Cheryl Shops

Use code Cheryl15Spring25 for 15% off your purchase at Inez. 

There've been a lot of think-pieces lately about how women don't wear heels anymore as well as some heel-shaming from Gen Z. We definitely have the pandemic to blame—we all dress more casually now, with an emphasis on comfort, and the many of us who used to suffer through foot pain in the name of fashion have since breathed a huge sigh of relief. I wore heels nearly every day for years, and while I wouldn't have called them comfortable per se, I think there was a lot of muscle memory involved; now that I spend most of my day in slippers as I work from home, my feet have pretty much atrophied and any heel over an inch is not doable for more than an hour or so. And yet on the rare occasion when I do wear heels, I feel more confident, more intentional in my movement, and more elegant. Please, feel free to take away my feminist card, but I don't think there's anything wrong in wanting to feel more feminine, whatever that looks like to you. So the question is, can we as women have it all, e.g. the boost that comes from wearing heels with the comfort that we're used to from flats and sneakers? Inez is a brand that's trying to bridge that gap. While they sent me a pair of high-heel sandals to try, the following are my honest and unfiltered opinions. 

In Allison Bornstein's Wear it Well book (highly recommend btw), she describes a category of clothes as "love to buy, hate to wear," e.g. things you think you should like but actually don't suit you. For me, that's a classic white button-down shirt—I've bought many over the years, but they never look right on me, they rarely fit me well, and they just feel a little...boring. That said, I like the idea of a classic white shirt, but I finally figured out that for me, that looks a little different. Instead, I love a lacy white blouse. It's like a classic white shirt with a little more personality. It's softer, more feminine, more interesting. It has a free-spirited, '70s vibe with a little bit of French girl thrown in. (For the record, my Three Words are Classic, French, Rock-and-Roll). I own quite a few lacy white tops and tend to buy at least one new one every spring; at this point, they can hardly be considered a trend, but this is my trend guide and I'll call it what I want! Read on for deets on my latest purchase. 

There are certain details that I tend to gravitate toward, and one of them is fringe. Whether it's long, hair-like strands or a lightly frayed hem, I truly can't get enough fringe. With all of the clean lines and minimalism that we've been experiencing recently in fashion, fringe has been somewhat hard to come by, but with the resurgence of boho, it's suddenly back and I'm very happy about it. I know certain trends can be feast or famine, so I'm trying really hard not to go overboard with so many great options, but I've already bought several fringed pieces this year and have my eye on a few more. But first, the sweatshirt that followed me around the Internet.

I don't know how this happened, but I feel like my social media feeds have been taken over by a sea of sameness. Everyone is wearing the same tastefully neutral, '90s minimalist–inspired looks—which is a great aesthetic, but I'm getting tired of seeing it on everyone, everywhere. I, myself, am guilty of dressing this way recently; to be fair, a lot of what's in the market lately has adhered to this vibe. But I am so over it. As I noted in my newsletter a few weeks ago, quiet luxury is dead and while I'm not really feeling the Boom Boom look that Gen Z is leaning into at the moment, I am going boho for spring. That means lots of ornamentation (ruffles, lace, embroidery, fringe), pattern, texture, and softness. I'm embracing messiness versus minimalism. I want to love everything I'm wearing, versus adapting a specific way of dressing to fit in with the aesthetic of my (now former) employer. I just want to dress like me. Thankfully, I jolted myself out of my Scandi street style rut a month ago on my birthday, and here's what happened.

Yes, this is the same outfit from last week, with a jacket added