Can you believe it is almost Memorial Day weekend? After a crazy couple weeks at work, I am leaving Chicago for a much needed vacation. It is only ten hours until my mom picks me up for our road trip to the family reunion, but my suitcase is still sad and empty (and up on a high shelf in my closet)! Since I am such a packing procrastinator, I am always worried that I will end up far away from my closet only to realize that I brought a ton of t-shirts and no pants or only packed cardigans and have no tanks to go underneath! However, all that worrying has created a pretty solid system to follow to ensure that I am ready for most occasions, without having to lug around twenty tons. So, without further ado, here are my top ten vacation wardrobe tips:
1. Check the weather a couple days before you plan to begin packing. Most of us start thinking generally about our packing list in the days before our trip so make sure that you are working with the correct weather report. You don't want to plan out a week's worth of cute shorts outfits only to find out that your normally warm vacation locale is experiencing a cold front during your visit.
2. Before you fold anything into your suitcase, lay out all the items you are planning to bring as outfits. This way you will be able to quickly see if there are pieces you don't need or if you need to add a coordinating piece to something you'd really like to wear.
3. Try to pack knits whenever possible so that you will not have to deal with the hotel room iron. You are supposed to be relaxing so choose pieces that will be easy to grab and go. Plus, most knits are more comfortable than their woven counterparts so it is a win-win!
4. Use the distance to try out something new! Is there a new trend you've been wanting to try? Maybe you really want to try out a pattern-on-pattern outfit but don't want your neighbors to make snarky remarks about you at the grocery store. Vacation is a great time to try something outside of your box because you will be surrounded by strangers who won't gossip about you. Sometimes it just takes wearing a trend outside for a bit to decide whether or not it is your cup of tea. My Memorial Day vacation "new piece" is a neon pink nail polish- I'll let you know how it works out!
5. Keep your layering pieces neutral. Since it is summertime you probably do not want to bring an outerwear piece to coordinate with every outfit just in case it happens to get cool that night. My go-to piece is a grey, crewneck cardigan. It can be paired back to navy, black or any color so I don't have to rework my entire look just to accommodate the weather.
6. Bring a dress. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, but make sure you have something if the restaurant you've been dying to try has a dress code or if some "can't miss" event presents itself. The easiest option is a black jersey knit wrap dress. You can put a brightly colored tank underneath for a peek of color, add a necklace and you'll be ready to go.
7. Make sure to bring some accessories to jazz up your outfits. The bare minimum should be a statement necklace, a colorful or sparkly bracelet, a pair of earrings and a colorful or metallic skinny belt. This will let you adjust your outfits for any unexpected events and won't take up much room in your suitcase!
8. Pack two pairs of shoes. I am very wary of anyone who says they can get away with only one pair of shoes for a trip. If nothing else, you will want a second pair in case you get a blister and need to avoid contact with the area. I generally bring a pair of sandals and a pair of sneakers. If you are planning on dress-up occasions during your vacation, you might want to substitute one of those for a heel or wedge.
9. No matter how perfectly you think you have packed, bring one back-up outfit. You might get stuck in a rainstorm and need a dry outfit, your waiter might spill a tray of food on you at lunch or you might just decide that you aren't quite feeling any of the outfits you brought on that particular day. Your backup outfit should be a comfortable favorite, something that you would grab from your closet when you're running late for lunch. Then you know that if you wake up one morning feeling off-kilter that you have something in your suitcase that you can feel good in.
10. Wear something stretchy to travel in. You'll want to start off your vacation on the right foot and arrive comfortably. Depending on your mode of transportation and your schedule, your "something stretchy" can be anything from a great ponte dress to a pair of yoga pants.
I hope that you all have a wonderful holiday weekend, whether you are traveling or not!
1. Check the weather a couple days before you plan to begin packing. Most of us start thinking generally about our packing list in the days before our trip so make sure that you are working with the correct weather report. You don't want to plan out a week's worth of cute shorts outfits only to find out that your normally warm vacation locale is experiencing a cold front during your visit.
2. Before you fold anything into your suitcase, lay out all the items you are planning to bring as outfits. This way you will be able to quickly see if there are pieces you don't need or if you need to add a coordinating piece to something you'd really like to wear.
3. Try to pack knits whenever possible so that you will not have to deal with the hotel room iron. You are supposed to be relaxing so choose pieces that will be easy to grab and go. Plus, most knits are more comfortable than their woven counterparts so it is a win-win!
4. Use the distance to try out something new! Is there a new trend you've been wanting to try? Maybe you really want to try out a pattern-on-pattern outfit but don't want your neighbors to make snarky remarks about you at the grocery store. Vacation is a great time to try something outside of your box because you will be surrounded by strangers who won't gossip about you. Sometimes it just takes wearing a trend outside for a bit to decide whether or not it is your cup of tea. My Memorial Day vacation "new piece" is a neon pink nail polish- I'll let you know how it works out!
5. Keep your layering pieces neutral. Since it is summertime you probably do not want to bring an outerwear piece to coordinate with every outfit just in case it happens to get cool that night. My go-to piece is a grey, crewneck cardigan. It can be paired back to navy, black or any color so I don't have to rework my entire look just to accommodate the weather.
6. Bring a dress. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, but make sure you have something if the restaurant you've been dying to try has a dress code or if some "can't miss" event presents itself. The easiest option is a black jersey knit wrap dress. You can put a brightly colored tank underneath for a peek of color, add a necklace and you'll be ready to go.
7. Make sure to bring some accessories to jazz up your outfits. The bare minimum should be a statement necklace, a colorful or sparkly bracelet, a pair of earrings and a colorful or metallic skinny belt. This will let you adjust your outfits for any unexpected events and won't take up much room in your suitcase!
8. Pack two pairs of shoes. I am very wary of anyone who says they can get away with only one pair of shoes for a trip. If nothing else, you will want a second pair in case you get a blister and need to avoid contact with the area. I generally bring a pair of sandals and a pair of sneakers. If you are planning on dress-up occasions during your vacation, you might want to substitute one of those for a heel or wedge.
9. No matter how perfectly you think you have packed, bring one back-up outfit. You might get stuck in a rainstorm and need a dry outfit, your waiter might spill a tray of food on you at lunch or you might just decide that you aren't quite feeling any of the outfits you brought on that particular day. Your backup outfit should be a comfortable favorite, something that you would grab from your closet when you're running late for lunch. Then you know that if you wake up one morning feeling off-kilter that you have something in your suitcase that you can feel good in.
10. Wear something stretchy to travel in. You'll want to start off your vacation on the right foot and arrive comfortably. Depending on your mode of transportation and your schedule, your "something stretchy" can be anything from a great ponte dress to a pair of yoga pants.
I hope that you all have a wonderful holiday weekend, whether you are traveling or not!
RSS Feed
