What to Wear for a Trip to Europe
So your big trip is coming up. Hotels are booked, dinner reservations are made and now its time to pack, but you are struggling with what to wear. I have helped clients build outfits for various different trips from a weekend get away to a three week trip in Europe. If this is something you are interested in send in a contact form and let’s chat! In the mean time see how I packed for my two week trip and maximized my outfits interchanging different items to build new looks!
The ultimate key to planning and packing outfits is choosing items that you can mix and match. The easiest way to do this is choose different bottoms and mix and match your tops. I brought a few solid trousers that I could wear with different tops to change it up and keep things fresh! I generally keep my day time sight seeing outfits to one use only and then have interchangeable options for evening and dinner. Another tip to make things easy is packing a few day time dresses. This kept my outfit simple and a no brainer- only one piece to plan for! Another common misconception is you need a completely new outfit for each day or activity. An easy way to maximize your wardrobe is wear a dress for sightseeing and then the next day I wore it to a beach club over my swimsuit.
A few key tips to keep in mind and make things simple:
Choose trousers you can interchange with different tops especially for dinner (you may not want to rewear things you were in sightseeing in all day but if you are only wearing bottoms for a few hours to dinner at night you can definitely wear them again)
Pack one piece outfits (dresses, jumpsuits, etc)
Layer your items Especially for cooler weather or if you plan to go into a church or religious sight where you need to cover up
If you are traveling in summer choose items light and airy. A linen or light pant always looks more elevated and put together than a pair of jean shorts and can still keep you just as cool.
Space saving tip- Keep your shoes and bags minimal and neutral. This way you can pair them with different outfits.
Keep reading to see how I styled my different outfits using these tips along with links to some items!
My first item I am featuring are my split hem white trousers that I wore on more than one occasion! I paired them with a polished mint green blazer for tea in London and then also wore them to dinner on the Amalfi Coast. I changed out my shoes and bag to make the outfit a completely different look. I also wore the white silk button down at the beach club the next day after wearing it to dinner and I knew I wouldn’t wear it again. This is a perfect way to maximize your outfits. The original pants are from Nasty Gal, but are sold out in white. Revolve has a similar style here.
Simple black trousers! These black bottoms are so versatile and interchangeable. they are made of a light material that can be easily dressed up or down. This outfit was one of my favorites since it was so comfortable. I changed out my bag for the occasion. The first time I wore these in London I wore my vintage white beaded bag pictured in my outfit above and then I kept it more casual with my black belt bag worn across my chest. I love a simple black bodysuit so I packed a few of these so I could wear them on several different occasions. If something works for you it’s always a good idea to have more than one of the items. I also wore these same pants on a night out with a black cropped loose tank! This item is so versatile.
Light pants! These are a key to staying cool in the summer heat while still looking put together. I loved the light green set from H&M while sightseeing. I brought a light black button down with me to layer over for when we went in cathedrals. I changed out my shoes and lost the jacket when we were doing less walking in the afternoon. The pants and top are sold out online but there are tons of great similar options. The fun pattern print pants are from Anthropologie and I love these pants because they are so comfortable and can easily be transitioned into the fall weather. They offer this style in so many different colors and patterns linked here.
This white linen jumpsuit was perfect for the summer heat in Tuscany. This can easily be transitioned into the cooler weather by layering a jean jacket over top. This was such an easy piece to wear and went perfectly from a day in wine country to dinner in the evening in Florence. This fit and shape would work for all different body types and heights! I love this affordable option from Amazon and was really impressed with the quality.
This easy and light wrap dress is something I picked up in Rome on my travels. I love the lightweight feeling and look for this dress and neutral color. Wrap dresses are an item that looks flattering on any one. This is one thing I got more than one wear out of as I wore it to a beach club after over my swimsuit. You could easily dress this up with a pair of wedges for dinner if you wanted to make the look even more dressy!
TYING IT ALL TOGETHER
Shoes! When sightseeing and plannng to walk for hours it is key to have a pair of shoes that look great and feel great. I love a simple white sneaker that not only can be worn on your trip but is great for every day. I linked a few options. To check them out simply click on the picture
Accessories are a way to pull everything together. I used my lululmon belt bag for general sightseeing and then switched it out for dinner. The white bag I wore for dinner was vintage from a local shop in Oceanside and the I also brought a bag I picked up on my travels elsewhere. I kept my accessories simple and it helped with maximizing space. I brought classic gold jewelry that I could mix and match for almost any outfit.