Vacation is a State of Mind

The promise and the reality of destination dressing

One of my favorite stories that I pitched and wrote during my time at The Wall Street Journal was a dive into the resort wear industrial complex and the psychology behind shopping for vacation. It seems preposterous to me how much money we are willing to spend on clothing we will wear not even a 10th as much as our favorite sweater/boots/jeans (as someone who lives in a four-season climate.) But it’s hard to resist the pull of a new swimsuit or dress in anticipation of a good time. I am guilty of this myself.

Some of you have been asking about vacation shopping and packing strategies and so this week we are going to (kind of) tackle that. I was meant to be in Florida this past week but (as you all know already) a nasty stomach bug had us cancelling the trip all together. Who wants to go on a beach vacation when the high is 53 degrees anyway!?

So instead of going on vacation, this week I meditated on the beach identity I’d like to cultivate. When trying to break it down, it became clear that packing really all falls into three camps: breakfast, beach and dinner. Some thoughts on each.

Beach

Clockwise from top left: What I actually ordered and gathered from my closet for this past week’s family trip to Florida, before the low 50s forecast and the aforementioned bug. Alix of Bohemia shirt, Mociun necklace, Eres tank, Emily Levine pants, Maccapani long sleeve tee, Repossi mini hearts (I like to take one indestructible pair of earrings on vacation and not take them out the whole time), J.Crew bikini top and bottom, K.Jacques, Matteau shorts (a pair that the founder of the company says is the only thing she wears at the beach!) Lido bikini.

Lately I’m more interested in a throw it all on, bohemian idea of destination dressing than a full on outfit. For multiple reasons really. First, I’m traveling these days with a five year old boy, so a teensy bikini and a white dress for dinner just don’t really feel feasible. And I like the idea of things not needing to match. It is more in the spirit of letting go. Plus, this allows for more haphazard layering, a real bonus as I’m known to get cold in all climates.

I find myself gravitating toward block prints and tie dye, purple and yellow, all grounded with black. Black boxer shorts. Black sandals. A Black swimsuit. Things that feel easy and comfortable and let all the wild stuff ride.

Breakfast

Sets that don’t feel silly. Clockwise from left: Attersee shirt and shorts, Suzie Kondi velour tee and pants, Staud Sport hat (out next week, I got a sneak peek of the lookbook and its all so good it’s wild.) Eterne soft jersey leggings and bra, Kule khaki button down, Posse breton top and skirt, Janessa Leone brown straw hat, Sperry docksider, Bembien basket.

Working backward to the breakfast buffet or really, the glorified loungewear hours of the trip, I had been looking at the idea of “sets” that wouldn’t make me feel silly. Sometimes it’s about breaking up the set with other colors like the Suzie Kondi navy/tan set above instead of same-on-same color. Or wearing papery thin shirting instead of a t-shirt over a black soft legging/bra combo. Posse’s new breton shirt/mini skirt combo feels clever too. The idea behind all of these being that any of this can be thrown on in different ways. None of them feel like singular outfits to be worn but once for an hour. So wear the Attersee set to breakfast by the pool, but then wear the gorgeous top with black chinos to dinner. Or the Posse mini with a printed swimsuit for the beach…the khaki button-down unbuttoned to protect your shoulders from the sun. Perfectly mismatched, but adorable. All the while retaining the prospect of being able to pull yourself together into a “full look” if you so choose.

Dinner

A wild assortment that all works together. Really! Start mentally layering this stuff, it’s fun. Clockwise from left: Cordera red rouched dress (on sale here). Toteme plaid button down (on super sale!). Jujuvera coin necklace. Flore Flore fitted long sleeve tee which would look cute layered over the blue stripe tank and skirt by Tory Burch. Hunting Season satin pouch to go with all. Polo RL floral shirt which would look cool over the red dress or sequin skirt. Bode ruffle top which I imagine with the Studio Nicholson white linen pants. Ciao Lucia navy cotton sweater to throw over literally all of it. Vince lightweight sequin skirt, a stand in for my new Recto one that FINALLY arrived from Ssense and is glorious…but the saga!! Bode yellow pants. Proenza Schouler flats to wear with all making everything look a little funky. You’ll notice no heel, bc it’s not my vacation style but if you DO want a heel, this is really the only option. Perfection.

For the evenings I want to wear things that will keep me warm near an ocean breeze and covered (mosquitos!) but fun and a little festive and in fabrics far away from denim and cashmere…I need a break from anything resembling a winter uniform. This may sound crazy, but I think you can actually mix and match most if not all of the pieces above. And most importantly, I want to wear them in my real life too. They are not Caribbean cosplay but clothes that will make me feel like me, just in the sunshine.

That’s it for today. Stay warm everyone. In body and/or spirit!

Yours TRULY,

Becky