I may have overpacked

When we travel by car, all of the space available makes me a bit frivolous.

Four pairs of boots is not too many for a week, right?

I definitely need my Sorel boots for the snow.

And the Hunter wellies are a must too... it will be slushy or rainy, right?

And the Betsey Johnson black boots are a basic.  So they need to come along, of course.

And the Frye Melissa boots are just too pretty to leave home.  Maybe I'll only wear them in the house.


Other than that....


I only brought 2 other pairs of shoes.



So totally not overpacking.  Right?  Right????

I'm a Danger

These are my spiked Freddy oxfords.  I love them.  They made a splash last Fashion Week as I wore oxfords all over town, much more than heels.

What was funny was the husband said that I probably shouldn't wear them on the plane, just in case. I pooh-poohed that and wore them any ways. Yes, I did get a side-eye from the screener but come on, they aren't very sharp or anything.  So silly!

But I guess not. Nice Kicks just shared a story about how ti$a's Rollerboy spiked loafers were almost confiscated by TSA!

What the heck??? I could do more damange with the heel of some of my shoes than with these.

Come on people.  Between taking a friend's 2 year-old's apple juice to threatening fabulous footwear, it's getting a bit ridiculous, don't you think?

In My Head

I'm what you might call a long-range planner. While I try to be flexible, I like the planning process and can tend to get a bit obsessed too. I'll plan out everything from where I want to live five years from now to a trip next year.

And that is where my head is at right now.

We're considering a trip to Turkey next year, so I am already planning my wardrobe. I need to pack light, will be doing lots of walking, possibly over uneven terrain and it will still be winter when we are thinking of going. So I'll need to pack for variable weather, nothing too precious and it has to be comfortable.

Of course I'm starting with the shoes.

I've decided I need to find the perfect lace-up desert/city appropriate boots. I don't want to go too expensive, ideally faux leather and durable. I want them to be stylish and a bit retro - not lug soles. Sort of like a vintage paddock boot.

I've started looking at a few options...

I like the Steven "Alec" boot. Pretty simple and classic. I like the piecing on this.

The Steve Madden "Harllem" isn't bad either. A nice mid-tone brown. Although I'm not fan of Steven Madden.

The Steven "Axee" looks like the "Alec's" twin, but is a bit more brown.

I was hoping for a faux leather boot and each of those are kind of pricey for what I want to spend. These Dolce Vita boots for Target are more in line with what I'm thinking. A bit less detailed and the laces are skinnier but for $35-ish they aren't bad. At the time of writing, these were not online yet. I'm going to look for them in stores.

But as I was researching, I found these from Charlotte Russe, a store or online shop I rarely frequent. They have a nice look and piecework. Good laces and I like the dark brown. They are also the least expensive of the bunch at $20 on sale.

I have a while until my trip so I may still look around. I also need to plan the rest of what I need to pack. Miss Jennifer created a great Polyvore set that got me thinking.

I need some more inspiration! What would you pack on a trip to Turkey?

Packing Personas

I'm out here at BlogWorld in Las Vegas this week. It's been kind of a crazy last few weeks between Fashion Week, then some work projects, the hubby traveling too and getting a new pup. Traveling again for the BlogWorld New Media Expo kind of crept up on me and I left my packing planning to the last minute.

As I was making up a list (because I always have to make a packing list), I realized I was packing for a persona.

When you get up for the day or plan outfits for a trip what are all of the things you take into account as you go. For me, it's a whole variety of elements from the weather, to something in particular I want to wear, if I'm walking a far distance or not and even the environment I will be in. Of course you want to have a level of appropriateness that you take into account so you can feel comfortable physically and emotionally happy and confident.

But do you ever feel you are dressing for a particular "side" of your personality too?

My wardrobe barriers are not very static. I feel pretty comfortable wearing most of my clothes to the office, depending on what day it is. I do tend to buy or plan outfits with different perfect scenarios in mind but I usually like my clothes and accessories so much I don't want to tuck them away to wait for some "perfect" situation. If I did that I wouldn't be able to wear most of my stuff!

But I do notice that I think of some outfits as projecting more of certain elements of my personality. For example, this would be a pretty typical work outfit -





A comfortable fun dress that's not to revealing with cute quirky element like the Pretty Good Things deer headband. This still reflects my personality but not too shocking, in case I get called to a new business meeting.

For Fashion Week, I packed with quite a bit of planning and care. I wanted variety and layering and fun prints and a few signature stand-out items. I wanted to look good when meeting some of the other stylish ladies that I know from online but still be able to walk around all day to the tents. There were pieces that could be mixed and matched to extend what I packed but what I brought were pretty much planned out looks.

As I packed for Vegas, a whole different set of outfits came into play. Not only was this going to be 3 days of attending conferences and speakers but there would probably be a great deal of walking with a few after hours networking-type events. It was also in a city where people dress a lot more "comfortably", especially the majority of the folks attending the expo.

I was more what I would jokingly call "hipster". By this I mean more denim, graphic tees, lots almost exclusively black pieces... oh yeah, and sequin Converse.





I did bring my sequin F21 jacket and Skovgaard heels to have an edgier outfit for night but during the day I'm wearing black ballet flats. And my best accessories? My iPhone, chargers and Vivienne Tam HP mini (which is the BEST THING EVER for traveling).

I actually find I need to be careful when planning for packing this way. I tend to get a bit unrealistic at times because I imaging all sorts of events and situations that I would need to dress for, then I WAY over pack because I end up not doing about 75% of what I imagine could happen. Hey, I could need to have a dress for tea with royalty when I go to London next time, right???

Do you dress and pack practically or is all about who you want to be that day?

Is it wrong...

Image from Jibby! via Flickr

That I have something like 13+ outfits planned out for a 5 night trip???

Just curious....

Playing at Packing

So rather than being actually productive doing work... or even catching up on my reading (or sleeping which is what I really need to do), I rather plan my outfits for my trip to New York. The fact that said trip is over 2 months away and I have no idea what I will be doing yet is neither here nor there.

When I pack I usually make a list and build outfits around it to narrow it down. Maybe I'll just start doing that through Polyvore rather than standing in front of my closets and armoire with a notepad.

Outfit 1 - Cupcake in the Park Party


NYC Outfit Option 1 - by Princess Poochie on Polyvore.com

I want to be able to walk around but be cute and colorful too. Sassy skirt with Victorian-inspired ruffles combined with Steampunky Ann D. boots and a cute Stella Neptune tee.

Outfit 2 - Trolling the Shops and Museum



NYC Outfit Option 2 - by Princess Poochie on Polyvore.com

Will mid-May be warm? I'm not sure but I want to have some thing that is at least comfortable for hitting some of the nice shops and maybe a museum. I love my denim skirt and JCrew tee with the sequin placket. I have these in like 5 colors. Yes, the boots are totally impractical... what of it?

Outfit 3 - Time for Tea


NYC Outfit Option 3 - by Princess Poochie on Polyvore.com

I've gone to an afternoon tea in almost every place I've travelled. Why haven't I had the opportunity to go in New York. I'm hoping to meet up with some of my fellow bloggers too! Anyone up for tea???

Outfit 4 - St. Germains at the Boathouse


NYC Outfit Option 4 - by Princess Poochie on Polyvore.com

You can tell I'm starting to get into trouble now... I'm obviously going to have to narrow down my accessory options before I pack! Since I've been wearing nothing but grey for days, I'm really craving color. Pink! Green! Lavender! Fresh whites with Chinese paper fans and vintage wicker basket purses. Sipping Kirs and St. Germains at the boathouse on a cool spring afternoon.

Outfit 5 - Dinner and Drinks


NYC Outfit Option 5 - by Princess Poochie on Polyvore.com

Still lingering elements of my purple craving... but with a bit of shine and silver. I don't think I'd be totally this matchy-matchy, but I'd love to bring my feather cape and wear it with the silver mini skirt and dark purple accents. Dreamy!

Outfit 6 - Brunch



NYC Outfit Option 6 - by Princess Poochie on Polyvore.com

Yes, I may be craving warm weather... a Swiss dotted dress, fantastic heels, a feathery cape and headband along with a "P" for Poochie. A monochromatic dream to wear with a backdrop of saturated colors. I promise to pick only one of these pairs of shoes to wear with it. No shoe wardrobe changes!

Outfit 7 - Take Me Dancing


NYC Outfit Option 7 - by Princess Poochie on Polyvore.com

If I get to meet up with some of my fabulous fellow bloggers, I'm going to need to get a little shiny and sparkly. Sequins or shiny leggings? Tall platform peep-toes or strappy sandals? Not sure yet but I know I want a pile of bracelets to catch the light!

Outfit 8 - All over Town


NYC Outfit Option 8 - by Princess Poochie on Polyvore.com

Okay, I guess I'm not done with grey quite yet. And really I just want it as a sort of neutral backdrop so I can wear the white and green driving gloves I got last year in New York. Something comfy and denim on the bottom, flat shoes for walking (finally something practical looking! But more likely driving mocs than the topsiders) and my grey Kapow Wow neck ruffle for a fun element.

Sadly, this is just a start. I still want to plan more, more, MORE! OMG!

I know there an element of fantasy life here. The fantasy being that I can fit anywhere near all of this into a pilot case.

Dear lord, save me from myself.

Packing! Packing! Packing, Packing Packing!

We're going on a road trip and we don't know what's in store...
We're packing up all our stuff and we're heading out the door!


Photo credit: thenorwegianmafia - Flickr

We're going on a weekend trip to Asheville, NC. It should be perfect leaf-peeping time! I hope there is lots of Fall color and that it doesn't rain and that it is cool there compared to the muggy warmth we've been having. I may actually get to wear my sweaters finally! Now I just have to find them.

We're going to have a relaxing weekend visiting Biltmore, walking around downtown and checking out some of the restaurants, pubs and stores.


Photo credit: Biltmore Estate

The biggest challenge is getting everything packed. I'm actually a great, and light, packer... if I'm going on a plane. I actually went on a week business trip, in NYC, with just a small pilot case. The problem comes when we are driving because I feel I have to take advantage of all of the space to bring along any and everything I could possibly need or want.

Of course we need the GPS. Mainly because the husband has no sense of direction and I fall asleep the minute we get in the car. Truly a dangerous combination. Without this, we could be in Maine before I wake up.



And since we're in the car, we have room to bring our own pillows so we can sleep comfy. I don't care where you go, you are never going to find a pillow as perfect as your one at home.

I don't think the B&B will be too offended or anything.



Now luggage.

I'm a sucker for luggage. We are two people and we don't take that many trips each year. Yet, no lie, I have one giant suitcase, one Samsonite suitcase, 3 pilot cases (that can be checked), a vintage round 60's Samsonite case, 2 smaller retro-looking cases, and 3 duffel bags (one blue, one Target Mizrahi, and one Target Libertine). I also have this Dooney pilot case which absolutely can not be checked (I have the pink heart version, actually) and...



I also have this Mizrahi pilot case, which I love, even though it is kind of a weird shape. Sadly, about 50% of my luggage is pink and therefore the husband will not touch it. And it's so pretty I can't trust checking it on a plane, so I only get to use it on car trips.

Seriously, I have a problem. I know.



Must. Have. iPod.

I resisted for a long time. Now I'm obsessed. This is also part of what a crummy driving companion I am. I'll put on my headphones and fall asleep, leaving the hubby to drive. But it has movies on it too. And, since I can't read in the car without getting sick, this is my only entertainment besides sleep.



Another travel must, my kimono robe from Epcot. It goes to the floor but folds up very very thin. Perfect for hotel/B&B modesty.



Now the hard part, what clothes and shoes!!! Ugh!!! I can't decide and that is where I am going to get in to trouble. I'll bring twice as much as I will wear, which means we have to carry a bunch of stuff into and out of the car and into the B&B. And it will probably be raining. So that sucks.

What I'm thinking, though, is some variation on this:



Packing List - in progress:

• Toiletries - shampoo, conditioner, make-up, face soap, mousse, Proactive, face and body lotion, cotton balls, anti-perspirant, vitamins
• Robe, night shirt and pants, socks to wear instead of slippers, undergarments
• Comb and brush, toothbrush and toothpaste, hair band
• Laptop, phone and Blackberry chargers, cords
• Umbrella and Rain boots
• Pashmina (faux)
• Fun socks and tights
• Jeans
• Jeans jacket
• Magazines and book
• Feather fascinators and gloves
• Hat and sunglasses
• Grey shirt dress and vintage green heels
• Red Converse
• Tweed flats
• Grey Kimono Sweater
• Grey Owl v-neck from Etsy
• Sweater dress
• Pink satin JCrew heels
• Red v-neck from the Gap
• Argyle sweater from Target

Wait, how long are we going for again? Does this seem like I'm packing too much?

But there's still room in the car!!!!