Packing for your Summer Holidays

I have to say I'm tired of waiting for British summertime to begin, I have been in winter for far too long and as I write this I am on my holidays abroad, taking in some much needed sun and indulging in a time out from my business. Well not totally time out or you wouldn't be reading my blog today :-)

As a personal stylist I normally find it really easy to help a client with their holiday wardrobe, but when I need to pack for myself I always find my emotions and love of my clothes gets in the way of packing.


Even though I do have an ideal packing list for a 2 week holiday, I always find that I start out with far too many clothes, because I always have so many nice summer outfits to wear and never enough time especially in Britain to wear them.

It then becomes a battle of which outfit to wear and what to leave behind, this can go on for some time until I remind myself I do this for a living and should find this no bother whatsoever.

So I take out my list of what to take and why I'm taking it, I answer my own questions, such as:
Where am I going?
Who am I going with?
What is the weather going to be like?
Will I be laying on the beach or doing lots of activities?

All of these questions are important and helps to cut my pile of clothes to take by half. Then I always apply the rules of only taking two neutral colours and three other colours that go with them, so then that cuts down my wardrobe a lot more.

However it is still not easy especially when you’re only going for a week somewhere so many outfits so little time!  On this occasion I had to admit defeat and leave behind a couple of maxi dresses just because I am on a one week beach holiday by myself, which doesn't really require me to dress up. So I can leave the high heels, party dresses at home this time.



As I intend to lie on the beach, read a book and maybe do a tiny bit of work, I came to my senses and packed some swimsuits, beachwear and a couple of light trousers and maxi dresses for the evening and my kindle and my trusty laptop and away I went, what a relief.

However I know so many of you, don’t have the luxury of a personal shopper or stylist to pack your suitcase for you, so here are my Reluctant Goddess tips for holiday packing…

Remember to limit your wardrobe to two neutral colours for me as a winter colouring I took black and white as my neutral colours and added bright blue, pink and navy to my wardrobe, so all of my outfits would match and be easy to put together.

Ask the questions I posed above, if you’re not clubbing or on a wild holiday with friends you can safely leave those party outfits behind. If you’re going trekking, or doing lots of activity, there is no point in taking loads of frilly dresses if a wind-breaker, walking shoes and cargo pants are more practical. If you’re going with your boyfriend on a romantic holiday, then remember to pack the frilly dresses, heels bikinis etc.

Here is my list for a 2 week holiday basic capsule wardrobe:

2 TROUSERS, JEANS, COTTON, LINEN ETC

2 SHORTS

2 SKIRTS

2 GOING OUT TOPS

7 TOPS (a selection)

1 DRESS

1/2 CARDIGANS

1 JACKET

2 BIKINIS / SWIMSUITS

1 SARONG / KAFTAN

1 BEACH TOWEL

2 FLIP FLOPS

2 WALKING SHOES, TRAINERS, SANDALS, PUMPS, ETC

1 HEELS

1/2   PASHMINA’S

1 SUNGLASSES

1 ACCESSORIES, (beach hat, hair bands, belts, etc.)

PYJAMAS AND UNDERWEAR

Asos.com
http://fashionfinder.asos.com/

As we all know however no matter how great we are at packing a suitcase, we always end up wearing the same thing, so I always say as long as you have detergent to wash your clothes, underwear,
passport and money, don’t worry about anything else but enjoying your holiday.

Dressing for a day at the Races

Well summer has finally arrived in the UK, which means the round of summer events can begin, as summer doesn’t last long here, we like to make the most of the time by attending, picnics, fete’s, polo, boating events, weddings and days out at the races, primarily we love Ladies Day at Ascot.

As Ascot is just in a couple of weeks’ time, I thought it was a good time to start thinking about what you’re going to wear, so hear is a quick race-goers guide to looking good at the races.

I always think that a hat can make or break an outfit when I look through the magazines at pictures of the races every year. So take some time to invest in a great hat.

For those of you who are lucky to be invited into the Royal Circle at Ascot, take your cue from the royals who do formal wear like no one else.

 Formal wear is a requirement for the Royal Enclosure which means:

•   Dresses and skirts should be a modest length defined as falling just above the knee or longer.
• Dresses and tops should have straps of one inch or greater
• Jackets and pashmina’s may be worn but the dresses should still follow the above guidelines.
• Trousers suits are acceptable as long as they are full length and are of matching materials and colour.
• Hats should be worn at all times, if wearing a headpiece, it should have a base of t least 10cm in diameter. Fascinators are no longer allowed in the Royal Enclosure and grandstand arrears. 

Those of you who are in the Grandstand enclosure, the dress code is still formal as above, here are a few extra things to avoid.

• Strapless or sheer strap dress are not to be worn.
• Midriffs should be covered.
• Fascinators are not permitted.
• Shorts are a definite no, no.

Here are some outfits to avoid:

In the Silver ring and Heath enclosures, there is no formal dress code applies, however it is encourages that you wear smart clothing. Remember that fancy dress is never allowed!

A quick note for the men in the Royal Enclosure, you should be wearing a morning suit in grey or black with a black or grey top hat. All suits must have a waistcoat and tie. Otherwise in all other enclosures a suit and tie is a must.

 If you can invest in a great outfit for the races, the outfit can be used again on other occasions such as a wedding, christening etc. So here are some outfits that can be mixed and matched and used again.

  

If you’re going to the races this year, drop us a line on Facebook and let us know what you’re wearing or even better post a picture of your outfit.

Summer here we come!