in residence: mix & match suitcase

Showing posts with label mix & match suitcase. Show all posts

28 September 2023

Nashville packing list

Every year at my big work conference people ask me "oh, didn't you bring your family?" and I always think that sounds kind of terrible - I'm busy with meetings or attending conference receptions/dinners much of the time, and when I get down time, my usual introvert self just needs some me-time. But going along to a conference of Peter's? Yes, please! Thanks to my in-laws taking the kids, tagging along to a spouse conference for me is a true delight as I'm more than happy to entertain myself while he's at sessions all day, and then go out for fun dinners/activities together in the evening...

I could entertain myself (uninterrupted reading time!!) in pretty much any conference location, but I was excited about this one as I've never been to Nashville. Looking forward to wandering around and checking it all out, visiting a couple of museums, trying some good restaurants - oh, and sitting with my uninterrupted reading time by the rooftop pool at the very cool and swanky hotel I booked for us.

Thus my packing list! Some comfy but cute things for being out and about with a warm daytime forecast, pool attire (the button-down can double as a cover-up), and then a dress/fancy top for evening. And as always, a cohesive color palette so everything mixes and matches. Hopefully it won't be too hot to wear the moto jacket, as this felt like my Midwestern girl wardrobe's best nod to Nashville. And I'm branching out on that camisole top with the corset detailing - I don't really have a "going out" wardrobe because that's not our life, but on some parents night out vacationing, just have to spice things up a little.

24 February 2023

family Florida trip packing list

Going from 0 to 100 in terms of travel lately... our first kid-free trip in years is being followed not too long after by our first family-of-four trip. We've not done the Orlando thing before, but with Peter and my dad going to the same conference, and my sister happening to have vacation time the same week (and Orlando being one of the not too many places with direct flights from our local airport!) - too good to pass up making a whole sunny week of it.

Since this trip involves all the baby logistics (which stroller to bring? take the pack & play or rent one? etc. etc.) and of course all of the kid packing too, my bandwidth (and also suitcase space) is a bit limited for my own stuff. Luckily it was pretty easy to adapt my Bahamas mix & match wardrobe for this!

Obviously the Bahamas trip - mostly reading by the pool, dining out with uninterrupted conversation, and a sprinkle of tennis/walking/golf - is going to differ activity-wise from a family trip to Orlando, but the base of a couple of pairs of shorts, cute tees, bathing suit + button-down coverup that can double as layer in cold a/c (so necessary!), and comfy shoes that go with everything should basically cover all of the family plans - again a lot of pool (but I'll actually have to be in it this time, not just reading next to it, so I went with the sportier swimsuit), a day or two at a theme park (exercise dress great for that type of walking around but still looking put together!), some general family hanging out, and maybe some meals out. Perhaps optimistic in tossing in a cute dress - and also in bringing 2 whole books. Most definitely won't read the 7 (and a half!) I did in the Bahamas... I'm also tossing in a fun beaded necklace, since the outfits are pretty simple and kid-friendly, to jazz everything up a bit.

The belt bag didn't make it into my Bahamas post but it was actually one of the MVPs of my packing - so nice for keeping ID, phone, and other essentials close in the airport, and when walking around the resort grounds in "outfits" (aka bathing suits) with no pockets, again nice . Now traveling with kids I can see many random little things needing to be carried, so I'm glad I picked this one up before our last trip!

Sharing on Trend Spin.

01 February 2023

beachy Bahamas packing list

January had me fooled for awhile there - no snow, not even that cold (though the gray skies and 100% lack of sunshine were real) - but Michigan winter feels like it's here in full force now as we head in to February and I'm just channeling my feelings about that into extra gratefulness that we are soon to be BAHAMAS BOUND! I feel like I've been working on packing for ages, partly because I haven't vacationed like this in so long by now that I hardly remembered my process. But as with my travels of yore, putting together a little mix & match suitcase graphic really helped me plan out (and edit down) my packing list, so I thought I'd share.

Most of my sweaters are neutral colors, and much as I do love them, there's something very happy about getting to pull some hot pink out of the back of the closet, which feels very tropical island appropriate.

And I did manage to remember, when looking at the huge pile of stuff I had initially pulled, that for a vacation at an all-inclusive resort - even if it's for a full week - I really don't need all that many clothes. We basically go from starting our day with a walk or some tennis to sitting by the pool with a book, to eventually cleaning up for dinner... so the "regular" outfits of things like shorts + tees don't really even get worn that much. Thus I've got a couple of bathing suit + cover-up options, some exercise gear, and then a few things that can dress up/down to be worn with shorts in the daytime or with white jeans. Of course have to have a cute dress (probably will throw in another) for the "nicer" dinner spots too.

23 August 2022

wearing lately: family roadtrip packing list

At the beginning of the month we took a little family road trip to Cincinnati to visit some of our old favorite places and some friends from when we lived there. Feeling out of practice with traveling in general made prepping to do a 5-hour drive and several out-and-about vacation days with a baby in tow even more daunting, but luckily some friends loaned us their house since they were gone - complete with baby gates and a crib - so I didn't have to worry about too much gear... And of course I made things easier on myself by coming up with a little mix & match wardrobe capsule!

I didn't end up with exactly this configuration in my suitcase, but close. Laying it out like this and quickly trying on the outfits in advance definitely helped me know what would work for our various activities and how much I'd need to bring - which then freed up time for figuring out kid suitcases, travel snacks, etc.

Thought it would be fun to share the lineup since it made for such a great collage, and a great mix of outfits - good for hot weather, kid-friendly outings like the zoo and children's museum, dinners out at restaurants and a friend's house, and even an outdoor concert for Peter and me (another bonus of visiting friends: they have trusted babysitters you can borrow!). Maybe foolhardy, but I even went to Graeter's for our must-have Cincinnati ice cream while wearing the white denim shorts and it all worked out great.

21 July 2022

wearing lately: summer work trip packing list

Okay, admittedly I was not that excited to return to work travel - had my first in-person conference since summer 2019, and first time in an airport since November 2019, and much as I do like to visit interesting places and people, I think I didn't miss it? Especially right now, with a baby at home, and with not getting to pick the date (4th of July) and the location (Miami...in July...so sticky), I didn't have the best attitude ever about going. HOWEVER. Something I did miss? Putting together suitcase packing posts!

And actually thank goodness for my old habit of making mix & match suitcase posts like this, because after this long it turns out I pretty much forgot what to wear and how to pack it, when it comes to work conferences. Took me a while to get around to actually posting this, but making the collage and trying on the outfits below really helped me manage to get myself out the door for this trip.

I dug up an old jumpsuit, blazer, and heels that came to Copenhagen in 2019 (had to replace the ankle pants from that trip... post-partum bod), and for the rest, wow, do I really not have work clothes in my wardrobe at this point. Some of my summer acquisitions were able to work double-time here though, thankfully. Haven't bought a cute little skirt in forever, but I'm (back to) loving a simple skirt + white tee summer outfit, and when you throw on a blazer it's totally a work outfit!

Also, this might seem like a lot of long sleeves + pants for a summer trip to Miami, but one thing I didn't forget about is the excessive air conditioning of hotels and conference meeting rooms. This was all necessary! On the plane too.

So here's just some of the outfit possibilities from the above:

dinner/reception look | board meeting look

editor meeting look | travel look

another meeting look | actually having a chance to set foot outdoors on a break look

dinner/reception look | travel look

No other major travel plans on the horizon except for a family road trip to visit our old Cincinnati stomping grounds... but Peter and I are determined to finally get that postponed Hawaii anniversary trip, so hopefully in the next year I'll have another reason for a good suitcase post - and that will be gooood.

05 November 2019

wearing lately: Phoenix family getaway mini capsule

Last week Hendrik had Friday off from school, so we used it as an opportunity to make a quick visit to my brother and his wife in Phoenix - which was great because they're fun to hang out with but also because weather in the 40-degree and lower range has solidly arrived in Michigan. Wahh. For such a quick trip, I knew I was going to have to be strategic about packing light, not least because we were flying on a direct airline of the variety that nickels and dimes you for every little thing... facing a fee for any baggage, even carry-on, we went as a family of 3 in one checked suitcase for 4 days. Here's what was in my portion:

And actually I should point out that not all of this was actually in the suitcase - good way to get some extra stuff there is to be strategic about your plane outfit and wear some of the things that take up the most space. By having the jumpsuit, denim jacket, sneakers, and scarf on my person, I didn't have all that much to actually pack (though I did add in some workout wear).

This all came together very quickly and easily for me, since I've found a bit of a groove in recent travels with the color palette that mixes olive and light pink with my base neutrals, with incorporating a jumpsuit for an easy travel piece, and with the trusty white sneakers + a jacket from my collection to top it off. Which saved me some time for figuring out what to pack for the other travelers...

You can see similar vibes from my trips to Florida, California, Copenhagen, and Florida earlier this year - and some sample outfits below!

And as usual it makes wayyyyy more outfits than I would actually need for a long weekend, but with mornings starting out in the 50s and afternoons closer to 80 degrees, I almost see it as a 2-outfit-a-day kind of plan - which I can easily cover here!

Now on to the unpacking. And packing away of my sandals and swimsuit till next year, sad to say.

Sharing on Style Six, Style on the Daily.

13 August 2019

wearing lately: Boston mini trip

Time for my final work trip of the year. This is quite a mini one, but it's fun to have an excuse to see a city I haven't been to as an adult: Boston. Okay, and mostly fun to have an excuse to make a little mix & match suitcase post, because it's kind of one of my favorite hobbies...

I was really feeling the black, white & tan when I started packing for this, inspired by my sweater blazer and how cute it looks with white jeans and with black dresses. Perfect layer for the plane and chilly meeting rooms, and turns clothes that are appropriate for the heat of August into outfits that are also appropriate for work stuff. Perfect when you're going to be traveling for only a couple of days with a very small carry-on suitcase and need clothes that can go from work to wandering a city.

A few of the possible outfit combos I came up with before the trip (I always try on my stuff before I put it in the suitcase, to confirm it actually looks on my body like what it does in my head!):

plane travel | meetings

dinner out | meetings

museum-going after meeting | meandering around

bit of shopping time | travel home

Part of my meetings are right by Harvard, so I'm looking forward to seeing some pretty campus sights on my way there. Other than that, we'll see if I actually have much of any sightseeing stuff to post a review of since it's such a short trip. I've been dying to get this Madewell purse monogrammed and saw that they have a store in Boston that has the on-site personalization, and that store happens to be right by some other enticing options that I never get to visit in person like Uniqlo and Crate & Barrel... so other than hopefully seeing an art museum, a bit of shopping time is my main priority for my bit of solo time in the city!

Sharing on Style on the Daily.

09 July 2019

wearing lately: Copenhagen mix & match suitcase, tourist edition

A couple of weeks ago I shared the mix & match packing list for the work part of my trip to Copenhagen, and now I'm back with the tourist edition, of what I wore for the second half of the trip! Normally I would make my work wardrobe do even more double duty in order to be efficient with my packing, but because I was forced to take an extra suitcase in order to carry a bunch of awards for a work thing, I had plenty of space to do a whole vacation wardrobe too (though you will see overlap on a couple of the items listed).

I was really pleased with what I packed (especially with the addition of a wrap for the plane/cool evenings) - while it's of course a big European city, I felt like a reasonably casual approach fit the vibe of Copenhagen really well, versus the more black color scheme cosmopolitan sort of approach I might want for something like Paris. Comfy shoes are a must with how much walking we did all around the city, and a good pair of white sneakers and cross-strap sandals worked perfectly and they fit in well with what people were wearing there.

And all of the layers were just right with the weather we had - normally this time of year it's quite comfortable, around 70-75 degrees, but it cools down quite a bit in the evenings, so you do want layers. We ended up with one (record) 87-degree day, and one 62-degree day, so I wore as little as possible and then as many layers as possible! And since we stayed on the coast for a couple of days, I even got to use the bathing suit, sitting on a beach with a view of Sweden...

Here are just a few outfit combos for sightseeing, going out for dinner, wandering through museums, taking a canal boat tour, traveling comfortably on the plane, etc.

Much as I loved this mini wardrobe and my work one too, I am ready to wear the rest of my closet after almost 2 weeks away... but I'll still be revisiting all of these outfits again at some point I'm sure, because they were all winners!

I'l also be revisiting the Copenhagen trip with a recap/travel guide, but bear with me for a week or two while I sort through all of the photos.

Sharing on: Trend Spin, Style on the Daily.

18 June 2019

wearing lately: Copenhagen mix & match suitcase, work edition

My guest room has already been turned into the "packing room" for a couple of weeks as I've mulled over the mix & match options for my work trip to Copenhagen, but now that I'm actually placing things inside a suitcase, I thought I'd share what I'm bringing, and also some examples of the outfits that I tried on in front of my bedroom mirror before the trip to make sure everything worked together (a recommended practice!).

This all was really quite easy to choose because I loved last year's version so much - kept the same basic idea of ankle pants, white blazer, jumpsuit, skirt and just changed up the color palette a bit. And even for a trip with 5 days of work commitments (including one gala dinner and a couple of receptions), this has more outfit possibilities than I could even need!

Normally I would try for at least a little more stuff that could work for sightseeing as well as meetings, but since this year I have to bring along a whole bunch of metal award medallions that are quite heavy, I have to check a second suitcase in addition to my normal carry on sized one - which means I have tons of space, and I'm letting myself pack a separate vacation wardrobe for the additional 6 days... which means double the packing list collage making fun.

going to conference sessions | presenting at a board meeting

attending awards ceremony | cheersing at the reception after

sitting in on conference sessions | going to reception/dinner out afterwards

presenting at another meeting | escaping to a museum for a few hours

heading to the gala dinner | helping on conference packing up day

So that's what I'll be wearing for the first part of the Copenhagen trip - but totally planning to repeat the gala dinner outfit for a fancy dinner date with Peter once he arrives for the vacation half of the trip!

Sharing on Trend Spin, Style on the Daily.

02 April 2019

wearing lately: spring break packing list + outfits

Ever since I started doing these packing posts, I find myself almost as excited about coming up with my mix & match packing list color scheme and graphic as I am about the trip itself that I'm packing for. There's something just so visually satisfying about it, not to mention that I end up putting together such easy but cute outfits that I then end up wearing in daily life too.

Now, it's hard to eclipse the excitement for Legoland, but I'm still quite looking forward to this lineup for spring in California... I've got lots of layers for weather in the 60s, and lots of denim + easy tops for feeling put-together and me but comfortable and practical for family-friendly activities ranging from amusement park to museum to poolside to casual dinners out. Speaking of practical, note the mini backpack (that converts to a crossbody!) for the inevitable sunglasses and such that my boys ask me to carry for them...

As for the color palette, navy, white, and olive feels springy and fresh - and also endlessly remixable, including into outfits such as these, especially when you add a few key accessories like hat, scarf, earrings:

travel day | exploring local shops

Legoland fun | museum exploring

lunch out | easy hike on the coast

dinner out | traveling home

Fingers crossed that by the time we return to Michigan, the weather will be warm enough to actually repeat these outfits at home - especially that tie-front blouse that is most definitely going to be on repeat.

Sharing on Trend Spin, Style on the Daily.

12 February 2019

wearing lately: European winter suitcase

Amazingly enough, Copenhagen turned out to be a "warm" destination at the end of January, with the polar vortex arriving at home - but even so, it was still winter, so a mix & match suitcase with plenty of layering options was still the way to go! Here's what I packed in my little carry-on suitcase (not including my running gear!) for the 5-day trip:

I would say that in general for much of Western Europe in the winter time you're going to get weather kind of like the Pacific Northwest - temperatures in the mid 30s/low 40s, quite possibly a bit wet and gray. So this suitcase would work well for many European destinations; there are a couple of things that I would say are essential no matter which country: a packable puffer for warmth but also for not taking up too much space when you're not using it (you can even use it as a pillow on the plane when it's all packed up into its little case!), shoes that are really comfy for a lot of walking but also that can stand up to wet weather, a scarf that can double as a shawl (can look elegant when put over all-black, but also is a great plane blanket), and then of course plenty of layering options. A color palette with lots of black always feels European to me, but I added in a little burgundy for pizzazz.

For Copenhagen in particular, when I learned from this book that leather jackets + long tees are part of the Scandi "uniform" for women, I added mine to the packing pile immediately. Though it takes up a decent bit of my small suitcase space, I loved the outfits it could make for dinners/other outings, and it fits really well under my puffer, so it worked out great.

traveling in comfort | touring museums

sightseeing/walking around | going out for dinner

doing meetings | and more meetings

visiting cool coffee shops | traveling home

Here are just some of the combinations that can be made from this set, for everything from travel days to sightseeing to my work meetings - actual purpose of the trip, ha! I also recommend this convertible backpack for travel in general and especially work travel - nice to have the backpack straps for travel/sightseeing, but then for my meetings it converts into a tote for a more professional look.

I loved all of these outfits so much that I'm totally going to be re-wearing all of them in the coming weeks. They were perfect for travel and sightseeing and work meetings, but they'll be just as perfect for working from home, date night, running errands, etc. here!

Sharing on Style on the Daily, Trend Spin.

22 January 2019

wearing lately: winter getaway mini capsule

It's been weirdly not-snowy around these parts for the last month or so, but I'm still plenty happy to welcome a warm-weather winter getaway to my January schedule. Three-generations Florida trip, here we come! And here's what's coming with me:

We're looking at weather that's predicted to range from mid-50s overnight to daytime highs around 80 on a couple days, but then a couple of days more like 65-70 degrees - so that equals a need for a lotta layering options. Hence, one of everything: jeans, long sleeves, jacket, shorts, tee. That's really all I need - we can do laundry there, and for 4-5 days on a low-key, pool-heavy family trip, one doesn't need all that many clothes anyway - yet these few pieces can mix & match into 8 or 9 great outfits. (Though, in full disclosure, on the plane I'll probably wear a white tee and maybe a lightweight gray sweater under the jacket, so that adds additional options without taking suitcase space, which will be instead filled up with exercise clothes, and also Hendrik's stuff.)

And as for transporting non-wardrobe things - I'm very pleased with this tote as a super roomy bag for carrying my books and such and also plenty of plane snacks + entertainment for Hendrik. Plus, it has a suitcase sleeve so that I can slide it onto my rolling suitcase handle for easy airport navigation. And then once we arrive, it doubles as a great beach bag!

Now excuse me as I head off to use my sunglasses...

Sharing on Style on the Daily, Start the Week Stylish.

16 October 2018

wearing lately: fall family getaway mini capsule

Fresh off all of Hendrik's birthday fun over the past 3 days, we're gearing up for our next most highly anticipated plans of the fall: a family weekend getaway to visit my sister and her husband in Indianapolis. And that means it's time for one of my favorite hobbies: mix & match (mini) suitcase planning!

A fall weekend getaway means lots of layers for chilly in the morning/warmer in the afternoon type of weather, comfy options for the road trip and for biking around the city, and some cute pieces for museum and restaurant going. And of course cute and comfy shoes for all the walking that is inevitable in sightseeing - I got these slip-on sneakers for under $40 on Amazon and they are super cushy/comfy, as are the more splurgy Rothys loafers, which I think are pretty stylin' as well.

All of these pieces layer quite well - this type of jacket pairs well with everything from blouses to sweatshirts, plus a sweatshirt is cute with a chambray underneath - and also, one of my favorite outfits of all time is ponte leggings + chambray + utility jacket. And then a "cape scarf" like this is super useful for layering - it can be worn poncho style over any of the items, or worn knotted around the neck as another way to style. Totally changes up an outfit that way, which means this can remix into wayyyyy more outfits than I need for a long weekend - but hey, when you're driving, you've got plenty of space in the trunk for possibly slightly overpacking.

Sharing on Style on the Daily.

21 August 2018

to wear: Montreal mix & match suitcase

I have to admit: I get so excited about planning my suitcase-sized mix & match capsule wardrobes for trips that I have them lined up, and know just what I plan to wear for each day, before I have even planned the daily itinerary of what we're actually going to do on said vacation. But it works out great in this case - because while we aren't even leaving until next week for our trip to Montreal, the list of items I'm planning to pack has already given me ideas for outfits that I love wearing for daily life in the meantime.

I usually start the planning process by picking the base neutral for my color palette - by which I mean decide whether I want black or navy for my base dark neutral (for bottoms and shoes, especially) - but then this time around I pretty much ended up going all neutral. Which obviously makes it super easy to mix & match the items, but it also ends up feeling more "city" to me if I keep the palette simple like this. But then there's always the floral romper to liven things up a bit if I get bored of the black, white, and olive!

Other considerations for packing for an end-of-summer vacation that includes city tourist stuff (Montreal) and also some ski resort town type of light outdoorsy activity (Mont Tremblant):

hot weather: I tried to be practical with shorts/short sleeves to be comfortable for sightseeing, but be able to dress up the shorts a bit with button-downs. And also of course always throw in the denim jacket for chilly planes or restaurants.
activity mix: there's going to be cultural things like museums, but also outdoorsy things like taking the gondola up a mountain, so the clothes need to do the whole range.
walking a lot: always lots of walking in a big city, so my shoe choices are comfortable sandals that go with everything and sneakers that can even be worn with dresses. Luckily two of my go-to shoes for the summer are both comfortable and cute, so it was an easy choice!
riding around: we're planning to do some sightseeing by bike, so I can't get away with sundresses all the time like I would probably default to - thus a pair of shorts, and also a romper that can go with comfy sandals.
dressing for dinner: I love how a non-kid vacation is basically one long date night - so though I don't wear heels much, I love to be able to switch out my shoes before dinner to feel a little fancier. A fairly comfortable block heel sandal makes it super easy to take my day-time dress/romper to a little snazzier for evening.
leisure time: always throw in a bathing suit! Never know when you're going to get a chance at a hot tub or beach on a trip. I'm hoping for an afternoon on a little beach in Mont Tremblant.

Since what I'm wearing on the plane comes from this list, that means I've got plenty of space left in my carry-on suitcase, which is important when I also need to leave room for some cycling gear (besides the leisurely riding in Montreal, we're planning some longer road rides near Mont Tremblant) and running shoes.

But as you can see, it's not like I'm limited in outfit possibilities! For everything from travel days, to museum visiting, dining out, cruising around on a bike, and cruising around on a river cruise, I've got 8 great outfit options here. And that's with wearing the green shirt and the gray shirt only once, so really, the possibilities are feeling practically endless.

Now, to plan which museums and restaurants before we fly out - and brush up on my French... Bon voyage to me!

Sharing on The Blended Blog, Style on the Daily, Trend Spin, Friday Loves.

19 June 2018

wearing lately: summer work suitcase

I'm heading off soon for my annual work conference, so that means it's time for the annual summer work trip packing list! This year's destination of Minneapolis may not appear so exotic as last year's Dubai trip, but gotta say, I'm pretty excited about the perks that come along with it: a direct flight, pleasant weather (aka the ability to actually set foot outdoors), running/biking options for when I get a free hour, and of course, some Midwestern charm!

When I pack for these week-long trips to an academic conference, the first thing I do is consider the range of activities required. For this one: travel days, conference bag-stuffing day, several days of meetings/sessions that require business casual, and a few evening events that aren't super dressy but a bit so - plus whatever free hours I can manage to carve out to try some local restaurants and/or museums! Factoring in the conference hotel a/c, I usually start with an ankle plant and a blazer, and then I add with a range of tees and blouses that can be dressed up (under a blazer, say) for a meeting or dressed down (with jeans - not pictured here, but I'll be wearing on the plane) for travel and sightseeing. And then dresses (and jumpsuit this year!) can be businessy with a blazer, dressy on their own with heels (like so), or even casual with sneakers. Lots of outfit possibilities here.

After considering the activities I need to dress for, I pick a color palette, often inspired by a scarf that I can pull a few accent colors from - pro-tip for finding coordinating colors without hardly using your brain - and then of course I can use the scarf when the conference hotel a/c gets to me. Unsurprisingly, if you've seen my outfit posts this spring, the color palette is heavy on the blush and olive, with navy as my main neutral.

And there you have it: a quick and dirty packing guide for a summer work conference. Now hit me up with Minneapolis recommendations for my spare time if you have any!

Sharing on Mix It Monday, The Blended Blog, Style on the Daily.

17 April 2018

wearing lately: northern California in a carryon

Since spring won't come to Michigan, we're going to spring! Time for a mini getaway to northern California... As it's just a short trip with Hendrik along, and it's focused mostly on visiting Peter's grandparents, I wanted to pack some fairly casual/comfortable outfits, but also be really efficient about it so that I could get a bunch of Hendrik's stuff into my carry on suitcase, in addition to my own. Which leads us to:

Inspired by the floral blouse and how great it looks with my field jacket (as already demonstrated last week!) I made a whole pink/white/denim lineup, and it makes my spring heart swooooooon. Everything looks so lovely (blush pink has a way of doing that), but it's still just the right level of put together casual for a trip like this.

I got so excited about this little wardrobe that I planned way more items/outfits than I actually needed for our short trip, but these'll be great for all of spring, especially when it gets a little warmer everywhere - I planned this (wishfully) thinking it was going to be mid-70s where we stayed, but the forecast wasn't quite as warm, so I substituted a striped sweater for the tie tee, and swapped white jeans for the chambray dress. These coordinate just as perfectly with all of the above, but were better suited to weather in the 60s. By wearing the sweater + jacket on the plane, I still had plenty of room left in the suitcase. And stayed warm enough in the air!

Oh, and no major trip recap here, since we were mostly visiting family - it was so great to introduce Hendrik to Peter's sweet grandparents finally, and we also got to visit an uncle's walnut farm and an uncle/aunt's house where Hendrik got to ride a horse. We had one day in San Francisco, which we mostly spent in Golden Gate Park, a fabulous destination for a family (a few photos of our fun day are on Instagram). Our highlights were the Koret Children's Quarter (great big playground plus carousel that is only $1 for kids to ride), having a picnic lunch near Stowe Lake, renting a surrey and pedaling around for an hour, and visiting an ice cream truck. The museums would also have been great if we'd had more time/energy.

Sharing on Style on the Daily, The Style File, Hello Monday, Mix It Monday

30 January 2018

wearing lately: business + pleasure SoCal suitcase

One of the greatest pleasures in the middle of a Michigan winter? Getting to pull out some warmer weather clothes for a trip to somewhere sunny. These items are so much more exciting when it's been all sweaters and boots for a long time. So for this SoCal business + pleasure trip to San Diego + Palm Springs, I put together a carryon-sized mini wardrobe of some lightweight favorites that are heavy hitters in remixing possibilities.

Planning ahead on a mix & match wardrobe with cohesive color palette really helps in achieving a carryon-sized wardrobe, even when it's a trip where I need to have the kinds of clothes that work both for work meetings and for anniversary trip leisure fun.

Ankle pants that are stretchy and comfortable work nicely for meetings and for a travel day, and a blazer can dress up a tank dress and white jeans enough for my (fairly casual) work purposes. And then swap out for a denim jacket for sightseeing and dining al fresco with my hunny - plus the scarf doubles as a pareo for pool time. Game, set, mix and match!

And what's more, the efficiency of this wardrobe (plus the fact that I'm wearing 5 of the items on the plane so they don't need to fit into the suitcase) means that I have plenty of room for workout clothes and shoes, which I always plan to bring along - especially when we're in a place where it's going to be gorgeous views and weather for outdoor running. And this time around the workout clothes can double as Joshua Tree hiking wear... which is what we're doing today!

Looking forward to sharing a recap of our trip to gorgeous and sunny SoCal when we're back.

Sharing on Style on the Daily, The Blended Blog, The Style File, Mix It Monday, Hello Monday.

03 July 2017

to wear: July mix & match

Hello, July! While I am currently busy with meetings and other conference events throughout the entiiiire holiday weekend - and thus am only wearing the stuff in my work trip suitcase - I am very excited to come home and sport the seasonally appropriate red, white, and blue for the rest of this month.

This is what I'll be packing in my weekender bag for the rest of July - because I am sincerely hoping to make up for the lack of 4th of July beach weekend by going all-out on beach weekends for the rest of the month. And this lineup should get me all of the outfits I need!

A few fun new things to point out - Zaful reached out to me about trying some of their products, and I was excited to see the great deals on some good summertime stuff they have. I love blue and white stripes of course, and I especially love the shape of this bikini - good for the tan lines, but also for the kid-chasing. And the bag is perfect for all of our beach essentials: lots of sunscreen, books, and my new Cubs hat too! Check out the Zaful blog for sale info, style ideas, and more.

Stay tuned for some outfit posts featuring these throughout July!

Sharing on Trend Spin, The Style File, Hello Monday. I received Zaful products for review, but all opinions are my own. Post contains affiliate links.

27 June 2017

wearing lately: Dubai work trip mix & match suitcase

I'm taking off tomorrow for my biggest annual work trip - to the academic conference of the organization that publishes the main journal that I manage/edit. The conference moves around every year, and this year it is Dubai. I must admit that I am not super excited about this destination (and its weather), but I am pretty darn happy with what's in my suitcase:

Considerations

There were a few factors that went into the choices while packing for this trip, based on the Dubai destination but also on my particular work needs.

Color scheme: I always start with a base neutral (navy or black) for the pants/blazer and then pick a couple of accent colors based on a patterned scarf or top. This time I went with black and pulled several colors from the floral blouse. A little more colorful than my usual, but I love how it came together!
Temperature conditions: the weather forecast is for about 110 degrees every day, so light fabrics and colors are obviously in order. However, we spend the vast majority of the time inside the conference hotel, so warmer layers are always a must for sitting in my meetings. Plus I'm always cold on the plane.
Cultural appropriateness: in a Middle Eastern country, covering the shoulders and the knees is the culturally appropriate thing for a woman to do, so I've got a midi skirt and mostly shirts with sleeves, plus a pashmina for layering on as needed. That being said, since we spend the vast majority of the time in the conference hotel, and Dubai is a little looser on some of these restrictions for visiting women, I'm comfortable with some knee-length and sleeveless options. They are work-appropriate for me, so for my meetings/dinners within the hotel, they're totally fine even in Dubai.
Work appropriateness: the professors who attend this conference aren't super business formal about things, so while I need to look professional (especially as everyone always thinks I'm younger than I am!), I don't have to be all pencil skirts and blazers - and can get away with things like ponte pants. I have a mix of meetings and dinner/reception events, so I need a mix in level of dressiness as well.

Outfits

And here's the plan for the various conference events - with plenty of possibilities to make additional outfits if needed for casual dinners, little bit of sightseeing, other meetings, etc:

Travel day
Board dinner
Paper development workshop day
Board meeting
Evening reception
Editors meeting
Gala dinner
Travel home!

Extras

Usually even with my workout clothes and toiletries, I am able to do all of this in a carry-on suitcase (this duffel bag) for a week-long trip, which always amazes my colleagues. Mixing and matching works! But this year the trip is a bit longer (10 days), and I have to check a bag because of new rules disallowing carry-on of laptops on flights from the Middle East. So... a few extras:

Since I have a full sightseeing day at the end, I threw in this swing dress - nice and breezy/cool, but covers my shoulders and even my knees, so it's appropriate for cultural sites in Dubai. Plus it looks cute with my sneakers for walking.
More work-y stuff - since this trip is a bit longer, that equals more days of conference sessions and meetings. Thus I also packed a striped dress, a white eyelet dress, and a pair of white jeans (which I can pull off with a blouse/blazer in my work atmosphere...)
Spin shoes - well, I had the space for them! I need to keep my legs in biking shape for an event after we get back, and I investigated the hotel gym online and saw that their equipment will work with my shoes for some good rides when I can find the time!

Only thing left to pack now is books, books, books. A 30-hour travel day there and back means I will be getting a lot of books crossed off of my summer reading list...

Sharing on Trend Spin, The Blended Blog Style, The Style File.

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