First, the suitcase. The last time I needed to buy luggage, I was tempted to go with classic black. The problem is, so is everyone else, and then your bag is hard to spot on the baggage carousel. So I got a little two piece set at JCP that is purple and hot pink.
Can't miss those coming around the bend. There is a carry-on size suitcase, and a pretty large tote. Then I have to plan what to put in it. I usually wear a comfy outfit with long pants and my athletic shoes. Then I carry a jacket with me. I can also carry a purse, since most airlines allow both a handbag and one personal item. If they want to count the tote as an additional item, then I stuff my purse inside the tote. I have seen people weighted down with 3 and 4 carry-on bags trying to cram them into the overhead bins. That's too much trouble for me - after all, I have to carry all this crap around after I get off the plane.
First, I plan out the basics - underwear, swimsuit, socks, and workout gear. All of these items can be rolled up and stuffed into the outside zipper pockets of the suitcase. For 6 days, I brought 2 sets of workout clothes. I can wear each twice, and there will be two travel days when I will not be working out.
After that, I figure out the shoe situation. When it's summer time, I always bring sandals, since they are nice and flat. That's why I wear my athletic shoes. Even though they are a little bit of a pain to remove at security, they take up too much room in the suitcase. For this trip, I took tan, black, and red sandals. All three pairs are embellished, so I can wear them for casual evenings as well.
The tan ones have gold studs and a bow, and are from Forever 21. The black ones have a jeweled leopard head, and I got them at a boutique in Fort Lauderdale. The red ones are by Nina, and I don't remember where I got them. Next, daytime wear. It was going to be hot, so I decided to take two pairs of shorts, to make 4 different outfits with. I chose a pink print from Old Navy, and plain black, from Banana Republic.
To go with the pink shorts, I brought one white lace top with a cami, and one pink print T shirt.The T shirt is from Old Navy, and matches the shorts perfectly. The lace top is from some random strip mall store. I took a mirror selfie the last time I wore this combo, so you can see what it will look like, more or less. I will wear these with the tan sandals.
The possibilities are endless with the black shorts. I decided to take a black and white print charmeuse blouson tank from H&M, and a black chiffon tiered tank with white embroidery from White House Black Market. Both combos can be worn with either the black or the red sandals.
Then, in case I need something besides shorts, I took two casual dresses. One is a tiered knit in red, navy, and black from Baby Phat. I also took a red cami to wear underneath it, since it's low cut. The other is a black and white zebra print that was hand me down from someone. Both of these can be worn with the black or red sandals.
Then, I had two evening events to attend. One was a baseball game, and one was the James Taylor concert. So I selected two more dresses. One is a pink floral ruffled dress from XXI. The other is a red and black knit from Chelsey. For my extra outfit, one more dress, this time a black and white chiffon print with short sleeves. The label says Ultra Flirt, but I got it at Macy's. The pink one can be worn with the tan sandals, and the other two with either black or red.
The nice thing about sticking to a set color scheme is that I only need one jacket and my jewelry can be mixed and matched also. I never bring any valuable stuff with me on vacation. I chose my ivory satin bomber jacket made by Carribean Joe. I love this jacket, but it is starting to show wear, after many years. So I think that next year, I will look for a replacement. And seeing how I wore it constantly, this is something I am willing to spend a few bucks on. So, onto the jewelry. I figured out that I needed four colorways - tan, black, red, and ivory. That will give me endless choices. So let's start with the black.
Here, we have a black faceted plastic bead waterfall necklace. Sounds yucky, but it very pretty. Also, I selected black faceted hoops, a black leather bracelet with tonal crystals, and two rings - black plastic with crystals, and a silver tone ring with grey and black stones. What about ivory?
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The pink set has two scores from the 99 cent store, believe it or not. I got this cameo necklace, and these wood earrings there. I don't often look in the accessory aisle, but actually, I always see something cute. The beaded cuff is from a craft show a while ago, and there are two more rings - both costume goldtone with assorted light colored stones. How do I carry all this stuff? In two bags that I got as bonuses from cosmetic purchases.
I will miss you guys, and I hope you will miss me!!! See ya!!!
