Dress for Less: Packing Light for Summer Holiday
Packing for summer holiday is always a bit of a fashion dilemma: on one hand you want to look stylish and have choices, on another – you don’t want to lag too much clothes and pay extra luggage charges, especially if you travel on budget airlines and only carry a hand luggage.
For my recent week-long summer holiday in Greece (you can read about it here) I put together a following packing list that actually worked quite well for me. Mixing and matching items in similar color schemes gave me plenty of choices for both casual/day and dressy/going out outfits. For example, white jeans can be easily paired with casual cotton shirts and dressy tops, while flower pattern shorts could be worn with different tops and t-shirts in a variety of colors.
My packing list
- 1 pair of skinny jeans (white)
- 1 pair of cotton pants
- 3 summer dresses
- 1 cotton shirt
- 4-5 casual and dressy tops/t-shirts
- 1 pair of summer shorts
- 1 light waterfall cardigan
- 2 pairs of sandals (+ flip flops)
- 2 summer hats
- 3 pairs of sunglasses
- Accessories: different jewelery pieces and gold watch
So here are some of the examples of the looks I put together for a typical summer holiday.
Outfit 1: tropical print pants with a cotton t-shirt and gladiator sandals
T-shirt: River Island; pants: H&M; hat: H&M; gladiator sandals: Ugg; sunglasses: New Look; necklace: Zara (old).
This look is super comfortable and relaxed yet stylish and polished. You can add funky jewelry and mirrored sunglasses to make it more colorful.
Outfit 2: Stripey dress with gladiator sandals and summer hat
Dress: H&M (old), similar here; gladiator sandals: Ugg; hat: (old); sunglasses: Rayban; necklace: Zara (old); bag: Fossil.
This stripe dress is perfect for summer vacation and can be paired up with pretty much every color.
Outfit 3: Pinstripe cotton shirt with white skinny jeans and gold gladiators
Jeans: River Island; shirt: H&M (old), similar here; sandals: Zara; hat: H&M; sunglasses: Trip (sold out), similar here.
Love, love this outfit. It was so comfortable, chic and appropriate for seaside vacation! Plus, the golden Zara gladiator sandals added a bit of sparkle to it.
Outfit 4: Royal blue off the shoulder dress with gladiator sandals
Dress: Topshop; sandals: Zara; hat: H&M; earrings: Ottoman Hands (old), similar here.
One of the biggest trends of this summer is off the shoulder (bardot) dress. I got this one from Topshop and love it. Dresses take little space, are particularly easy to style and make a whole outfit. Pair them with beach hat and sunnies during the day or glam them up with evening earrings for going out.
Outfit 5: Flower pattern shorts with blue top, summer hat and gladiator sandals
Shorts: Primark, similar here; top: old, similar here hat: H&M; sunglasses: Trip (sold out), similar here; gladiator sandals: Ugg; bag: Fossil.
This was my easy/no fuss beach outfit. Since I knew I would spend most of the day in the car driving or sunbathing on the beach, I wore these flower print shorts with a casual top and summer hat.
Outfit 6: Coral red top with skinny jeans and gold gladiator sandals
Top: Next (old), similar here; jeans: River Island; sunglasses: New Look; watch: Anne Klien (old), similar here; earrings: (old).
I had this top for ages and love wearing it on summer holidays with a pair of skinnies. I added a gold watch and lovely earrings with coral pieces to make the whole look more dressy.
Outfit 7: Skinny jeans with beaded strappy top and waterfall cardigan
Beaded top: H&M; jeans:River Island; sandals: Ugg; waterfall cardigan: (old), similar here.
This is one of the examples of the going out outfits I wore during the trip. Pairing up casual items with a dressy top and few accessories makes this outfit look effortless.
Other combinations
I hope you found these suggestions useful. Packing light can be a bit of a skill but with some practice, it’s easy to master. Stay stylish and enjoy your summer holidays! xx
