it may seem a little nutty to go on a vacation immediately after moving into a new house, but a trip to big sur and the central coast has been on my bucket list for some time now. so when S and my birthdays started to creep up this year, we finally made the decision to book hotels and GO! i briefly visited monterey with my parents back in high school when we were touring colleges in northern california, but this will be the first time S and i visit the area together. we will drive up to cambria/pacific grove, make our way up to monterey and carmel, and finish off in san luis obispo before heading home. it’ll be a short trip with a lot of driving, but we’re really excited for a few days away.
ALSO, i’m trying something new on my instagram stories! i recorded a bunch of little videos over the weekend of me putting together some of the looks i mention below. full disclosure, they’re hardly spielberg worthy, BUT i had a lot of fun and if it’s something that you and my instagram followers enjoy, i’ll definitely do them in the future! i thought it might be helpful to have a more interactive means of styling advice. anyway, go check them out if you feel so inclined and get ready for a good chuckle 🙂
as i note in my instastories, before packing for a trip, i consider the following things:
- the weather || a few days (to be honest, it’s weeks) before leaving on a vacation, i always plug the destination city(ies) into my weather app on my phone. that way i can check the current weather up to a few days before we leave to ensure that i have packed the proper clothing. nothing like showing up with sweaters and discovering a heat wave or showing up with tank tops and realizing it’s 50-degrees. the former girl scout still lives by the motto #beprepared.
- the activities || much like the weather, the list of activities you plan on participating in can pretty much dictate what outfits are appropriate to pack. though we like to get out and sight-see, this trip is definitely more for leisure so comfortable outfits –and more importantly — comfortable shoes are definitely necessary. plus we’ll be in the car a lot so that’s something to keep in mind as well. for that reason, i plan on packing more pants and maybe only a dress or two.
- a cohesive color palette || finally, packing clothing in a similar color palette always ensures that things can mix and match easily. i usually go one step further and actually lay out/try on outfits so i know everything works ahead of time. nothing like getting to a location and realizing that you’ve packed a bunch of things that don’t go together. this trip’s color palette will include a lot of muted reds/pinks, chambray, and white!
here’s what i’m packing for our mini birthday getaway!
tops:
zara eyelet top (worn with a nude camisole) || zara striped top
madewell chambray (similar)
sweaters/jackets:
old navy twill jacket in dried herb || j.crew factory denim jacket
banana republic sweater (similar)
dresses:
madewell striped seamed midi dress || j.crew denim dress*
*if the denim dress arrives in time, this was a recent purchase
bottoms:
madewell button-fly wide-leg cropped jeans || mango striped pants (similar)
everlane wide leg cropped pants in bone || zara striped shorts
shoes:
boardwalk ankle-strap sandals || hobes boat shoe sneaker
hats/bags:
urban outfitters straw hat || janessa leone hat
zara straw bag|| madewell tote
+ pajamas, my aerie raw cut city sweatshirt, and a pair of leggings for early morning coffee runs
a few sample outfits i plan on creating:
eyelet top + wide leg jeans + ankle-strap sandals + olive jacket
midi dress + jean jacket + sneakers + straw hat
cream sweater + pink striped shorts + suede flats
striped top + cropped pants + ankle-strap sandals + straw hat
and as always, i’ll be stowing away a couple pairs of my natalie borton tassel earrings (available NOW in her shop!). i plan on bringing the white and dusty rose pairs to go with all of my outfits.
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