What I Packed, What I Wore

Or it's snappy acronym, WIPWIW
Or its more fitting hash tag,  #WHENwillIeverlearn?

Hello my lovelies.  Have you been on holiday recently?  How did you fare with your packing?

Me?  Yes to the first and, errr OK, to the second.  Just OK, for I wore so little of what I packed (as usual, WHEN will I learn?!) I did a lot of repeat wear, which I usually do (when WILL I learn?!!).  And I quickly went into uber-casual mode, which I always do (when will I LEARN,?!!!).


So grab yourself a cuppa as this post is quite a tome!  Sorry but I can't help myself, I like chatting to you!
Now let's take a look at what I actually wore in the Devon countryside!



Tops

I packed white, yellow and navy striped Ts, grey/white T, 2 navy/white Bretons (why TWO?!), navy/white blouse, multi-coloured chiffon tunic, navy cami. white vest.

My default outfit was white shorts or cut offs and white t shirt (Peacocks).  Seen here zjujshed up with my faithful silk scarf, a hint of Breton sweater around the neck and the colour of the butterfly accentuated with a larger than life Mae West vest.  TP wore a saxe blue polo and terracotta shorts (M&S)

Here the white T is perked up with a blue/aqua tassel necklace (Peacocks).

This is my holiday T (M&S, really old).  It always travels with me in warm weather.  It's got splodges of grey and crystal beads and it's all about the drape with this T.

Blue stripes were abundant in my WIW shots, M&S and Primani respectively.

And here on Dartmoor, yellow stripes from M&S.

That was IT, as far as tops were concerned.  #embarressed. 

Dresses

I packed a few.  Yellow print, navy bardot, maxi.  And this one.

I wore this simple and cool coffee linen dress on repeat.  On the 4th.  In Hastings Old Town.  On the clapper bridge in Postbridge, Dartmoor.

New Purchases

Time to mention here that I forgot my sun hat and our heatwave necessitated me grabbing a lovely straw hat (above) from M&S  It has a glam twist of  soft brown leoprint fabric and because all we fashionistas know that "leoprint is a neutral", I was able to wear it with EVERYTHING, of course.

I bought bronze sandals from M&S as I find that my white Clarks sandals can get to look a bit clumpy and pedestrian with certain things, like this linen dress.  And then I wore these new sandals for pretty much the rest of the hols; they became instant go-tos, so comfortable and with a hint of sassy-walk about them too!

Cardigans

I packed yellow, white and navy.  

I wore none of these.  Instead, on the few early-start days when it was a little fresher, I frequented this Ultraviolet knit from M&S which I bought on arrival in Sussex and instantly loved.

Bottoms

I'd taken blue jeans, white jeans, posher white trousers, white cut offs, white shorts, white linen skirt.

I'd been living in shorts for weeks, so why oh why did I pack just the ONE pair?  I wore my white shorts on repeat and freshened them up twice during the holiday.  I wore white crops a few times and wore blue jeans once on the flight over and on this fresher day above, when meeting up with double-cuz and her partner on their boat moored at Noss Mayo, Devon (so cute).

In the farm's vineyard.

I wore this beach kaftan after swimming.  It's from East and was passed on to be by a kindly cousin - so it's 2ND LOVED, Terri!

Black

Black and white popped in a few times.  I have to admit that I started out with a fairly tight colour range of white, yellow and navy.  Coffee strayed in.  And black.    It just doesn't feel natural to travel with zero of this staple neutral, so I bunged in a black t shirt at the last minute.  As you do.

Here, I threw my shorts over my black bathers, so this black "top" cheekily sneaked into my capsule too.

And here a simple black T, my last-minuter, accessorised with the Egyptian hand necklace.

Jewellery 

I never travel with truly expensive stuff, like real gold or silver jewellery, heirlooms and irreplaceable items.

My jewellery was my holiday pack of inexpensive disposable bracelets, necklaces and earrings, which the exception of a silver Egyptian hand wall hanging (seen above) which has become a staple.  It was gifted to me, to which I added a necklace extender to turn it into a beautiful necklace.  And there is an additional plus to this, for I discovered that if I flip the front side over (which has black beads) it becomes a simple silver adornment which goes with just about EVERYTHING.

Jewellery Makeover Tips

1.  Take a look at pretty objects, things you like, and consider whether they can be re-purposed as jewellery.   A necklace extender (try Amazon) works magic!

2. Look at jewellery and flip it around a bit to see if it can become multi-purpose, i.e. not dictated by a particular colour.

"Activity" Wear (yeah, like that's gonna happen!)

I took a navy/green/white tankini and plain black bathers.  I wore the bathers only.

I took the leoprint beach cover-up, as shown above.

Footwear

I packed wedged espadrilles, metallic toe flatties, white sandals, silver flip flops, white pumps, Birkies.

I wore the flatties and the white sandals a few times, the white pumps once for the boating, the Birkies every day and my newly-purchased M&S bronze sandals a lot!

Handbags

Grey Primani crossbody travel (houses accessible my travelling needs plus Kindles).

Taupe crochet crossbody every other day.

Simples!

Outerwear

I packed my white East denim jacket and my H&M denim shirt, which I wear as a shacket.

I wore neither. 

It was El Skorchio, don't ya know?!

Packing

As I mentioned in an earlier post, my carry-on weighed in at 7.1kg but my shoes and toiletries were in TP's larger check-in! 

And as you can see from the above, I could easily have packed one quarter of what I took and have been comfortably dressed for the whole trip, for that is what I actually wore.

Make-up

I packed little make-up and most days were make-up-free.  I got that one right!

I wore variations of the following: CC cream, Touche Eclat, Clinique mascara, trio of taupe eye shadow, Rimmel lip pencil, Clinique chubby lipstick, Body Shop gloss balm.  

On no make-up days, I wore just lip balm.

What The Photographer Wore

He wore polo shirts and shorts ad infinitum.  And he felt sooo good in his M&S purchases of same.

He bought shorts in navy and stone to add to his existing packing of terracotta and a burgundy/blue small print.  And beautiful colourings of polos.



And on this day I discovered he'd "twinned" with his Boston brother!  Don't they look cute together?

Did he wear jewellery?  Yes he did! His son gave him this obsidian healing bracelet for Father's Day and he has worn it solidly since.  Every.  Single.  Day.  I think he likes it!

So, my dear reader, that's my packing. I totally overpacked.  I just don't learn.  My observation after many summer holidays is that I go super-casual after just a day or two and go into repeat-mode like there is no fashion post to write when I get back home!

I hope that you find this post useful as a reminder of what you really need on holiday, which should guide you to what you should sensibly pack.  Maybe.

And what about you?  Have you learned to pack what's right for you from your previous holidays?

A la perchoine.

COMING UP

Holiday shots

My shopping spree try-outs

Mamma Mia!