start to get completely tired of all my clothes and am seized with an overwhelming urge to go buy a bunch of new things. The older (and wiser) I get, the more I try to be as pragmatic as possible about this. I want to make sure I'm investing wisely, and that I'm not going to buy something, wear it for a season, then never wear it again. So before I buy anything new, I've been asking myself three questions: 1) Would I wear this even if it weren't "on trend"? 2) Is it the best quality I can afford at the moment? 3) If it truly doesn't work for me in the end, can I resell it? These three questions have definitely made me slow down and be more conscious about what I'm buying, and that said, everything in this post obviously passed the test. Here are the 5 spring must-haves I'm most excited about.

Tweed blazer & stripes

It seems like Chanel-style tweed jackets are everywhere this season, although, to be fair, they're one of those items that never totally goes out of style—it just keeps coming back in slightly different iterations. A few years ago, I was after a longer, almost boyfriend-style version (I ended up with this one), but since we're undergoing a pretty major silhouette shift at the moment, now I want something more cropped—the better to pair with wide-leg pants (more on that later). There are a lot of Chanel-style collarless cardigan jackets out there at the moment (we can thank Hedi Slimane and Celine for that), but I've found they make me look kind of matronly. I prefer a blazer with a lapel and a little shoulder padding, and Zara does a pretty good take on this. There are a lot of cheap, synthetic acrylic and polyester tweed or bouclé jackets out there; this one is 100% cotton and I was blown away by the quality. I've been trying to temper my Zara habit, and while they definitely have a lot of polyester crapola, you can find some diamonds in the rough if you look closely enough. I'm wearing my usual medium in both the jacket and the striped sweater, which is a nice, soft viscose blend. I know, stripes for spring aren't groundbreaking, but lately I'm finding navy to be a little softer and and more flattering against my skin than my go-to black.

Wide-leg jeans

I know this debate has been happening for awhile now, and if you are a skinny-jeans person, by all means, please keep wearing whatever makes you feel the most comfortable and confident. (For the record, I love my slim-straight jeans.) But if you are at all wide-leg curious, now's a great time to try them. I bought this pair from COS a couple years ago—you last saw them here, I believe—and while I've tried on many different wide-leg jeans since then, this pair still has the best fit I've found. The legs are slightly curved out, which sounds weird, but they hang better that way, and the ankle length prevents them from giving you Gumby legs. They are 100% cotton with zero stretch, which takes a little getting used to (as you can probably see in a few of these photos, the waist is a tiiiiny bit tight on me and I wish I had worn a belt to cover that up), but I appreciate how they hold their shape and don't stretch out. I am wearing my usual size 28, but being a little thick through the waist as I am, I probably could have gone up to a 29. 

Mary Jane flats

I used to be a ride-or-die high heels girl, but like everyone else, I've been wearing flats since the beginning of the pandemic and that genie isn't going back into the bottle. Clearly I'm not alone, because the two major shoe trends for spring are ballet flats and Mary Jane flats. I'd argue that the former is more iconic-classic than trend-worthy, but I haven't worn Mary Janes since the '90s and there are a lot of cuuuute ones out there. I ended up going with this pair that I found at Anthropologie; speaking of genies, they kind of look like something from Aladdin, but I love the square toe and the oversized bow tie. I'd say these run a little long and wide—I took my usual size 39, and there's plenty of room in the toe box, however the sole is a little flimsy, so I added a padded insole and might have my cobbler add another layer of rubber to the bottom. They are really lightweight and otherwise comfortable; I think they'll look cute with dresses too. 

Sling bag

While these bags can be worn around the waist—and I do that with mine, especially when traveling—according to my Gen Z coworker, that's "what they did in the '90s" and so crossbody is the way to go here lest you want to incur the judgment of younger generations. Aesthetics aside, I find that my back hurts a lot less when I wear my bag higher on my body, as I'm doing here. You may recognize this bag from my birthday wishlist; Sean graciously gifted it to me this year. This is the mini size of the Isabel Marant Skano; if you want to fit more than a wallet, keys, and lip balm inside, I suggest going for the full-size version (I love my mini, but it is indeed very mini). 

OUTFIT DETAILS: Zara tweed blazer | Zara striped top | COS wide-leg jeans | Vicenza Mary Jane flats | Isabel Marant Skano bag (mini version here)