Your chic effortless travel wardrobe? Starts here! #jetsetstyle

The aim: look chic, effortless and have lots of different outfits.
Don’t worry it’s easy.
There will be no breathing into a paper bag as everyone waits for you to get dressed.
Why?
Because you will take photos of all your outfits before you jet off. So you can cleverly refer to your secret look book before you head out . That means you can nonchalantly throw on your outfit in 5 minutes flat. And everyone is happy.

My best advice: only pack things you LOVE wearing. Never pack pieces you think you might wear. Because you won’t.

Your summer holiday checklist.
Note : this is an across the board list that suits all weathers. Obviously if you’re off to Greek Islands (more here) then ditch the trench and if you are off to Ireland or Sweden you might throw in another knit.
Scroll down to read why you want the key pieces and how to wear them.
And my picks from luxe to less: you’re welcome!

White tee:
You want a white tee. Buy several. Loose ( not clingy). May be oversized. Might have shoulder pads or defined shoulder. Wear on its own. Or as a layering piece. Wear it under a shoestring dress. Under a knit with the hem of the Tee hanging out if it’s chilly. Under a chic blazer or trench. Under a barn jacket. Love these at Uniqlo ( go up a size) and these with a shoulder pad , and this one with an extended shoulder at Tibi. 

Jeans:
High waist. Barrel, or wide leg. With a bit of stretch. Comfortable. Love anything long, baggy or flared. Take your pick. Pack what you love to wear . Go for a light blue wash denim ( looks fresh for summer and loves a white blazer!). You NEED white jeans too. And dark denim jeans are great if you want to look a bit more polished.

Shorts :
Bermudas. knee length. More sophisticated. Chicer. Perfect for a hot holiday when jeans are too hot and a skirt to dressed up.  You want baggy or slouchy. They are not tight capri pants ( which FYI are coming back). Go for FiFi approved expensive colours: white, camel and brown. Black is great. Cotton twill or slouchy light fabrics. Silk is chic. Linen is ok but shorts never looks sophisticated enough for the city in linen in my opinion. Denim is good.  These are not shorts for the beach ! No, no and No. They are meant to be worn in a chic way. With a blazer and strappy heels.

Trenchcoat:
Long. Beige. slouchy. Summer weight. Toss it over everything from white tee and jeans to a chic dress with heels. Wear on the plane. Wear it like a blazer. it doesn’t need to be raining to wear a trench. It’s all you need to go anywhere and always look chic.

A utility jacket
It’s not a blazer but works just as well. It’s a bit more casual and almost a bit cooler now that oversized blazers are everywhere. It can have pockets, it can have epaulettes, it might be a barn jacket or a crop trench. It should be in camel or brown/neutral though a denim jacket is good as well. A crop parka is also great. Handy when you’re out and about when a blazer or trench is too dressed. Love this crop trench ( on sale !), I have this barn jacket ( in large)and this denim jacket. Love a utility vest as well. Anything with pockets are a thing !

Camel blazer:
Slouchy. Means it’s comfortable. lightweight. Looks casual. This is NOT your suit blazer. It’s loose and slouchy.  It’s more like a cardigan. Pivotal. Camel will look summery. Lighten everything up ! Loves black, loves white, loves denim. Over a white tee, over a sweater with jeans, sitting on your shoulders with a dress.

Stripe Tee:
The only print you will ever need. Ha! Slouchy cut. Round neck. Black and white is good. Navy stripe can look at bit jaunty (with white jeans).Meaning? It looks too nautical and prim.  (Unless you’re on a yacht in the med. lucky you). Long sleeve is also handy. Wear with beige chinos, with blue jeans and denim skirts. Love this one with shoulder pads .

A sweater:
Perfect for summer evenings. Or a London summer. Lols. Cotton is cool. Slouchy cut. Wear with everything ! Round neck is best. Go for cream or white. That’s what I have. Or go crazy with a bright orange knit to wear as a scarf just tossed nonchalantly around your shoulders or blazer. Love a stripe too. SHOP here and I have this one and I love it here

Cotton Chinos:
Go for beige. Olive. White. Cotton. High waist. Wide wide leg. Peg leg is handy too. (With a rolled hem). Because they’re not jeans or black pants but just as versatile. Wear for day with birks/sneakers and a cutaway tank. For evening with a chic blouse, a lace top like this or a sequin tank and metallic heels. They might have pockets.  These are really good here.

dress pants :
A modern slouchy shape.  They might wide or just long and straight like the Versatile with a capital V. You can wear with heels, birks or sneakers. Go for camel ( I have these !)( light fabrics good for travel), black is totally handy.Wide leg white baggy pants too. Pivotal to your holiday waardrobe. Love pants with a sporty stripe. Lululemon do the best travel pants; Read here. Shop here

Blue ( stripe) shirt:
This is the best way to add colour (!) into your neutral wardrobe. Love a blue cotton shirt under a camel blazer or trench with jeans. Or wear undone like a shacket over white tank with chinos. Wear it under a knit so it pokes out the bottom. It should be long enough to do that. And slouchy. So it looks casual not corporate. This is fab too.

White shirt:
It’s really the same as the blue shirt. But more dramatic. Wear the same way as I mentioned above.. This is a good one. Probably doesn’t need ironing. YASSS please. It’s chic. Perfect for smart casual dinner. Wear tucked in or out. Under blazer. SHOP here.

A waistcoat:
It’s your blazer but without sleeves! Which means that gives good structure, looks polished and chic but it’s cool in hot weather. Show your arms. If not toss it over a white tee. Looks fabulous with matching linen pants. As a set. Best in white or black or delicious brown.

A matching set:
It might be a linen tank and full skirt that are in matching fabrics. It might be a waistcoat and matching linen pants. It might be shorts and a matching shirt. BUT please refrain from those matching stripe/print pyjama sets and think you can walk around the street in THAT. Just wrong. Not chic. Sorry. You can wear to around the house, maybe the pool. A matching set works in white, in black, in camel.

White tank:
This is one of those handy layering pieces. Wear it under a white or blue shirt, under a blazer. Under a knit. When it’s hot on its own with high waist A line skirts and baggy pants. White next to the face takes 10 years off. This is good. Go for a high fifi approved neckline, with a rib which is not as clingy. Try a one shoulder like this (Love it) but racer back /cutaway shoulder is flattering. Get in black too. Love this one here

Long casual dress:
You want it long. Black, white, Beige, Khaki. Fit n flare ( most flattering), cutaway or shoulders that make a statement. A sleeveless dress looks more modern.  Wear with sneakers, block heels sandals, Dad sandals. A linen one shoulder with flats if you’re going out at night.

A-line midi skirt :
When it’s hot. When you don’t want to wear a dress. Pants too hot. Invest in an A line skirt. Fit and flare shape. In black. In camel. In cotton. in denim. Wear with a white tank. A puff sleeve top. Sightseeing with sneakers or birks. At night with a silver block heel.

A statement white top:
This is a statement top. It’s really just a white Tee but on steroids. It’s sturdy and dramatic. To wear on its own. Not a layering piece. Go for major sleeves. Shoulder pads. Structure so it doesn’t cling. Looks chic.

Pretty evening top.
Table top dressing 101. Attention on top of body. Handy to toss on when you are off to a good restaurant, Theatre or a drink. Go for a sequin top or pretty details. It’s something to wear with chinos and black pants.

Accessories:
Shoes maketh the outfit ! Shoes are everything. They change the look more than any other accessory. And you need comfort as you are doing lots of walking. You need white/ multi sneakers and white /tan Birkenstocks. Chunky dad sandals, ballets flats in white, tan or silver. A block heel sandal in tan or silver or gold is handy for going out but you can still walk on cobble stones. And of course a white or silver loafer works with just about everything. See below !
Lots of sneakers here !

Bags:
Travel demands a small cross body bag, (with a zip!) chic like longchamp. Love a chic hobo cross body, wear it all day bag. I have this in choc brown suede , best ever for travel. You need for the plane a big ‘shove everything in’ tote. This is great. I recommended this affordable one and everyone gives it the thumbs up.
BTW July do the best bags and suitcases. Throw in a bucket hat and fabulous sunglasses.

All my picks in the slideshow below.

Hope that helps !
Let me know if you have any questions , safe travels!
PS I am so exhausted writing this , think I need a holiday Haha.

Now get packing..click on the links below.
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