As gimmicky and clichéd as a visit to Rome’s Bocca da Verita (Mouth of Truth) might be. . . . when Nana and Granddad have a day in Rome with a Seven, a “willing suspension of disbelief” seemed fitting. Of course, Granddad stayed behind the camera, not ready to submit to any test of his veracity. Instead, he took this not particularly flattering photo of me, which I include here as partial record of What I Wore (so, What I Packed) for this trip.
I don’t have many such photos from our three weeks in Paris, Turin, and Rome. Such photos generally require prompting (or prodding) my fellow traveller (although he did take those great rooftop photos of my dress and I in Turin) and I wasn’t often inclined to do so. Partly, I guess, because even in Rome, October/November required outerwear most days, and mine was practical, and attractive enough, but scarcely photo-worthy.
Said outerwear consisted of my raincoat (M0851, two years old), as seen above, as well as my leather motorcycle jacket (seen in the preceding post about What I Wore this trip). The jacket is now 11 years old and has featured in a number of posts over the years, beginning here, and more recently in a post from 2020 that revealed its rips and mused a bit about Slow Fashion. Shortly after that post I had it mended again, but then with the extended period of Staying Home, it didn’t get out much. Since it’s always served me well during the transitional periods of Spring and Fall, I decided it could start re-circulating in Paris. So I wore it under my raincoat on the plane — yep! that was a bit cumbersome, but meant I didn’t have to include its weight in my carry-on.
I also packed a black Uniqlo ultralight down jacket; not photogenic, my outerwear, but layered well and offered some variety, especially with the addition of either my taupe cashmere scarf or the multi-coloured geometric silk you can catch glimpses of between this post and this one.
So that’s it for the outerwear I brought. Otherwise, in that top photo, you can see one of two silk shirts I brought, either to wear on their own with pants. Above, the multi-colour print shirt is worn over a black microfibre mock-neck with a pair of microfibre dressy-ish jogging pants and my Cloud sneakers. The sneakers are one of two pairs of shoes I brought; the others are the metallic slip-on Oxfords.
Below is a better view of the print shirt (bought in Bordeaux a few years ago) and those Aritzia dressy joggers. In the background, on my case, you can see the long-sleeved striped cotton-linen T that was great for the warmer days we had at the beginning of our trip. (In fact, I searched through my archives a bit, and you can see the same outfit here (with different shoes — oh, I miss those sneakers, which I wore into the ground, pun intended). . . and in that 2017 post, I note that the outfit was part of my carry-on wardrobe the year before. Not bad — five years later, and these two garments are still serving me well.
I also wore this shirt with my jeans which you can see in last week’s post. I don’t think I ever got a photo of the jeans with the long-sleeved navy cotton T, but that shirt was a workhorse and definitely deserves a mention here.
Below, another silk shirt but this one much lighter weight, delightfully body-skimming on its own; it also worked (I thought so, at least) over that mock-neck under-layer for cooler days. I splurged on this top last fall (by the same Portuguese brand as the dress seen in last week’s post, Traces of Me, whose ethics, aesthetics, and overall philosophy I admire). Yet I hadn’t worn it before this trip, saving it, I guess, for a special evening. As you know, there haven’t been many of those since, thanks to pandemic life.
Normally, I’d be unlikely to bring a piece so seemingly impractical, but I guess I was impatient to wear it and I knew there’d be more opportunities to dress up a bit for dinner or a gallery than we’ve had for So. Many. Months! And it actually earned its place nicely. The very fine silk rolled nicely in my case, and unrolled with relatively few wrinkles; I managed not to spill anything on it; and wearing the micro-fibre layer underneath some of the time obviated smelly armpits. I wore it 3 or 4 times, taking ample pleasure in its silky drape, subtle colours and body-skimming cut.
And I especially loved it, worn with the leather skirt I bought shortly after we moved here (shown here, days after I’d bought it on a Christmas-shopping outfit with my daughter — and worn with that black floral print silk shirt you see above).
I love this skirt, but I haven’t been wearing it as often as I’d once hoped. As I mentioned last post, I’m a bit smaller at my waist these past few months and was pleased at how well the skirt fits now. It was truly a wild card to throw into the packing — heavier than ideal and not amenable to rolling. . . But, again, aware that I’d have more dress-up opportunities than there’d been forever, I determined to make the skirt work as part of a capsule wardrobe in which I couldn’t afford to let it languish.
Nor did it. A few days, I changed from jeans and into this skirt for dinner. I also wore it for long days walking around Paris or Rome. Sometimes with my leather jacket — the leather is sleek and new in the skirt; faded and a bit rough in the jacket, and I think that contrast worked although sometimes I wasn’t as sure. If it was cold enough I slipped my down jacket on and the combo was okay, if not something I’d wear at home. If it was raining, the raincoat, of course — although the skirt is a bit longer.
In other words, compromises were made that wouldn’t have been, given more choice. And I think that’s okay. Undeniably, my Inner Critic with the Style Eye occasionally cringed. But she wasn’t remembering how good it felt carrying my own luggage or enjoying, from within that luggage’s contents, some favourite garments on the road. Even if I didn’t have the perfect overcoat or shoes to go with. . . Nor was she attuned to the many details of our surroundings that, let’s be honest, put Fashion/Style choices in perspective. . . That’s a topic for a whole series of posts. I’ll simply say that sometimes our Inner Style Critics need to be told to Get a Grip. And maybe to Own Our Privilege. . . And if that seems contradictory in someone who’s posting What She Wore while travelling, well, life is complex and full of contradictions. Insert shoulder-shrug emoji. . .
The skirt with my navy v-neck cashmere pullover (7 or 8 years old) and that multicoloured silk scarf (new last year). And those metallic loafers: four years old, bought in Portland, but made in Italy (MOMA); could we imagine they were happy to be back home?
You would not be wrong in thinking the skirt would do well with a heeled shoe, and I would agree — I have a pair of black 1.5-inch heeled ankle boots that fits the bill — but that carry-on only had room, this trip, for one pair of shoes (the other pair on my feet, of course).
Iin fact, some days I took the high-low approach even further, and paired the skirt with my sneakers. . . .
which would have worked much better with darker or even brighter sneakers,
but sometimes, I think, tant pis is the best answer to such dilemmas, just making do with what one has. Wanting what one has, in fact. . . .
Below, a better view of that silk scarf, Mapoésie, another indulgent purchase last year, after a favourite silk scarf I’d worn for almost a decade somehow got blown away without my noticing it, while I was walking. . . retracing my steps was futile . . . I hope someone found it, took it home and washed it gently, and has been wearing it happily ever since.
Not pictured, but worn 3 or 4 times — and again, easy to pack, amenable to some layering but otherwise only requiring a pair of tights and a choice of shoes (not hard when you only have two pair!) is the Midnight Blue velvet dress (Vince) that you can see (although not terribly well — it’s a hard colour to capture indoors) in this post. Again, a dress that I’ve had a few years but that hadn’t got out much lately, that I enjoyed wearing again — as much, truly, as if I’d bought a new dress in Rome or Paris.
Okay, maybe not quite as big a hit of those new-retail-purchase endorphins, but none of the second-guessing either (should I have? did I really need? will I really wear it back home?). This is where my packing strategy pays off — by including a few favourite pieces I have somehow not worn much lately, I push myself to make them work. And being a traveller in a city far from my own seems to give me more latitude to do that. Also, of course, they remind me that I’ve had coups de foudre in the past, fallen in love with a skirt or a dress or a top I had to have. Bought that garment, and then haven’t worn it as much as I’d thought I would. And here’s my chance to remedy that by wearing the old love instead of buying the new. . .
That’s the theory, anyway. Last year was the year of the coup de foudre buys, so I’m reminded that my practice doesn’t always live up to my theoretical resolutions. My carry-on choices those three weeks in October and November, though, have brought me back to my at-home wardrobe with renewed motivation to find variety there (or eschew variety for a while; I think we often over-value it). We’ll see how well I do. . .
Anyway, I think you’ve seen most of what I packed, but if you’re curious about what I might have left out, here’s the Packing List page from my travel journal. Pretty clearly, there are far better packing (and wardrobe) organizers out there. My friend Sue/Une Femme offers many posts that will guide you through her process — and often transport you, through photographs, to places her practical but chic travel wardrobes have taken her. Another Sue, (High Heels in the Wilderness) also my friend, regularly details her inspired, methodical, and thoughtful planning, illustrated by photographs from her notebooks.
My own approach is more off-the-cuff, as you can see. But it works for me.
I ended up deciding two handknit sweaters were unnecessary, so the rust-coloured one stayed home. I could have left the striped one home as well; although there were a few times its extra warmth was welcome, I’m not sure it earned the space its bulk demanded.
I also took the “old runners” out of the case before we left, after I confirmed that my OC sneakers would be adequate for the kind of hiking/walking we’d be doing in Italy. But I did bring my LuluLemon pants and long-sleeved shirt for those walks and although those only got worn two days, the occasion (hiking with the kids in the Lazio countryside, along Etruscan paths!) easily justified the modest space they claimed. Plus they were comfy to lounge in during the rare hours we cocooned in our hotel rooms (nope, I didn’t bring nightwear — just a pair of very light leggings that I wore with the striped long-sleeved T in the evenings).
Basta! Enough about packing, but I’m not done telling you about our travels. So many other topics ready for me to write about, though, as I’ve quickly been caught up in life back home. (This past weekend, for example, so busy with Italian class Saturday morning, then a lunch-and-shopping birthday expedition with a now-teenage granddaughter, and then a family dinner at a daughter’s house where we celebrated another granddaughter’s birthday and I got to console her younger brother, his nose out of joint at all the attention the birthday girls were enjoying.)
Before I move onto those posts, I’m curious to know if anything here resonates with you — or appalls or amuses or annoys or inspires or perplexes (I just re-discovered a quotation about perplexity that I posted about way back here. Worth a click, imho).
Leave a comment below, if you so please. . .
xo,
f
Thank you for the quote which I have just read and it perfectly sums up my mood today, having travelled to and from York, four trains in all, three stations. And still wondering why people won’t wear damned masks despite the new variant and the new requirements, and the polite requests of rail staff. It exhausts me, this fury, despite the fact I know it is pointless to get so inflamed. I am going to reread the quotation, just to fix it in my mind.
Author
Oh, Annie! I get perplexed about this as well! Compliance here is very good, overall, but I was perplexed and bewildered and sometimes really annoyed at what we saw while travelling. . . I’m glad you find the quotation useful — I know I have.
I congratulate you on taking an eclectic (in the best sense of the word) carry-on wardrobe. Like the idea of intentionally taking and enjoying clothing you hadn’t been able to wear much or truly enjoy over the months of isolation. A way to celebrate the vacation and the clothing. 😊
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Thanks, Mary! You understand what I’m getting at here, and I wasn’t sure it came through by the time I’d finished this somewhat bloated post 😉 It’s eclectic and idiosyncratic and not at all meant as a model except in the sense of modelling a different approach, one that suits a traveller’s particular (and sometimes peculiar!) style. xo
Interesting quote,love the Miro Sculpture!
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Me too!
Yes,the quote…and some people….I’m trying to stay calm
I think that your approach and pieces you’ve chosen worked very well. I love the scarf (adore this scarf actually), v-neck and leather skirt (and your hair, in this photo especially). I have midnight blue velvet dress that I love,so…adore this as well.
Both silk blouses worked very well with underlayers,so…. it was a smart move indeed.
It resonates with me,so many things living lonely life in our closets at the moment- great idea to take them out and about!
Dottoressa
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Some people indeed — sheesh!
Thanks Dottoressa. The approach worked for me this time, anyway, and maybe those clothes don’t feel so lonely anymore 😉
I laughed when I saw your packing list. I do exactly the same thing. I have an all-purpose scratch writing book that I write everything in, including packing lists (which get revised and revised again…).
You have provided so much inspiration with these pieces. To be honest, when I travel I mostly go for comfort rather than style. My Italian partner, who always looks impeccable, has always encouraged me to keep things simple and comfortable and to not worry about my packing, but I do miss being a bit more stylish from time to time. Your solutions, such as the microfibre mock-neck for warmth under silk blouses, are great. I love the patterned silk shirts, scarves, and the leather skirt, and the velvet dress. It’s lovely to wear luxe fabrics and to feel pretty while being practical. Great picks.
Your mention of low-heeled black boots made me think of being on the vaporetto in Venice at Christmas 2019. A small group of nuns in very plain habits got on the vaporetto and a rather elderly one was wearing a lovely pair of ankle boots with about a 1.5 inch heel, showing a nicely shaped foot. G noticed first and whispered into my ear to look at the stylish suora. I had to snap a photo (surreptitiously). It reminded me though that we all have a small inner style goddess yearning to indulge. Perhaps the boots remind her of her youth.
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This sentence: “It’s lovely to wear luxe fabrics and to feel pretty while being practical.” Yes! Those “luxe fabrics,” for me, are part of what make it easier to live with a small wardrobe and to work towards sustainability. If we really love what we’re wearing, we don’t need as much variety and we’re more motivated to care for what we have. Imho. . . 😉
Cute anecdote about the nun’s boots. I was similarly impressed several decades ago when I met my new colleagues at a music teachers’ meeting in the city we’d just moved to. One of them, in her late 60s, perhaps early 70s, was otherwise conservatively dressed but sported a pair of low-heeled red ankle boots. A “granny boot” (i.e. rounded toe, lace-up oxford) except for that red, and I found later that she always wore a pair, either red or black. I admired the way they set off her, um, tart personality (she could be a bit frightening, to be honest). And amused when, ten or twelve years ago, I realized I’d resurrected her (she’d died at least a decade earlier) in the form of the black ankle boots (almond toe; lace up oxford) I’d just bought, and still wear regularly, in my late 60s. . . I only wish my anecdote could have included a vaporetto in Venice 😉
That’s so funny. I am sure you wear them well. The associations we make between people and clothing are sometimes interesting. I studied math after being inspired by a particularly tough female math teacher in high school (scary to many) and the one thing I always remember about her is that she wore sixties style suits with mini skirts, even though she was in her fifties at least by that time. I like sixties styles although I am not quite at the stage of putting on mini skirt suits, although why not?
I used to take great pains to plan my travel wardrobe & we would lug round two huge solid suitcases with very little space taken by hubbies clothes . Not now . It’s easier when there’s no sophisticated cities or drastic temperature fluctuations of course . We sort of know what a Scottish holiday entails & as long as we have good walking boots & a reliable waterproof then we can muddle through . Even so I used to take far more than I needed , for variety , but that changed a few years ago when our big old car caught fire on the way north & was carried home for repair . We had to use my little mini & the repacking was drastic . The dogs & their needs took most of the space with our toiletries etc filling the gaps . We managed on very little for three weeks , one soft sports bag between us – I did need to wash items . It taught me a lesson . I don’t need to have a vast selection of outfits on holiday . There is a freedom in a very pared down holiday wardrobe which enables you to concentrate on your surroundings . My weakness is my dressing gown for morning & evening . Oh , & I’d fight with Dotteressa for that beautiful scarf of yours 😄
Author
It’s so liberating when you find you can manage with so much less (although I always find that when I have the space — doing a road trip instead of flying, I’ve been known to pack more for a three-day getaway than I take to Europe for weeks!).
But I’m with you on the dressing gown — we rarely stay at a hotel that includes one in the room, although this time we had three nights with a dressing gown at my disposal — such a comforting basic or luxury, depending 😉
Also, I think, increasingly, that sophisticated cities house people who live ordinary lives and wear ordinary clothes like mine, so. . . solidarity? 😉
Hi – I’m new to your blog, and I’m really enjoying it. I agree with you about the benefits of packing light. Last week my husband and I drove from our house north of San Francisco to upper Washington state. I packed much less than I usually do, and it was nice not to have to make many decisions about what to wear.
I also have a question for you.. You and I have very similar hair – curly and silver. I’m curious to know what products you use. I use mostly DevaCurl products – shampoo, conditioner, and leave-in styling cream, but I’m always on the lookout for new items. Just curious…
Thanks for writing. I look forward to reading your thoughts.
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Welcome Anne! So pleased to hear you’re enjoying my posts.
I use Aveda shampoo and conditioner, but the styling product that works for my curl is one that my (also curlyhaired) daughter told me about: TIGI Catwalk Curls Rock Amplifier — a complicated name, I know, but I think the TIGI refers to Tony and Guy (T G) and Catwalk is the overall name for the line of hair products. Within that there’s a line of products specifically made for curly hair, and the Amplifier is the one you work into wet hair then style and let dry. I always let mine air-dry and then use a hair pick to add a bit of volume. Hope that helps.
Your packing list resembles mine in its categories, margin notes, and crossed out pieces. That silk blouse is a beauty, and suits you well. I’ve not had to pack for an autumn/winter trip to Europe, and I would say that your approach worked well for a hard-to-predict season.
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Then you can probably relate to the way my list evolves 😉
It’s true that the autumn/winter is a trickier span to pack for — if we ever get back to whatever normal might look like, you’ll be able to take advantage of your newly retired status and try travel over those months. . .
I’m always so impressed with your packing, Frances, and this set is no exception! You’ve managed a lot of variety with a handful of pieces, and everything works so well together. I love those printed shirts; they really punch above their weight, no pun intended.
Thanks for the mention! We’re planning another trip in the spring, and I’m determined to go back to a carry-on sized main bag. Fingers crossed…
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Thanks, Sue! Coming from someone as organized and chic a packer as yourself, that means a lot.
Fingers crossed indeed. I’m hoping we can get back late spring, but right now all bets are off. . .
Interesting post. I’m reminded of one summer during college years backpacking across the U.S. It taught me how little I really needed – especially when I had to carry it on my back! So I pack for the weather and comfort and keep it simple rather than try to make any style statement. A nice scarf or two help me to elevate any outfit and sneakers are my all purpose shoe while traveling. I don’t bring any “nice” shoes at all. I know my feet will thank me as we like to walk as much as possible. I enjoyed seeing your choices.
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I think about this as well, those lessons we learned in those years when the travel or adventure itself was what mattered, what we were wearing so much less important. . . That was a wonderful freedom, worth holding onto or regaining. . . .
Much in this post resonated with me. Hubby and I spent three and a half weeks in Europe pre-pandemic. It was our first carry-on only trip and we are committed to traveling that way from now on. It was so much easier than I anticipated! I guess I shouldn’t have been so surprised considering that we once spent an entire year in Japan with less than the allowable allotment of luggage at that time which was two large suitcases each. That adventure required a four season working wardrobe.
I had to chuckle at this snippet of wisdom… “sometimes our Inner Style Critics need to be told to Get a Grip.” How true!
Looking forward to hearing more about your travels when you find time in your busy life at home to write about them!
Author
It’s so much easier, isn’t it, although at first thought it seems difficult, if not impossible. I’ve managed up to ten weeks, and that included late fall weather. . . although, to be honest, I packed that carry-on full and definitely exceeded the weight limit 😉
But if you could manage an entire year with two suitcases . . .
When I saw your post yesterday I got out my journal from late Summer, early Autumn 2019, the last time I traveled abroad. I saw the notes I made for packing for a two week 7 country trip. I have to admit, my wardrobe was pretty mundane. black pants, jeans, shades of black, gray and blue. I did include a coral tee and one print top. I had no idea what the weather might be like in Russia or Scandinavia during this transitional time. I took long, light cardigans, a packable Karina dress of black (of course) polka dots for dinners. I included 4 light scarves to add some additional interest. I took four pairs of shoes, two sneakers, one in gold, black sport sandals and ballet flats. My old and inexpensive black Sketchers proved to be the true workhorse of the trip. And of course I included a black packable down jacket like everyone seems to these days. It did come in handy for some early morning excursions. This all went in my carry on, except for what I wore on the plane of course. No fashion statements here but I could focus on the experiences I was having. In retrospect I was so glad I was able to make this trip as who knows when I will have the opportunity again. I am thinking of indulging in a new silk scarf myself, cavorting leopards in a colorful jungle. something to add interest to all those solids. And it’s from a museum shop, so perhaps I can justify it, right?
Looking forward to hearing more about your travels.
Author
I’d call that wardrobe classic rather than mundane, and I can see that it would have taken you wherever you wanted to go — brava! (and those packable down jackets are ubiquitous for a reason, right? And they go well with cavorting leopards 😉
As I scrolled down and saw the pic of your skirt and metallic shoes I thought ooh I like that…then laughed when I saw you wanted a heel…no no it’s perfect as is. Also smiled at your comment that the black puffer jacket was not photogenic, it is exactly in my wheelhouse.
I am lacking an Inner Style Critic (I mean I have a style, but no critic) but I have a little imaginary friend who says ‘does it feel good’? Part of which is suitable for temperature so means I have more clothes than I would otherwise as we range annually from -30c to +30c. Also no scratching, chafing, binding or sweat-inducing. Comfort does not mean stretchy or baggy for me and I LOVE in capital letters structure at the waist (a tailored jacket? a wrap? a high-waisted pant? I’m in!) Once I’m in that groove I could and sometimes do wear the same thing or variations of day after day. A uniform I guess. And if I feel good in it on Monday, I generally will on Tuesday as well.
So I don’t find packing difficult and would love to set out with one change of clothes and a pile of underpants. Or maybe three black t-shirts, a pair of jeans, a pair of pants and a dress. That might be doable. If only the opportunity would arise for me to test my theory. (very itchy feet here)
The result of my thoughts along the ‘how many clothes’ line. I don’t ask my clothes to make me different…taller/shorter fatter/thinner, younger or more beautiful. So they don’t disappoint me and can easy do their job. I’m fine as I am. (My body…that brings me so much pleasure in all ways…how could I ever think it’s not good enough?) A Wednesday morning dip into the philosophical, just for you ha ha!
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I’m envious that you’ve integrated your healthy attitude toward dress and body-image and comfort so thoroughly — This is where I am intellectually — or even aspirationally — but sometimes pep talks are needed. Also envy the ease with which you can pack a very edited wardrobe. I too often have a whole anticipatory narrative that involves my wearing certain favourites in imagined places or for imagined activities and then reality must intervene . . .
I feel like your clothes, more than most, reflect who you are. I would know immediately upon seeing you why I wanted to talk to you:).
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That is the best reason I can think of for dressing however! xoxo