Originally published July 2022.
This summer I went to Paris and London for nine days. It is important for you to know that come hell or high water I was NOT about to check a bag flying out of Heathrow airport in the year of our Beyonce 2022. A quick Google search will tell you why. Thus, I needed a travel wardrobe that was not only light, but strategic. There was ZERO room for “just in case” clothing on this one. The list that follows is EVERYTHING I wore on my trip apart from underpants which are my business, with one load of laundry done by the world’s sweetest hotel concierge in Paris.
My formula was basically this:
tank top + bottoms + jacket = dressed
And I’d do it again.
Girlfriend Leggings: I stopped purchasing all other brands of leggings in 2016. These are THE compressive travel leggings that look and feel amazing and go with basically everything you already own. You can wear and wash these for YEARS before the slightest hint of wear starts to be visible. I’ll typically fly in them, too unless I want to save space in my bag by wearing my jeans (short flights only). If these can keep me comfortable on an overnight flight to Europe I am confident that they can handle your weekly Target run.
Madewell Cali Demi Boot Jeans: After over two years of struggling with shitty, cheap, ill-fitting jeans, I stumbled on the Cali Demi Boot style by Madewell and now I have sweet relief. This shape is perfect, the top holds you in (you know what I’m talking about) and the length will (in most cases I’d assume) not require tailoring. As soon as I found my pair at Nordstrom Rack I went online and grabbed everything else I could find in my size. Note: These have some stretch. I am typically a size 30 in jeans but in this pair I’m a 28—you might want to try them in person unless you’re someone who’s really good at returning online purchases which I am not.
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Madewell Bag: I love a cross-body bag for travel, one that’s big enough to hold my little shopping tote and a small bottle of water (among other things). The Madewell Transport Camera Bag is pretty celebrated for its size, shape, and the fact that it doesn’t scream Vacation Dad. It doesn’t seem like they make the one I have, the Transport Camera bag woven in black, anymore—but here’s a brown version if you want to check it out. I’ve also linked to the same bag in a different style, but the size and shape look pretty identical. I’m still using this as my daily bag now that I’m home, and I’d buy another one of these in the future, for sure.
These Tank Tops: Three black, two white, that’s it. I also brought three jackets on this trip so I had no need for long-sleeved shirts or tees. Three jackets might seem excessive for a summer trip but I will explain myself in jut a moment.
Dr. Scholl’s Shoes: I have plantar fasciitis and therefore shoes can be somewhat of an issue for me. When wearing closed toed shoes, I also insert a custom pair of insoles that cost me 600 goddammed dollars at the podiatrist. On this trip, I traveled with two pairs of shoes and two pairs only. HIGHLY RECOMMEND. I cut out any and all need to impress people I’ll never see again by wearing shoes that would inevitably render me unable to walk my 20K steps the next day. These are the exact sneakers, and these are the exact sandals. They’re both sold out, but other colorways are available. And honestly, I’ve bought ALL my shoes at Dr. Scholl’s for the last two years and have had zero PF flareups since.
These Socks: If you’re the kind of person who can ignore their no-show socks slipping beneath their heels I need to know your secrets because it makes me want to light a building on fire. These specific socks, and these alone, are the only ones I’ve ever worn that DO NOT MOVE. EVER. I own 12 pairs and all other no show socks have been disposed of.
Oversized Denim Jacket: I got mine at Nordstrom Rack and thus cannot find it anywhere on the internet, but I do strongly recommend an oversized denim jacket for travel. It’s not too warm, not too light, and incredibly comfortable both for travel days and for just tooling around cities where temperatures can fluctuate based on where you are, time of day, indoor/outdoor, etc. I’ve linked to one I think is super cute that’s the same price and style as the one I actually brought with me.
Vintage Anna Sui Jacket: I’m wearing this in the photo above. It’s a light, almost wind breaker-textured jacket that I found at a vintage store in 2009 and have cherished ever since. Despite years of looking on eBay I’ve never seen anything even remotely similar, so much so that I’ve often wondered if the Anna Sui tag in the back is fake. At any rate, it’s a VERY light jacket that I can easily tie around my waist when I get too warm and still maintain hands-free status. It is my favorite garment that I own and if anything ever happens to it I shall perish. It is very similar to something like this.
Target Blazer: Rounding out the jacket collection was my little trick for going out to dinner at night NOT looking like I’d been traipsing around the city all day. I wore this blazer, sleeves rolled, over whatever tank top and bottoms I had on all day and to me, that counted as a costume change. It is also from Target, so I knew if I ran out of room in my suitcase after Paris purchases I’d be ok sacrificing it to the carry-on gods. Don’t worry though, it made it home. If you’re going somewhere REALLY warm, you’ll definitely want to opt for a linen option instead.
Pajama Pants: When I think of vacation pajamas I think of light-as-possible clothing that rolls up and takes essentially zero precious bag room. Honestly I can sleep naked if I need to but I also like having some loungewear to use in my hotel. I’ve been known to call these “perfect pants” because they make ideal pajamas and they’re very affordable. My pajama top was an old long-sleeve waffle fabric henley so ancient I no longer know its origins.
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