Top 10 Travel Essentials :: Summer Weekend Edition

[trip style = weekend getaway + sun]

This post is written by Trip Styler's Assistant Wayfarer/Editor Heather.

If Buzzfeed, David Letterman and magazine culture have taught us anything, it's that we love lists. 21 Animal Photos That Will Make You Go Awwwww? Click! 52 Places to Go in 2014? Click! Summer Packing Essentials? Click! {*See our mention in Buzzfeed here!}

With summer unofficially underway after the recent long weekends and officially underway in 22 days, my mind has turned to weekend getaways. And, by extension, what to wear on said getaways. I may be a classic morning-of packer, but I dream about what to pack weeks ahead.

With all this in mind, I present my summer packing list, filled with on-trend, internationally inspired, versatile items that "double in the program". Between Chief Trip Stylist Trish and myself, every one of these essentials is either in our closets or on our summer wishlists {I'm looking at you, handmade Mexican sandals!}.

Top 10 Travel Essentials :: Summer Weekend Edition
 #1 - Mexican-inspired top {note the bathing suit tuck-in}
 #2 - Summer-weight scarf
 #3 - Sensational swimsuit
 #4 - Easy-breezy beach-to-night dress
 #5 - Japanese-inspired Kimono
 #6 - Denim shirt
 #7 - Tank top
 #8 - Mexican-inspired sandals
 #9 - Jean shorts
 #10 - Cropped sweater

Clockwise from top left: 1/ JM Dry Goods embroidered blouse, 2/ Heather Taylor Home scarf, 3/ Marc by Marc Jacobs bikini top & high waisted bottom, 4/ Black Crane long strap dress, 5/ Nicole Bridger kimono featuring artist Zoe Pawlak print, 6/ Gap denim shirt, 7/ NSF scout tank, 8/ Beatrice Valenzuela sandals, 9/ Madewell denim cutoffs, 10/ Topshop fisherman crop sweater

***Guys: Your summer weekend essentials should include a pair of 3/4-length shorts {7-9" inseam}, a white v- or crew-neck tee, a classic short- or long-sleeve oxford shirt and a pair of lace-up Vans.

Related
Jetset Style :: Summer Swimwear Trends
Jetset Style :: Kimonos
Fashion Friday :: The Summer Staple
Fashion Friday :: Scarf Tying 101
Homeward Bound :: Weekender Bags
West Coast Escapes

[photo collage by @heatherlovesit]

Fash-Packing :: Summer Edition

[trip style = any]

Choosing clothes for summer travel means packing for hot days and campfire nights. I recently posted the above photo to Instagram of what I packed for a trip to Mexican wine country, and to my surprise, it spurred enough discussion to fill an LV travel trunk---and I thought pool and beach pictures were the Holy Grail. At that moment it occurred to me that packing is like playing a sport or an instrument, there's ALWAYS room for improvement, which is why many trip stylers are on round-the-world quests to edit and elevate their packing.

Trip Styler Tip :: Take a photo of your packing process. Documenting your belongings is a good way to keep a tally in case of loss, as well as recall what outfits worked well, so you can do a packing reprise next time you take a similar trip style.

For my duo trip to San Diego and Mexico { _______ --> insert your sunny destination here}, I brought a few basics and augmented them with mega scarves and light---highly packable---sweaters to keep warm at night. Here's a snapshot: 1/ Dress-it-up-or-down top. 2/ Blue jeans {for travel days or cool evenings}. 3/ Hat, a sun protection MUST. 4/ Long, silk top, wearable as a pool cover-up, a dress, or half-tucked with jeans or cutoffs. 5/ Jean shorts {a summer staple + tips on how to wear them}. 6/ Casual, wear-anywhere dress. 7/ Shoes, er, the kicker. Because they take up the most space, wear your biggest pair on the plane, and pack as few pairs as possible. Coordinating your shoes with your clothes eliminates the need for 10 soles in your sack. 8/ Sizable scarf to wear on the plane, in air conditioned restaurants and at night. 9/ A long, one-tone dress with a simple silhouette for accessorizing {or not}. Could be worn as day-casual, or night-sleek. 10/ Loose, crewneck sweater, wearable with almost everything. 11/ Bathing suit cover-up that doubles as a breakfast outfit. 12/ Tank tops. This is the ONE thing I suggest over-packing. They are small, take up less space than underwear, and go with almost any garment. 13/ Bathing suit. 14/ Day-to-night shorts. Wear with a casual t-shirt by day and flowy tank at night.

Trip Styler Tip :: Notice my flip-flops are wrapped in a shower cap. Do this with all your shoes to keep your clothes clean.

Gents, in case you're interested, here's my MASTER-packer husband's duds for the same trip:

More Fash-Packing Spring into Denim The Winter-to-Spring T-Shirt 5 Rules for Polished Packing Travel Staple :: The White Shirt NOT Packing For An Overnight-cation ***Want more travel style? See our regular Fashion Friday column.***

[photo by @tripstyler]

Fash-Packing :: Spring Into Denim

[trip style = any]

Having just returned from country western grand central, I'm a little cowboy and cowgirl curious. Looking back on the western emporiums I moseyed on into as I clippity-clopped between Tennessee and Texas, I'm kicking myself in the bee-hind for not buying a pair of cowboy boots to go with dresses and denim cutoffs this summer. I guess I'll just have to go back!

Speaking of denim, fashion's true blue is on my mind {and in my suitcase} more than ever, so when I saw these jean inspiration boards by Piperlime, I had to share them as spring and summer packing inspiration for y'all.

Denim never goes out of style. I got a pair of the most perfect Levi's on the planet---high-waisted and fitted with a slight stretch---in NYC a few years ago, which I'll likely take with me to the grave. Back to the present day, jeans or cutoffs {and usually a denim shirt too} make it into my suitcase on e-v-e-r-y trip style. What about you?

Trip Styler Tip :: Deconstructed denim is a spring and summer packing must.

More Fash-Packing The Winter-to-Spring T-Shirt 5 Rules for Polished Packing Travel Staple :: The White Shirt NOT Packing For An Overnight-cation Men's Travel Style :: Summer To Fall Packing Inspiration ***Want more travel style? See our regular Fashion Friday column.***

[photos via piperlime]

Fash-Packing :: The Sarong

[trip style = beach]

Trip Styler Beach Tip :: Don't forget to pack a sarong!

Sarongs; the beach vacation staple that comes in and out of fashion, most recently peaking in the '90s {<---David Beckam in a sarong} and early '00s. At the time, I had about 10. After years of closet cleanouts, two remain.

Long forgotten in the shadow of resort wear cover-ups, the sarong sailed away to fashion oblivion while every designer {and their dog} came out with vacation collections, spotlighting the cover-up as the star attraction.

However, I was just gifted with a wrap at the Lava Lava Beach Club  {all guests get their own personal sarongs to keep} during my recent trip to Hawaii, and I reconnected with the sarong side of life! Sure, I brought a pirate's bounty of fancy cover-ups---the kind that are so nice I'd only wear them BEFORE {not after} slathering my skin with sunscreen---however, Hawaii's beach-is-life culture called for a more casual get-up: flip flops, a bathing suit and a sarong (worn in a gazillion configurations, of course; see below). From sunrise to starlight, it was all I needed.

The sarong is to beach life what the pashmina is to travel: a must. Best part of all is it's easily washable and dries in less than 30 mins.

In case you're out of sarong practice---I know I was---they can be used as a: - dress or skirt - bathing suit cover-up - makeshift beach towel - scarf if the wind picks up

Find more Fash-Packing tips here, or check out our regular Fashion Friday column here.

[photos, in order of appearance, via: style passport, @tripstyler and style passport]

Fash-Packing :: THE Winter-to-Spring T-Shirt

[trip style = any]

"The right tee can make every outfit cooler and every trend more manageable." - Emily Current & Meritt Elliott // via the perfect t-shirt tutorial on WhoWhatWear

I have a t-shirt crush. Why is this topic Trip Styler-y? Because this tee has somehow transcended my trip styles making it into my suitcase on every trip {read: 6} I've taken since January 1st. For this tried and tested reason, I thought you might be interested in the versatile tee. Sporting an on-trend tulip silhouette, the design, flowy jersey and loose fit take it from plane to pool, and hotel room to restaurant.

One Shirt 10 Ways Because I'm all for packing pieces with punch (read: that double or triple my travel wardrobe), here's a few of the ways I've been wearing it: - with skinny jeans, ripped jeans, patterned jeans or waxy jeans - with a fitted leather skirt, or short flowy skirt - tucked in, or half-tucked in the front (left out at the back) - under a demi-blazer or a motorcycle-style leather jacket - as a pool cover-up For examples of all these styles, visit Trip Styler's travel style board on Pinterest or see Travel Staple: The White Shirt.

Find It The Wilfred Capucine T-Shirt is available at Aritzia for $50.

PS - If you're really into double duty travel wear, check out these reversible camo/green jeans I just got from Target.

Want more travel style? See our regular Fashion Friday column.

[graphic by @tripstyler, shirt shots via aritzia]