9. 6-day outfit combos with only hand luggage.
Packing really is a styling sport that teaches us so much about our style.
First, a note & thoughts as I reflect on a year & a half of the Style Retreat.
It feels like time just dissolves. It just goes. Is it since Covid? Or is it with age, things just speed up? I’m not quite sure but I know lots of us feel it.
I can’t quite believe I have been running my Style Retreat with clients for 1 year and a half now. 9 wonderful ladies have taken a very personal and defining journey (with me) to help understand, curate and enjoy their style again - for the person they are now.
I will take a break in September for a wedding in Portugal, which will also give me a little space to reflect on the last year and a half before opening a couple of spaces for Autumn.
I’m also so excited about this new space to share Style Design with you. I’m enjoying writing and sharing with you here and I hope you are too! I will still be here writing & sharing in September and am so excited for the new season with you all.
I’m excited to sort through all the ideas buzzing around in my head to make style design more accessible to more of you and to make this place better each month.
Thanks so much for being here with me.
Enjoy this week’s post.
Jx
Travel.
I have become good at packing for long trips with just hand luggage.
I’m very used to travelling between Ireland and England, I’ve been doing that for 12 years. But I’ve also done a 3-week trip to Mexico with only hand luggage and it was very liberating. There is something lovely about making travel not about the clothes but about the smaller amount of beautiful clothes that support the best experience and happiest trip.
Packing is a styling muscle I therefore love to flex, to push myself to lean further into the few things that feel most like me, right now.
This week as I was packing for 6 days in Ireland, I sent my mum a picture of my outfits laid out and she text back and said - where’s the colour? I hadn’t even noticed. So used I am now to my lovely neutral colour palette!
And it made me smile.
Her thoughts went from ‘taking a trip to maximum colour’. My thoughts went from ‘taking a trip to maximum neutral mix-and-match’ - comfortable, elevated and neutral.
For lots of us, packing means a bit of dread. I remember a time when I was younger I would think - who do I need to be on this particular trip? Was it a Sun holiday? I need to be the sunny, sparkly & sun-kissed every evening when getting dressed.
Seeing family or maybe certain friends? Don’t stand out too much for fear of what someone will say. Be the ‘you’ you think they want to see. The ‘you’ they need you to be.
A long time ago now, I decided not to do this anymore. It’s very tiring. It doesn’t make me or anyone else happy. It’s one of the reasons I started to buy so much better too. Buying what feels like me. Regardless of the occasion, holiday or event I am going to.
My style comes with me and I style it to feel right for the occasion but it’s STILL ME.
I should add this trip to Ireland, includes a Christening, hence my beautiful Aloha’s Indiania grey velvet heels are packed and ready to go.
Here’s a peak (and the picture I sent my mum :-)
The great thing about the challenge of hand luggage is just that - it does challenge you to really consider how your clothes work together. If you pack your favourite items, what are all the ways you will style and restyle them over the 5 days?
It is an exercise in feeling only love for what you pick. Who wants to go on a trip and bring things they don’t feel good in? The process inevitably teaches you what you love the most.
Here is a breakdown of my items & outfits for my 6 day trip.
It includes:
1 x pair of dungarees.
2 x pairs of shoes (Birkenstocks & Aloha Heels).
2 x pairs of denim.
1 x smart trousers.
1 x smart sleeveless jacket.
1 x Jumper.
1 x Light Top.
1 x Vest Top.
1 x Small Jewellery Box with bits and pieces I love.
Outfit 1
Outfit 2
Outfit 3
Outfit 4
Outfit 5
A couple of my packing takeaways
- Let go of what you are supposed to wear because it’s …x, y or z.
- Any item you love can be dressed up or down. If it’s dressy you are after, how can you style it so?
- Choose an item that feels great on your bottom half first and create & build a couple of looks around this one item. Starting at the bottom makes everything easier.
- Plan accessories and shoes carefully as they help to finish the outfit and bring the look in the direction that you like and that feels good.
Caveat Thoughts
If you are on a journey with your style, sometimes a trip or holiday can be a great time to express a different side of yourself. I get that. It can also be a time when you can try different styles & looks if you are exploring your style as you are away from ‘home’ judgement. I get that too.
The key question to ask yourself? Does the approach you take feel good & feel understood by you? Your answer will direct you whether a change might be needed.
Sending big love from Ireland as I sit sipping a cuppa with my Mum on Sunday morning sending this and about to go wear my two piece to my godson’s Christening!
Big Love & thank you for liking, subscribing and sharing Notes on Styling with your friends. It helps others discover my work here on Substack.
Julie x