wearing lately: Paris mix & match suitcase (+ giveaway!)

When I think chic French style, I immediately think of black + white stripes, and red accents. So I had a super obvious palette for packing my Paris mix and match suitcase! With such a simple palette, and access to a washing machine, a week of outfits was very easy to pare down to a carry-on suitcase.

peplum tee | striped tee (similar, similar) | blouse (similar) | sneakers | no-show socks | nikes | map | wood watch | black jeans (similar) | ponte dress (similar) | skirt | flats (similar) | cashmere wrap | sunnies | necklace | crossbody (similar) | red lipstick | rain coat

I actually threw in an extra dress and a pair of sandals at the last minute as I had a ton of space in my suitcase, and the forecast was for nearly 90 degrees (!!) several of the days. But other than undies and a pair of workout shorts/t-shirt, this was it - and I didn't even end up wearing those extras. The keys to packing light pay off as usual: everything goes together in terms of color palette and style, layering is possible with all outfits for changing weather conditions - and also I'm not afraid of re-wearing an outfit (especially because we did laundry midweek).

Here's the general outfit breakdown:

• For sightseeing of the walking tour or climbing the Eiffel Tower variety: some black Nikes make for very comfortable but still reasonably chic hours of walking, and doing them with black jeans + a striped or peplum tee makes it feel a little more streamlined than your usual "American tourist" sneakers vibe. 
• For sightseeing of the Louvre variety: for a little dressier version of a sightseeing day spent in museums that's still comfortable for lots of walking, I do a dress or skirt + striped tee with some leather sneakers.
• For dining out: pulling out some fancy flats takes the dress or the skirt + blouse up a notch for dinner (or black jeans + blouse + flats, when the weather cools). And some red lipstick of course!
• For travel days: jeans + tee, and a cashmere poncho that is the perfect plane blanket.
• For picking up our daily baguette: anything! With 3 boulangeries within about a block of us, I could get my hands on one easily, comfy shoes or no.

Besides the main clothing items, there are a few (perhaps unexpected) essentials that I recommend in pretty much any travel capsule:

• A cashmere poncho like this can be worn multiple ways, like a poncho, a cape, or a scarf, which means it looks good with dresses and jeans, and also that it's a lightweight and very packable source of warmth for whenever you need it, like on the flight or when the sun goes down in the evening.
• No-show socks prevent blisters and shoe-stink. A must have if you're traveling with sneakers!
• Laundry detergent pods for doing a load of laundry - part of how I can pack so light is staying at an apartment with a washing machine, so I tried to take advantage of that, rather than include extra things in the suitcase.
• A watch - I must admit that my normal one is just for looks since the battery has been dead for ages. But when I'm traveling in a place where I don't use my phone that much, I like to actually wear a working watch to keep track of the time! I love this Frankie watch from JORD - the wood material is lightweight, the black + gold accent coloring is perfect with my capsule wardrobe, and the oversized shape feels quite stylin' (bonus: custom sizing so it fits my small wrist just right!).

By the way: Interested in your own fab wood watch? Go here to enter a contest for a $100 voucher! Even if you're not the winner, you'll still receive a $20 e-gift code just for entering. The contest ends October 4.

And as for actual Paris street style, I didn't notice a ton of commonalities, I think because it's sort of fall fashion time, but the weather was so hot for most of the week. Many ladies were in a lot of dresses + sandals still, while others were in stylish jackets (but must have been sweating their buns off). I did see a lot of dresses/skirts with sneakers though, so I felt like I fit right in. Some had New Balances, some tennis shoes like mine, but the most had these Stan Smith Adidas in white. And what I didn't actually see was a lot of stripes on people on the street... but that's okay, I still love my Petit Bateau souvenir anyway.


This post contains affiliate links and is sponsored by JORD Wood Watches, but all opinions are my own. Sharing on Hello Monday.