13 2 / 2012
vacay.
here i am, posting ONE MILLION years after my last post. but i promise i’ll get better. ok, maybe i won’t. but i’m giving y’all some hope right? great.
so when it comes to fashion, (which I’ve been looking to more and more lately as well as trying to establish my own new look) I have a lot of inspiration. When I want that “effortless however MAJORLY chic” look, I look to DVF. She’s amazing and is known for the gorgeous wrap dress that ends up in so many of her collections. For modern but classic pieces with BOLD prints, Tory Burch is my girl. She’s got a lot going on, but makes it coherent and work together. Thinking about simple prep, J. Crew, Ralph Lauren and Kate Spade are where I draw ideas from. When it comes to BRIGHT and super fun pieces, alice+olivia is an amazing label. They are probably my favorites at the moment. And of course rounding it out to the most classy, beautiful and brilliant designers of all time, Chanel is what you want to replicate when you’re a gorgeous, classy, fabulous woman.
so seeing that I have so much inspiration from so many designers (and those are just to name a few) you can see i have a lot of different things that I like and a hard time choosing what style i go for in a particular moment. so now, when i’m posed with the issue of packing for a week-long vacation to Florida with the fam, WHAT DO I PACK!?!?! guys, i’m the world’s worst packer. last year when i went to Florida with the family for the same vacation and Juli came with, i honestly don’t know how I fit it all in my suitcase. I BROUGHT SO MUCH STUFF. seriously, i had probably every pair of shorts (J. Crew chinos and True Religion jean shorts and cut offs and Nike running shorts and comfy sleep shorts) that I own. I maybe wore three pair of Nike shorts after the sun in the afternoon, one or two pair of sleep shorts, and that is it. Never did I wear shorts out at night. We cooked a lot at our house, and when we did go out, it was so much easier to throw on a dress or skirt than anything else. I brought every summer dress I had, a Lilly Pulitzer skirt, 2 J. Crew skirts, and tons of top options. I had all my sandals, even some wedges. Hardly any of it was worn, and when I got back, they were so wrinkled and gross from being packed tightly in a bag and traveling that I had to clean it all anyway. so this year, I decided I needed to find a good list of travel essentials and pack as lightly as I’ll need.
which brings me to my point for this post. I look to ALL those designers for inspiration, but when it comes to beach wear and what’s necessary for a week’s vacay, Lauren Conrad is my go-to girl. Now, there are arguments that Trina Turk’s swim suits, Lilly Pulitzer’s resort wear, and Juicy Couture’s terry cloth cover ups would make them the queens of beach trends, but I still love LC. She grew up in Orange County, became famous on a reality show where she practically lived in a bikini, and most importantly to this post, has a book on her own style out that lives on my coffee table. She gives you ideas you will never think about regarding basics, accessories, cleaning out your closet, best angles to take your picture, hair and makeup, and travel. Go GET IT!! :) (“Style” by Lauren Conrad) So in her travel section, she has packing lists for a three-day work trip, city vacation, weekend getaways but again, most importantly, a week-long beach vacation! I’M IN LUCK! LC TELL ME WHAT TO DO!!!
Now, I won’t plagiarize, even though i doubt she’d be upset i’m referring you to her book! You’ll have to jump on over to her book to see her list. But I challenged myself to pack just like her, and see how it works for me next week. However, I did switch up a couple things. Here is my list for flying in on a Saturday and flying out the very next Saturday. I think I’ll be really set but we shall see- I’ll recap when I’m back!
-Chapstick (I live and die by Chapstick, and SPF!)
-One hat, my pick was my seafoam Vineyard Vines baseball hat :)
-Sunglasses (I only have one pair and I believe you really only need one pair- LC doesn’t specify a number)
-4 swim suits (My thoughts on swim suits on vacation: you LIVE in them. 3 is not enough variety [which is the number LC recommends], and 5 could border on being too many and you may not wear one. I also am a big fan of buying solid colors-mostly brights i love and basics- and mix and matching. that way you have WAY more options with a less amount of suits!)
-1 pair rubber flip flops for running around
-1 of daytime sandals that can also transition to night. I chose brown Nine West flip flops with a solid bottom. very basic but dressy enough for dinner
-2 pair of fun sandals. I chose white t-strap ones with ruffles as well as multi-colored, very beachy, lace-up, gladiator-esque Ralph Lauren ones (LC only recommended one pair of “embellished sandals” for night.)
-1 pair of running shoes. (Now LC recommends these for exercise and travel because you may be traveling from a place where you’re not wearing sandals- aka winter time.)
-3 sports bras, 3 workout tanks, 3 pair running shorts. strictly for exercising. I think 3 workouts throughout the week is a great idea, if I do more I can wash and re-wear. (LC recommends the running shoes for working out, but doesn’t include workout clothes in her list. COME ON GIRL!)
-3 cover ups. Two are tunics that would be too short to be dresses, and one is a see through white beachy top. It’s just a lot cuter- even if you’re not impressing anyone but your parents (hello, ME!)- than wearing a t shirt and shorts down to the beach.
-1 longer, thin cardigan (LC recommends a neutral color) Mine is black. It’s comfy, and long, but not too heavy. Good for travel, a breezy night, or too much AC in my room at night :)
-1 pair cut off jean shorts. They aren’t the classiest- but if I end up running to the grocery or liquor store for my parents (very likely), they’ll be a great thing to grab.
-1 pair J. Crew chinos. These aren’t necessary but they’re bright yellow and fun! They will be the piece least likely to be worn, however, I love them so, SHUTTIE. (So, here LC recommends 2 skirts of an easy, pre-wrinkled material, maybe crushed silk, but I’m giving up completely on skirts this year. you bring two skirts and two tops to match them and then you end up not liking them on, or the tops don’t match how you’d like…then you have four items in your bag not being worn when you could have just brought another dress. Which brings me to….)
-5 dresses. Seems like overkill right? Ok so wait. Two are maxi dresses which I’ll get good wear of around the house after the sun, and could be a potential option for night if need be. Two are cutesy dresses that would be ok around town during the day but could also be good for dinner. And the last is a loungy, cotton, frock that can be a cover up, dress to go out (if dolled up with jewelry), or just something to cook in.
-2 camis, 2 oversize tees to pair with shorts
-LL Bean canvas carry-on tote. (LC recommends this exact thing to be your carry-on, catch-all, as well as can double as a beach bag!)
-Undergarments, that’s a given.
-2 belts. One pink skinny one to pair with bright shorts (if worn) and thick brown one that goes with one of my daytime dresses.
-Hair tools. (LC doesn’t mention these at all. I’m forgetting my flat iron, it’s not that greatest and the humidity negates stick straight strands anyway. I’m toting a curling iron and a tiny (3 oz. for the plane!) bottle of beachy wave texturizing spray. No hair dryer. Simple, easy, and fuss-free.
Other than a summer, sheer sweater from J. Crew for travel, THAT’S ALL I’M PACKING. I mean it, that is it. So fingers crossed that it’s all I need. I will let you know how it goes!
Oh and the plane ride? My running shoes from my packing list, yoga pants, light v neck tee with a sheer, patterned scarf. The scarf is big enough and cute enough to act as a pareo on the beach or even a toga-style cover up. I’m so resourceful! Cardigan and light jacket will be enough from the car to the airport, and then it’s to the canvas tote they go! :)
Happy vacationing to me!!! xoxo tumblettes.
