Two Weeks of Clothes in One Carry-on to Italy

Since I am leaving for Italy tomorrow, I thought I might share how I packed 14 different outfits and 2 night out looks into one carry-on. This was not an easy task but I was determined to make it happen.

Some tips to being successful with this are...

• Pack accessories that will help change up looks without taking up lots of space (for example: scarves, hats, jewelry)
• Bring clothes that can be interchangeable (notice that I use certain pieces multiple times)
• Wear your largest/bulkiest items on the plane so that you have a little more space to work with
• And remember to leave some room for shopping!

Now I don't plan on wearing these outfits in the order of which I am posting them. In fact, I probably will mix them up when I am there based on weather, the activities, and my own personal fashion feeling for the day. I apologize for the quality of these images, but hopefully you get the basic idea of each outfit. I hope this helps fellow fashionista travelers pack lightly and still look stylish. Enjoy!

{side note: this will be worn with some textured tights}

{tights are  included with this look}

{Day outfit worn with tights}

{to the night outfit worn with tights as well}

{looks great with a textured pair of tights}

{another night look to be worn with sheer tights}

Day to Night Styling

Today at work I had a co-worker ask if I would just send her pictures of my outfits every morning, so that she knew what to wear. Well she inspired me to show a look, (the one I was wearing today) from day to night. I am a firm believer that every outfit can transition from daytime to a date night, night out with the girls, or just a sassy night out on the town. Here is an example of what I did today to take my day outfit to the next level. I hope you enjoy and get inspired to restyle your own daytime looks to nighttime wear.



{both looks side by side, daytime outfit to the left, nighttime to the right}

For the night look, I wore black skirt (Nordstrom), and black bralette (Nordstrom), with a sheer side slit off white tank (Nordstrom), and army green cut off vest (Nordstrom). I added the nude and black heels (Forever 21), black clutch (Nordstrom), and Necklace (Forever 21) to take this look to the dressy nighttime side. This outfit all together is roughly $200, which is not too shabby considering the fact that it can be worn in many different ways.



For the daytime look, I wore the black skirt and bralette (Nordstrom), with a white tied up t-shirt (The Gap), and army cut off vest (Nordstrom). I used the the panama hat (Nordstrom), combat boots (Nordstrom), and jewelry (heirlooms) to ground this look. The accessories are what make an outfit look one way versus another. And here I gave my look a military vibe with a twist. My favorite part about this outfit is the jewelry. The top necklace is my Mom's old monogram necklace, and the bottom necklace is my Dad's dog tags. The total of this outfit is roughly $220. You have to remember that three of these pieces were repeated in both outfits; therefore making it worth the money you spend.

If you have any questions regarding the garments or looks, please feel free to leave a comment. With that, happy styling!

A Little Italian Inspiration

Can't believe the trip I have been planning for 2 years is only 10 days away!!! To get myself all pumped up, I found a little Italian inspiration. The more I looked at photos, the more I found myself in awe of how amazing the cities in Italy are; and how lucky I am to have the opportunity to see them.

Here is a little taste of the things I plan to do and see while there. I hope this inspires someone else to book their next trip here. I plan to post many pictures upon my return as well, so keep posted!

Ciao!

{Milan}

flickr.com

{Rome}

500px.com

{Florence}

toptraveleurope.net

{Tuscany}

4inspireddesign.com

{Cappuccino Italian style}

google.com

{Sienna}

imgfave.com

{Rome}

etsy.com

{Milan Fashion Week Spring 2013}

harpersbazaar.com

{Just love this whole look}

leeoliveira.com

{so beyond excited for food like this}

flickr.com

{Sienna - city view}

italyphotography.com

{Venice}

flickr.com

{I will be eating this everyday!}

mowielicious.com

{Another amazing Milan fashion week moment! Can't get enough of the color pop}

vogue.mx

{Excited to see Men take fashion to another level in Florence}

wearethemarket.tumblr.com

{Lake Como}

http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lk1b4dsndE1qb62c4o1_500.jpg

Styled Shoot Fun Photographed by Lauren Scotti Photography

I have known Lauren Scotti from Lauren Scotti Photography for quite some time and she continues to amaze me with her talent. She called me up one day and asked if I wanted to do a styled shoot after work. She said it would be just for fun and a good way to play around with both of our talents. Of course, I couldn't say no to such a fun collaboration, so I ran home to style a look and quickly headed to her house. We drove to this location as we chased the sun for the last of the good light. Twenty minutes later we had 300 pictures and came up with some amazing shots. Lets just say, choosing the photos to put on my blog was no easy task.

I just hope that Mrs. Lauren Scotti knows how talented she is, I know that doesn't seem like a lot coming from a best friend and all, but I am telling you, never stop! I love you and it is fun to see your talent grow. Oh, and seriously if you ever need a photographer, Lauren Scotti is your girl!

As for the fashion I wore a black tank dress underneath a grey shirt with the American flag printed on the front. I also wore a military inspired jacket with leather sleeves as my third piece. To complete the look I paired my outfit with combat boots, a wide brim fedora, and gold jewelry. I will specify what pieces came from where in the captions. Feel free to leave me a message if you have any questions or comments. I hope you enjoy our work, we had fun with this styled shoot and can't wait to show you more in future posts.

{hat from urban outfitters}

{rings (antiques), necklace (nordstrom), lipstick is MAC pro long-wear called Endless}

{jacket, shirt, and dress (nordstrom)}

{large ring and black clutch (nordstrom)}

{outfit shot}

{boots (nordstrom)}

{action shot - mid spin}

{Polaroid fun!}