Genetic Liam cropped jeans | mine are darker, size 29
Madewell oversized shirt | I’m wearing a small
VKOO cashmere sweater | older style
Margot Wolf necklace
Admonish custom leather tote
Madewell Erin boots | size down one size
Obviously, I’m really loving my new Madewell boots (shooties, really). They’re totally comfortable for running around in, so much that I think I’ll wear them on my flight(s) to and from Atlanta next week. Speaking of that, and since you know I need to start planning my travel wardrobe weeks in advance, I have decided that I’m going to take and wear ALL black while I’m there. I will take my taupe Everlane cashmere cardigan and possibly my denim jacket, but otherwise, all my layers will be black. And I’m not taking jeans, only leggings. Sure, that means I’ll be wearing a variation of the same thing every day, but since when does that matter? I’ll put together a post next week with specific pieces and how I’m going to combine them. Like I’ve said before, I think the key to monochromatic dressing is that you have different fabrics, textures and shapes to work with…
Have you ever done that? stuck to one color for a travel wardrobe? (it’s not so much of a stretch for me, because I don’t dress in color anyway, but I don’t normally dress in ALL black, so it should be an interesting experiment!)
Great outfit! The shirttail makes the proportions just right and adds some colour contrast.
I completely agree with your packing choices. Monochrome is the way to go. I usually pack two neutral colours (such as black and grey) and one accent. So your taupe sounds like a nice contrast to black. And I never take jeans when I travel anymore. They’re too uncomfortable in the plane and too heavy to carry in my case, plus they take too long to dry if I do laundry when away and they feel too casual for all travel occasions. My only concern is your new shoeties. Do your feet swell in planes? Mine do, so I would be worried that the shoeties will get too tight. Or do you have enough wiggle room for expansion if needed? (I once wore slip-on oxfords from a flight back from London and my feet swelled so much I couldn’t take them off during the flight. I never did that again.)
you’re right about the shoeties…thought about that after i decided to wear them! i’ll probably end up wearing my vince sneakers or clogs on the plane instead. although i haven’t noticed too much that my feet swell, mostly i’m just concerned that i’ll FREEZE TO DEATH on the plane because i usually do.
I really look forward to the wrap up of your travel wardrobe experiment. I wear a lot of black and gray, and worry sometimes that my look is boring, But you are right – different shapes and textures can really add a lot of depth to a monochromatic outfit. I can’t wait to see what you wear!
My feet freeze on planes, too. What I do is bring socks that are made of micro fleece. As soon as we take off, I take off my shoes and the put socks on. You can get them cheap here in dollar stores–just make sure you wash them a few times first or they will give off fuzzies everywhere. The key, though, is that you can take your shoes off in order to put the socks on. I think your Vince sneaks would be great. In fact, you have inspired me to look for a similar pair for my next trip, because I think they’d be great for travel. Have a super trip visiting your mom! Can’t wait to see what you end up packing.
Oh quick! Do the post before Friday so I’ll know what to pack for my trip! I’ll bet the temps are a bit different in Atlanta and Chicago, tho. Might make a difference… Haha.
I usually really think out what I’m going to wear and I’m a big time list maker, but I’ve never dressed in just one color. I love variety. Even though once I get there, I’ll probably find a “uniform” and just wear that for days on end!
It’s me again! Good point about the shoes, Laurel. I have the same issue with swelling. Feet, I mean. 😉
And I wanted to say that I LOVE the long shirttail with the sweater. You look so talk, Grechen!!
haha! i’ll do it on monday. yes, i think the weather will be about 20 degrees different!!!
i’m probably going to bring my splendid thermal top (in gray) also, but i’m trying to convince myself not to. i really want to try out all black and see if it makes packing/planning/dressing easier….
i do this also- i bring my pure barre socks which are super-thick AND have stickies on the bottom so on international flights i can wear them to the bathroom. which might be kind of gross, but i do it anyway 😉
i found a nearly identical version to my vince shoes at aldo recently (http://www.aldoshoes.com/us/women/shoes/sneakers/98356418-mara/93) – put them in this post i did for the domain mall recently: http://stylesetter.simon.com/blog/grechen-reiter/trend-to-try-slip-on-sneakers – there are a couple of other good options there too. i really want the checkerboard vans 🙂
i also worry that it’s boring, but i’ve been playing around with different shapes and textures, and i think it’s not boring at all !!!
Good show with the pure barre socks. I do put my shoes back on to go to the bathroom, though. 😉
Thanks for the Aldo recommendation! Aldo is Canadian (another way we “walk among you”) so I had checked those out online. I’m just not sure how heavy they are, which is my concern with shoes and travel. Will try to check them out in person. Love your slip-on sneaks roundup. Those H&M shoes are cute! And the Steve Madden leopard ones are adorbs. Will check those out, thanks!
Val, I hear you about variety. But I suggest you pay attention to what clothes you actually do wear in Chicago, and note them down for next time. The last time I was in Europe (for three weeks), I had packed four bottoms but only ended up wearing three of them most of the time. So the next time I go, I’ll only bring three bottoms. What I do is take the total number of days I’ll be away, divide by the number of bottoms, and determine how many times I’ll wear each one. If I can stand to wear each one six times, say, then I’m laughing all the way to the overhead bin. 🙂
3 weeks! Wow. You guys are pros at this packing thing.
But you are so right about over-packing. And I’m only going to be gone for a week, but I ALWAYS end up taking more than I need or wear. I think I’ll take your advice, ladies, and try monochromatic this time. I love navy and black or grey, so I’ll try and come up with a plan of action. It should be fun to see if I can do it. And I’ll have room for my shopping souvenir!
Cute! I’m loving these shooties on you! I think packing minimally for a trip is key…I am with those who said they end up with a travel “uniform”. I always do, too! However, the temp. on planes is so frustrating…I flew to LA and back last weekend and was really uncomfortable from how hot it was, both ways. Layers, layers, layers. I am a good minimal packer, though since having my son (he’s almost two), I’ve realized I have to pack a few extra pieces just in case…somehow we both always end up dirty!
I love your new shoes. I say you can’t go wrong with a Madewell shoe, I have several and love them all and they are comfy. I’m headed to the store tomorrow to check out the new arrivals so I’m definitely interested in checking out those new shoes of yours.
I’ve never packed in one color before, I like color and variety plus I’m not sure if I have enough of one color to really do the monochrome thing. Whenever I’m taking a vacation or overnight trip, I pre-plan my outfits. I’ll check the weather, figure out what the agenda looks like each day and then pick out an outfit. This generally works well for me although I packed more outfits then I needed on my last trip. But I was in Cancun and a bathing suit is pretty much the only thing needed when going to the beach. ????
Gretchen, I used to wear a lot of all-black until I realized grey was the star, black was the supporting act that still kept things neutral. Grey on its own for me does not get enough punch/contrast, but it is my very best color, not drab at all — all kinds of solid greys, smoke, pewter, heathered charcoal and carbon. So I stick mainly to greys and black and add a few charcoaled (but not muted) dark neutrals for a bit of variety (like dark seal brown, charcoaled forest green, dark mahogany). Have a lovely time in your travels : )
i also love grey, but i always default to black (or very dark grey) on the bottom. i too love all shades of grey, but don’t normally wear them together; i’ll wear grey with white or grey with black or grey with white AND black. i guess i like the contrast of white with black and/or grey, so it’s hard for me to dress WITHOUT wearing any white at all, unless i’m wearing mostly black. if that makes sense 😉
haha! yes, probably a bathing suit is most all you need at the beach, although i’d pack too much then too!! i mean…you never know…
i do always pre-plan my outfits, but then i start to panic because i ALWAYS get there and want something else when getting dressed one day. i’m a very emotional dresser 😉
lol!!! you guys are SNEAKY 🙂