Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Travel Switch

Draft:
Composition:
patterned dress (Target)
grey scarf (gifted)
grey boots (Old Navy)
navy bag (Target)
frames (United Colors of Benetton)
silver hoops (Fossil)
silver monogrammed bracelets (gifted)

Usage:
Sorry this post is coming to you late, readerfriends!  I spent yesterday traveling and returned home to a last-minute job interview, so I'm slow to begin today's tasks.  Not to mention, I didn't wear this outfit as planned during my weekend trip to Texas.  The switcheroo worked out well, except that I'm tossing my original, prepared-well-in-advance post about the dress's airplane-riding merits out the window.  Here's what went down:

Last week, I packed this dress and these boots for my return flight from Austin.  My suitcase contained enough tops and shorts to last me all three days of ACL, so this patterned frock was my intended leftover for a day of traveling.  So were the coordinated scarf, bag, and boots.  However, after arriving and inhaling that good ol' Southern humidity, I had a change of heart.  Wasn't an outdoor music festival the ideal venue for celebrating the last of summer's bright prints?  Why force fall colors and fabrics in 80 degree weather?  So, in favor of lingering in summer longer, I switched out my intended drapey burgundy tee and boyfriend jeans for this cheery frock.  I wore the boots with it, but I ditched the scarf and bag.  My motivation was simple: wear warm weather clothes while there's still time!

Are you like me, slow to retire summer's colors and fabrics, or would you have found a way to wear an autumnal look to the concert despite the weather?

Also, the change-up has me wondering about the evolution of my packing habits.  When traveling, I don't typically prepare outfits for each day.  Instead I prefer a mix-and-match method: in which everything in my suitcase goes with everything else in my suitcase, and I can pair according to each day's mood.  However, for this trip, I did prepare an outfit for each day; I planned each look down to the jewelry, in fact.  And it backfired!  I reverted to my old mix-and-match habits despite my attempts at sartorial organization.  Maybe I'm not meant for pre-planned ensembles?  Are you?  Under what circumstances would you pre-plan your looks for travel?

Prompts:
  • When traveling, do you pack so that your clothes and outfits are interchangeable?  Or do you pack according to an outfit schedule and stick to it?
  • When do you retire your bright "summery" prints and lightweight fabrics?  Are your choices temperature dependent or not?

6 comments:

Diana said...

I love this outfit so much! It has a wonderful relaxed bohemian vibe to it, yet is still slick and put together.

I usually pack so that my clothes are interchangeable; because I like to pack light, I want everything I bring to be remixable at least once. This isn't always successful... I usually end up with at least one unworn item when I get home. I guess I am just flaky about choosing what I want to wear.

I don't ever really put my summer clothes away for the winter... I try to keep wearing the bright prints, etc, because it really brightens up a dull winter day. It requires a bit more creativity with layering and stuff, though, and obviously there are items that are just not warm enough.

felicity said...

Great dress! I think it definitely works well when you're trying to bridge the gap between summer and fall.

As for packing, I haven't quite figured out what works best for me. Sometimes I include a bunch of basics that I'll be able to mix and match, other times I lay out specific outfits. Thinking about it now, I think it depends on the level of thought I've had to put into the trip. For spur-of-the-moment weekend trips I throw the basics (or whatever I'm loving at the moment) in a bag and run out the door. For vacations that required more planning (flights, house rentals, cars, directions, whatever), I put extra planning into my outfits too. I'm not sure if it's because I like planning (I do) or if it's because we tend to do activities where certain types of clothing would be unsuitable. It's probably some of both. I'm usually equally happy with my appearance on both types of trips, so I guess they both work for me.

Scholar Style Guide said...

I love this look on you!! I tend to wear most of my clothes year round, and so maybe it is not surprising that I think this dress would look great over leggings or skinnies on a cooler day.

For most trips, I take a lot of separates in colors that "go together" so I can mix and match as the spirit moves me. When I go to the beach in the summer, though, I take like three more summer dresses than I need and just wear whichever one I feel like wearing each day. There's something about the one-and-done-ness of throwing on a beach dress that makes me feel even more relaxed on that particular type of vacation.

I'm glad this look got a wear at ACL-- having never been, I have no idea what people wear, but this seems like a perfect outfit for an outdoor concert in general.

-Liz

Anonymous said...

I love this look - that dress fits you perfectly, and I just love the print and colors.

I hope the interview went well!

Scholar Style Guide said...

@Diana, I'm glad to hear you wear summery prints in winter. This season I'm planning to incorporate brights into my winter wardrobe for the same reason: cold weather can get dull quickly. :)

@Felicity, you're smart to distinguish between types of trips and types of packing. Perhaps if I were more observant of my own habits, I'd notice a difference too. Maybe that's why my attempt at methodical packing didn't jive with the relaxed outdoor weekend? Hm.

@Liz, I agree! The ease of summer dresses helps me transition to a relaxed mindset. No wonder I was more attracted to this dress than to jeans and tops combos. It was vacation, after all!

@Sara, thanks for the well wishes for interview!

-Anne-Marie

Unknown said...

I would like to pack things that are interchangable but, it ends up being a set schedule of outfits for the most part.

I love love love that dress, it is so much fun and looks great on you :)(