european vacation: part one (what to pack)

This week I’m excited to bring you the first in a three part series of travel posts. The idea was inspired by working with a new client who was so kind to help by posing as my model this week…and muse! Some of you may know Kara Delvecchio Youree already, as she is a mother of three and lives here in Alexandria.

“After 15 years in a grueling full time job, I now work part-time as a sales and strategy consultant for WeddingWire in Chevy Chase. I’m taking some time to take care of myself and spend time with my three children. I finally have the freedom (and a great occasion for celebration with my 40th birthday coming up) to take a trip to Europe. I couldn’t be more excited to spend time in Paris, Florence and Tuscany!”

A mutual good friend suggested she give me a call when her pending trip to Europe was starting to stress her out. Packing for a trip can be overwhelming when you are not a seasoned traveler. Kara is heading out on a two week trip with her husband to Paris, Venice, and Tuscany! This will be her first time to any of these locations and I have been hired to help her coordinate the outfits she will need to cover a number of activities on this exciting experience. I’ve always believed that one of the best parts of a trip is the anticipation of what you are about to experience and to share that part with a client is a lot of fun. In this first post, we are going to go over outfits I created using items from our Stylebook stores.

Helping a client pack for trips is one of my favorite assignments because it’s contained to a suitcase (perhaps two, maybe more…) and a timeframe. I have a methodology that begins with the shoes you will be taking. Shoes are vital and necessary on trips, but they can take up a lot of room, and weight in your luggage. Pairing shoes to activities is a great way to start packing. Kara’s trip will include sightseeing, dinners out, winery tours, and some R&R, so we selected the following shoes (all currently available at The Shoe Hive):

Each of these were chosen for comfort and extended value to a travel wardrobe. I’ve covered classic black, a pop of color, texture, and warmth should it get chilly.

I feel five pairs of shoes can cover a lot of ground. A couple of flats or wedges for walking, a heel for dinner out (it’s Paris after all!) a slip on sneaker and a closed toe shoe in case it is chilly have the ability to provide you comfort and style on a two week trip. What you should remember is that when you’re home with your own closet, options are as limitless as desire. However, when traveling, it’s good to give yourself parameters to work within.

Creating a core color palette to work within will prove to be a great way to edit down the choices you have in front of you and keep you from feeling overwhelmed. You may have a fabulous dress that you want to wear and you usually would wear it with a specific pair of shoes, but if you are not going to use those shoes for any other outfit on your trip, this may not be the best decision. Indeed, sometimes it may seem like Sophie’s Choice as to what will make it into your suitcase, options like a great nude or black heel will always provide multiple uses. I advised Kara to build her base wardrobe in black and white. Conveniently, it’s a strong trend right now as we’ve been showing you all spring.

Here are a few of the outfits I put together using items from Kiskadee, Coco Blanca, and The Shoe Hive.

Vineyards in Tuscany – weather may be a bit warmer but here is an easy yet chic way to explore the wine country of Tuscany! These items will work with your black and white basics as well.
– Top and pants from Kiskadee
– Shoes, sunglasses,hat, and earrings from The Shoe Hive
– Horn Necklace from Kiskadee

A casual yet chic evening in Paris…dinner followed by a stroll perhaps?!
– Leather jacket and skirt from Coco Blanca
– Earrings and multi-chain necklace (a stylist favorite!!) from The Shoe Hive
– Tank from Kiskadee (I suggest bringing a white, cream, black and possibly a gray as well)
– Shoes are a classic black patent pump – Kara’s own.

Here is another easy casual look for Venice or Paris.
– The shoes are the Sam Edelman which Kara already owns and knows she can wear them all day long without feeling any discomfort.
– The jacket with a cinched waist and exaggerated collar is new to The Shoe Hive – it’s the perfect adjunct to all white, a sheath dress, or a little striped tank and denim. I highly recommend trying this little item!
– The bag and necklace are from Coco Blanca. I love the delicate tassel with a simple diamond stud earring.
– These are the same sunglasses and hat from The Shoe Hive from an earlier look.
Cooper, Kara’s son, took on the photo bomb role! He also became my assistant for the afternoon and was more than happy to try on a few of the accessories!

Often when you are traveling, you may decide to keep wandering from an afternoon into an evening without going back to your lodging to change. In this case, a deep tote like the one here from Kiskadee, can hold an extra pair of shoes and a scarf for a quick wardrobe change before dinner.
Stating with a little black dress like the one here from Coco Blanca is a sure fire way to get from lunch to dinner.
For the day look…
– Earrings and Suede tote from Kiskadee
– Sunglasses, choker and shoes from The Shoe Hive
– Sweater and dress from Coco Blanca

The evening look…
Add a striped scarf like the one here from Coco Blanca and an easy clutch in turquoise (Kiskadee) to match your earrings
Kara was wearing the ankle strap wedges from Sam Edelman for this look.
We added a cocktail ring (Kiskadee) here too that picks up the turquoise.
And although Cooper would make a wonderful dinner partner, I assure you her date for the evening is strikingly handsome. Hopefully we’ll get at least one cute couple picture in our post European wrap-up!

Next week I will be interviewing a very good friend who travels as part of her profession. She’ll share tips on how to simplify your items along with advice regarding air travel. I’ve asked Elizabeth from Bellacara to help put together a simplified list of items that will help multitask while you are traveling. And finally, we will do a post-game wrap with Kara and find out how I did with preparing her for this trip and I’ll coax her to share a few photos of the best outfits.

• About the author
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Alicia McCaslin

Stylist | The Tulle Box

http://www.thetullebox.net/

aliciamccaslin@me.com

Alicia was born and raised in Alexandria, and married a local boy. She is happily married and the mother of two amazing children and one adorable and terribly smart border terrier named Dixie. Alicia has always known she was a creative. She collected editions of Vogue from junior high on and has always loved clothing and design. She studied interior design at VCU and parlayed that degree into commercial interior design, the web design, and ultimately found herself managing a local boutique and serving as a stylist to many Alexandrian women. She now has a successful full-time styling business, The Tulle Box, and makes it her business to make her clients feel great about themselves and the way they look.

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