What I Packed & Wore For A Week in Hawaii
A vacation is something most of us look forward to but packing, not so much. As a stylist I love to challenge myself to take only a carry on when I travel (no matter how long the trip…) and I’ve trained myself to shop my closet because I don’t want to go out and buy a ton of things I’ll never wear after my trip!
Here was a dinner outfit for our dinner last night (day 4 became day 1….these pants were sourced from Une Fille from my Paris trip a few years ago). One of the things that always helps me, whether I'm packing in a pinch or have days / weeks to plan is Outfit Planning. We walked through it two weeks ago in my Intentional Style membership. I always start pulling out my spring/summer shorts, dresses, sandals, and tops and used the Shop My Closet method (We covered it all in our first call in the Intentional Style membership! You can join anytime here) and what a lifesaver it was. Here were some of the pieces I packed and a layout of what I'm planning to wear, by day, for our trip.
I pull alllllll the things I’m thinking of taking FIRST, No going shopping, only shopping my closet, and then I make the bottoms pass the “two wears” test. Can I wear it at least twice? Yes. Then it goes. I test the bottoms out with a bunch of tops and shoes until I create 2 to 3 outfits I’m happy with, snap a photo of the outfits, and then I repeat the process with another bottom, until I’ve made enough outfits for the trip. This has saved me soooo much time getting ready when I’m on vacation and it makes packing super easy and I am never stressed out or buying at the last minute (which just adds stress to what’s supposed to be a great vacation!)
The best part about outfit planning is that the time it takes planning ahead of time, saves me so much time thinking about what to wear while on our trip and overpacking is never an issue. Only pieces that get worn multiple times make the cut and if I have enough room in my carry on after planning for the days we are there, I sometimes throw in a last minute piece (day 6…). It leaves me with so much ease while I'm on the trip that it makes the prep ahead of time so worth it. I'll share more throughout the week of what I'm wearing as we enjoy our time in Hawaii! And I'll be sharing the process today on Instagram in a How I Pack reel.
If you ever need help with packing, I offer Shop Your Closet Outfit Planning Sessions for you, to ease your overwhelm and reduce the amount your shopping before your trip! If you’re a self-starter and need a bit of a guide, download a FREE Outfit Planning Shop Your Closet Guide first!!