If you’re following me on Instagram you’re probably aware that our family just returned home from a trip to Austin, TX to visit family. I thought it would be fun to give you a peek into what I packed in my little carry-on for a whole week away, so here goes!
(By the way, if you want to see photos of these pieces you can check out my fall capsule wardrobe post here.)
Taking a page out of Caroline Rector’s book, I started by making a note of the daily temps and any special events planned so I could narrow in on the items in my wardrobe that would be appropriate. It seemed like the highs would be in the low-mid 80s and the lows in the high 60s. I knew that we would try and get in a simple date night and that one night we would be seeing Justin Timberlake in concert, but other than that I planned on doing a lot of hanging out. I also knew that I would want something comfortable with pockets and a light layer for days we would be flying. Next I decided on a color palate so that everything would go together. I decided on black, cognac, rust, and off-white. First, I picked out the wardrobe essentials… like my wide leg cropped jeans, new overalls, and kinnd tee. Then I filled in the blanks with items that would go. I ended up with 10 articles of clothing and 3 pairs of shoes. Here’s the breakdown-
Tops
- Kinnd tee
- Black knot tee
- Black striped mock-neck tank
Bottoms
- Black midi skirt
- Cropped wide leg jeans
- Black shorts (stolen from summer capsule)
One-piece outfits
- Rust linen overalls
- Oatmeal linen dress
Layering pieces
- Black linen jacket
- Long cream cardigan
Shoes
- Camel t-strap clogs
- Cognac booties
- Scalloped low heel clogs
Ideally in this situation, you should be able to pick any top and any bottom and any layer at random and they will work. It makes things easy and that way you have a wealth of different combinations, so even if you’re bringing a small number of pieces. Just by putting each top with each bottom (and the overalls) I already had 12 outfits. Throw in the dress for good measure and I’m up to 14 (since the black knot tee also works over the dress). That’s more than I would need for 8 days away, but it’s nice to have options!
I also brought a few accessories with me to help change things up. Accessories are nice because they add oomph, but they take up almost zero space in your suitcase. For this trip I brought a paisley scarf that’s black, off-white, and rose (I’m really loving rose or maybe plus rust these days), a mustard polka dot scarf, and my new rose colored sun printed bandana from Specific Pigeon.
I did learn a few things this trip. For one, I almost didn’t bring the black shorts or cream cardigan, but both of those pieces were utilized several times, so sometimes you should listen to the little voice in your head! The more surprising thing was that I didn’t end up wearing the black skirt at all. It just never seemed that appropriate somehow. Note to self.
Let me know in the comments if you’re interested in exactly what I wore each day. I could always add that information, but I didn’t want to bore you with too many details!
As always, thanks for following along and be sure to say hello in the comments!
Thistle + Fig 