No. 4

Definitive Guide to European Summer 2024

Today I will break decorum, as I have something much more important to talk about (besides, doing three of anything in a row means I deserve a treat right?) - and that is European Summer™, which has descended upon us with startling speed.

There is a distinct and delicate method to packing for a European summer that avoids the following common pitfalls:

1. Overconsumption (gross and embarrassing, respect your mother Earth for god sake)

2. Overpacking

3. A capsule wardrobe / dressing in the same combination of white / cream / grey / black with very little personality or life (more on why I do not like capsule wardrobes to come)

With this definitive guide, you’ll be able to the following metrics this summer on holiday:

1. Increase in meaningful souvenirs (in my home, souvenir means decor item, jewelry, shoe, accessory, or clothing item)

2. Decrease in landfill (again, and I can not stress this enough, STOP OVER CONSUMING, PEOPLE!)

3. Increase in fabulous, incredible, iconic outfits

Step 1: Research

Where are you going? What is the weather like? What will you be doing? How will you be spending your time? What do other people wear? How can you be inspired? The first steps are understanding, from a practicality perspective before we think about creating art, what is going to be reasonable, comfortable, and manageable. Our goal is to craft a packing list that covers all of the bases (I remember running around Harrods an hour before I needed to leave for a black-tie gala because I failed to remember a gown….but this was 20 year old Ellie behavior and we will leave that to the children) - but to ensure we don’t overpack.

I will be going to three places in Europe this summer - starting in Copenhagen for a week, off to Barcelona for a week, ending in Minorca for a week. NOT ALL EUROPEAN SUMMER LOCATIONS ARE CREATED EQUAL! This itinerary is a perfect example. We have Northern Europe - more manageable temperatures during the day and into the evenings. A city where we will be walking frequently, biking often, and generally engaging in a more active fashion than if we were going to the French Riviera. We have southern Europe - warm, athletic, with room for languid days drinking wine outdoors, but a distinctly high fashion vibe. We have a small island - laid-back but still refined. Linens, swimsuits, and heels you can dance in (but don’t mistake a Minorca wardrobe for an Ibiza wardrobe). I am a master trip planner (something we can get into another time), and part of my process is putting together general “days” of activities, that include items that can be reasonably managed in one day, are close by, include restaurants and time for relaxation. Sometimes you can put specific dates to them (ie. you know when you get to a city I want to start easy on day 1, build up to more physical activity day 2, etc), like I have done below:

We’ve put together our schedule, now it’s time to research the weather and what will be appropriate from a fashion perspective. I love to pull inspiration from the cities I visit, and putting a unique spin on the inspiration I gather. If you prefer to fly in blind, that’s your prerogative. For Copenhagen, I am inspired specifically by bold, fun pants (see: last blog post), texturally interesting tops, and funky accessories from Scandinavian countries. We’ll get back to this later.

At this point, we have a fairly good sense of a few things:

1. What each day will look like - how much physical activity we will be engaging in, where we will be going for dinner / whether that requires a dress code, any additional items we may need ie. a swimsuit, coverup

2. What the weather will look like during our stay (for us, 65-75 degrees during the day in Copenhagen)

3. What I will feel comfortable wearing during my stay, given the above two bullet points

We do the same thing with Barcelona and Minorca, keeping in mind there may be some dramatic variation in temperature, activity, and formality. Barcelona is a much warmer city than Copenhagen, but unlike the island of Minorca, is a city. This means we probably have some thematic overlap from the outfits we eventually plan to wear in Copenhagen, and can start thinking creatively about how to wear these items in a fun new way. Minorca is our outlier is a sense - it’s an island, with balmier weather, more relaxing activities, and a different vibe overall. I make a mental note that I’m likely to share more items between Copenhagen x Barcelona, and then some between Barcelona x Minorca, but will likely have a few items that I solely wear in Minorca.

Step 2: Packing List

Now that we have THAT out of the way, let’s get away from the numbers and spreadsheets and down to the real business. I make two packing lists: one on my calendar (with all items I am bringing, reminding me the opportune time / date to pack, usually the evening before), and one storyboard on Storey where I can see my creations come to life. A few items to note before we get into the theory:

1. Make sure you write down the essentials: underwear, chargers, international converters, passport, toiletries, PJs, sunglasses, travel clothing, all of it. It’s actually fairly easy to forget an important item, less so if you write it down

2. I like to organize in two ways - writing down the items as a list, then the outfits each day. For example:

   1. Bottoms (4) - orchid silk pants, navy silk pants, light wash Agolde jeans, white high waisted shorts.

      1. This allows me to see everything in one place and better understand where we may have too many of any one type of item

   2. Monday 7/29 - silk navy pants, navy scarf top, platform sneakers, Gucci Jackie bag.

      1. This allows me to link the outfit to the date and activities, so I can make sure I don’t get caught on a bike in a short skirt and heels.

You have a bit more space traveling during the summer than the winter, which is important to keep in mind when it comes specifically to bags and shoes (hint: you can pack more French market bags and sandals than you can fur coats and snow boots). During the winter, you’ll have to wear your largest fur coat and boots on the plane and pray everything else can fit. We don’t have that problem with European Summer™! My general (loose) rule for packing is number of days - 4 = number of tops / dresses, number of days / 2 = pants / bottoms, 1 sneaker that can be used for activities or walking, 1 pair of dressy sandals that you’re okay getting sandy, 2 pairs of fun shoes to add some personality. I have elected to pack the following shoes for my trip:

Hermes Oran -

Brother Vellies -

Larroude -

Superga -

Alohas -

Yes, I get an extra pair because I am the teacher and you are the student. No more questions.

You’ll need to be a little loose with these rules as the destination determines what you’ll need, and just because you have extra room in your suitcase does not mean you need to use it. Sorting through an overpacked suitcase over the course of a few weeks is not worth the trouble, having a plan with outfits you’re excited about (and wearing the same pants / top a few times) is.

Once we have the initial packing list written down, it’s time to storyboard our outfits. Storey allows me to see and feel what these outfits will look like without getting my hands dirty or riffling through my closet. It’s time to put your packing list to good use - combine items, get inspired, make mental notes of item gaps you have. A few examples below:

Inspired, right? Are you already seeing the ways one top can be coupled with another pair or pants or skirt for a vastly different look, without resorting to basics? Obviously I’ve only provided a few visual cues above, but with 5 bags, 5 shoes, 8 pants / skirts, and 8 tops, I’ve put together 20 super distinct outfits with a ton of room for creativity. I’ve also stuck to my formula - 16 days-4=12 tops (under) and 16/2=8 pants / skirts.

Step 3: Cull & Plan to Expand

At this point we should have a vague idea of which items are a must-bring, which items are a bit more impractical, and which items we’re missing from our closet as a whole. We should continue to cull down this list based on a few things -

1. How much utility you’re going to get out of a certain item

2. How much room it takes up in your suitcase (we have all been guilty of bringing a giant, impractical dress that we’ve been dying to wear, only to wear it once and have it wrinkle and take of space the rest of the trip)

3. Whether it’s more likely than not that you are going to find something better and more appropriate during your travels.

An example - I would love a tailored, structured, dramatic, crisp white top to wear with a selection of fun pants in Copenhagen. I’ve found a few online, but what’s the use in buying at home when I can turn that into a fun search and souvenir to buy abroad and remind me of my travels. Looking for a rattan light fixture for your home? Minorca will have a better, well-priced selection to pick up while you’re there.

Pigmami on TikTok once said that you should never buy vacation clothing before the vacation, only once there. I couldn’t agree more - you probably already have enough swimsuits for a few days in Minorca, if you need another, why not buy it there?

As part of this plan to expand, I typically travel with a collapsable duffel bag lodged in my suitcase. This is optional.

Step 4: Actually Pack

Toiletries and chargers on you, extra socks / underwear, bags, jewelry in your carry on, the rest I’ll leave to you. People who hate packing just don’t know how to prepare for it!

Step 5: Go to Europe

It makes for a fun adventure to look for the items you determined as a need while packing - instead of shopping as an aimless activity, I find a goal makes it even more fun!

Step 6: Post Mortem

Now that you’re back home, tanned to perfection, exhausted from the flight, but hopefully refreshed spiritually - what’s next? If you’re anything like me, getting whiplash and preparing for your next trip in a few days / weeks / months. What worked? What did you wear a ton of, that maybe you could have packed more of (see: white tee shirt or tank)? What did you get one photo in, but generally feel hollow looking at every time you had to push it aside in your suitcase in favor or something more practical? Which part of travel were challenging? How can you make that easier for yourself? Don’t wait until two days before your next trip to ask yourselves these questions - if we do it when we’re fresh, we can make like the humans we’re meant to be and improve for the sole purpose of making our lives better and easier!

The moment we’ve all been waiting for - what are my must-have items for summer?

Dramatic earrings

These Lili Claspe earrings are my go-to this summer

Platform sneakers

I have these Supergas in white, and now I have them in cream. They can take you through concerts, mild hikes, and city walks, all while elongating your legs in wide leg pants and working effortlessly with shorts or skirts.

Upscale bucket bag

Yes, I am referring to a Hermes Picotin as a bucket bag. I love mine - perfect grey / brown color and works with almost any outfit. Also can carry a full water bottle and handheld camera!

Flowy pants

If you’re looking for a flowier alternative to the silk pant, these Andrea Iyamah pants are what I will be reaching for in Minorca.

Structured white crop

My incredible friends at Sullivan Clothing created the worlds most perfect cropped structured top made out of the same ripstop fabric as their skort. I will be dressing it up with a tailored Tibi skirt for dinner in Copenhagen, and down with silk pants and sneakers in Barcelona. Try this Nomi Fame crop if you want the same look.

Hair jewelry

I love my Lelet hairband for a much more refined take on a ponytail or bun. Perfect for if you don’t have a Dyson Airwrap that has dual voltage. I will probably buy more of these.

Solid gold jewelry

I love the shape of these Brochu Walker earrings, it’s important to wear solid gold (or silver) if you’re anywhere near a body of water this summer (god willing you are!). Dainty, unique, and perfect when you need just a touch of low-maintenence sparkle.

That’s all for now, see you all in Europe xoxoxo