On this Signature Style- What you need for a getaway or resort trip! Some cute dresses, outfit ideas and packing tips.
It’s hard to believe it’s that time again for Signature Style with Cindy. Sorry for the delay in this post. The storm left me without internet. I hope you all have been faring okay. Given our never ending bad weather here in California, any of us are trying to plan an escape to the sun!
I was lucky last week to get a little escape with a three day trip to the desert to see the BNP Tennis Tournament in Indian Wells. Flying into Palm Spring looked like we were landing in Siberia, but on the ground it was a balmy 76 ! It felt great to be in the sun.
One of my biggest issues on these resort trips or quick getaways is how to pack smarter. I want so to not be burdened by a heavy case and too many choices.
How to pack smarter:
- Think outfits not pieces. Only pack outfits for each day. If you’re going out at night that could be two outfits a day. That way you won’t pack extra random things.
- Use items for more than one thing. For example-have at least one dress that can work as a coverup, and use a scarf for sun as well as warmth on the plane, have a light jacket that can work over a dress as well as with shorts and on the plane..
- Wear shorts/pants more than once and just change up tops.
- Bring sandals and sneakers that work for dresses as well with shorts for treks out..i.e. not your beat up jogging shoes.. (Unless you plan on running on your trip.)
- Wear a dress on repeat and just change up the look with accessories or scarves or a jacket.
- Stick to a color palette. If you pack all blues for example, or black and white, you can mix things easier and shoes and accessories work with everything.
You do not need more than one sweatshirt, leggings, tank, white T. Just re-wear and make your life easier. Get creative. My friend Bari and I were laughing on this trip because we were saying why did we feel the need to bring multiple sweatshirts? Like who was going to notice we wore something twice? Don’t do it. Minimal is freeing and gives you less to manage . I promise you will thank me.
My Resort/ Getaway Packing List
We don’t need much on warm holidays away. Remember you don’t even need a day outfit on days by the pool or beach. You will likely live in a swimsuit and a coverup, which you can even wear to breakfast, so make sure you have at least one good swimsuit you feel great in! That is the most essential on these trips.
- Swimsuit or two that flatters, fits and feels good to be active in.
- A cute coverup. If you bring multiples make sure at least one can double as a dress too.
- A hat that travels well. I love this hat and also a baseball cap for hikes/walks. I like this one.
- Sandal or flip flop (I love these Ola Kai) for the beach/pool, sneakers, and a fancier flat sandal.
- Bag for the pool/beach ( can also be a basket you use for carry-on), crossbody for night and days out.
- Sunglasses and possibly sunglass readers (cute ones here.)
- Light jacket – my favorite here I adore.
- Shorts for days
- Cute tops in light fabrics
- Dresses for hot days or nights out.
- White pants. ( I rarely wear these, but nice to have options if they weather turns cool.)
- Sunscreens. I love this, and this.
- I wear a light pant or jean on flight with my sneakers and light jacket.
Key Pieces
This linen jacket is one hardworking piece I have taken all over the place and is my first go-to on a warm weather trip. I just took it to the desert and it’s great for the plane too. I find the linen to be soft and a few wrinkles never make this look bad. I wear it over dresses as well as with shorts and pants. Cindy also has this.. You need something like this in your closet. Love the raw edges.
Blazer with shorts
I started pairing a linen blazer I have with shorts, and wore that during our tennis tournament with sneakers. It’s a look I am seeing all over and a fresh look for spring and summer too. Look for a light jacket. I wore it on the plane with jeans and a sweater wrapped around my neck for warmth. Some easy linen blazers here , here, and here and here. Some cute shorts in new lengths here and here and here.
This cute short and jacket look has a lot of possibilities day to night..
Sandals
I love these Birkenstocks to go with shorts to dresses..and these Roxanne flats are nice for evenings and come in many colors, but I love this teal.. and the classic TB flip flop in black ( or gold) is fancy enough for evenings and will look good for years.
Dresses/coverups..
I love having a few dresses on a getaway. I will use them for both coverups and to go out in.
I bought this Juliet Dunn dress I had my eye since last year on from My Theresa (first time ordering from them.) This dress is an eternal best seller as it works on a lot of body types. It comes with a nice slip that you can wear or not if you use as a coverup. I think this will be great for dinners or a warm weather trip and summer – if it ever happens!
They also have an option in this darker color and these darling dresses. Especially love the ones with ric rac trim! These aren’t inexpensive, but are special pieces. I saw a gal with one of the coverups in Hawaii and I fell in love with it. You could also search for them on sale and that is how I found mine.
The dress on the left is a Faherty cotton dress. It’s a small American made brand that I love and their dresses are excellent quality. I have two and this blue one I bought last year. I do see it now on sale in a pretty peach. The pink is a dress by dBa and it’s a shirt dress that I will use by the pool, also sold out in this print- but similar are here. ( Sorry for the indoor photos because well non-stop rain here!)
Elan makes the cutest coverups and prices are good. I have this black one, which I wear so much from a prior season.
Elan has more coverups here . I especially like this blue one, this one in white , and the yellow
Other long ones I like -this beauty by Johnny Was, and this cool Missoni looking stripe…
This gauze option by Anthro is perfect in a pretty green and a black. You could pair this dress with a mid length cotton slip and wear it to dinner too, double duty and less to bring!
I need another coverup like a hole in the head, but I just ordered this floral coverup at J. Crew I had my eye on. They also have it in solids and gingham. Super cute styling with the side ties. Both 25% off now.
Swimsuits
Swimsuits can be a challenge. I have found J. Crew ones to be excellent quality for the price and love the half shoulder versions. This suit flatters, and is still sexy and not frumpy. I have this in Safari and and love the stripe and other solid colors. I also have this version with a shoulder bow too. The half shoulder is super cute with a long skirt or long pants or cute shorts.
This is also adorbs in the floral .. If you need one, I love this rash guard with the tassel in black or navy..
Beach totes/ evening bags
The other thing you need is a good tote, that you can take on a trip and use by the pool/beach. I love the look of this bronze braided one .
You can’t beat this for $58 and it’s a classic you can tie a scarf on or a tassel.
I also have this honey pot from Claire V..I use it at night and added a strap from another bag to make it a crossbody for day. J Crew now has a cute similar bag too.
I have the medium Market tote by Mersea that I LOVE. It’s a bit stiffer to travel with but good for a weekend away you drive to- or perhaps get the larger size and use as a carry-on, or the extra small for evenings. They also have this adorable Ciao version now. See them all here
Another option is a small bag for evenings… a small crossbody or perhaps a woven clutch like this cute option. My original one is (also J. Crew 10 years old), and I still use it! Get a decent one and it’s a good addition to the closet.
Don’t forget sunglass readers. Those are so nice to have if you are sitting reading buy the pool or beach. I love these by Caddis. The pink is darling. They also have more here and here.
I hope this has given you a few ideas and inspiration. Great places for resort clothes are Tuckernuck, and Tommy Bahama, as well as Mersea which has a new travel collection. Play around with last summer’s coverups and shorts and see what still works and what you need before you shop. You may be surprised what you have in the closet after this long winter. I had forgotten about a few things.
I hope you have some sunshine in your future!
If you missed February’s Signature Style, I shared how French women wear red and how you can adding to your wardrobe can give you a little bit of chic and brighten up your darks this time of year.
Please pop by Cindy’s blog to see what she is sharing…
Thanks for being here!
Kim
I also have posts on what to pack for Hawaii , what to bring to Bora Bora, the BNP Indian Wells Tennis Tournament, and Carmel/Monterey.
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