Packing by the numbers

If y'all don't already know by now, I love to travel. I don't go to exotic places, but I do like to go normal places pretty often. And as you may have heard, one of the things I take a lot of pride in (in a good way, I think), is my ability to pack lightly.  I've been meaning to get some photos of my packing process, but usually it only takes me about 15 minutes (and includes K's clothes), but I lucked out last week! I went a little liberal on the toiletries (no plan means no liquid limits), so this is actually packing "heavy" for me.

Trip details

• Conference for work (business casual): Wednesday-Friday
• College roomie's bachelorette (massages, dinner/drinks): Friday-Sunday
• Method of transportation: Driving (Sac-SF, SF-So Cal, So Cal-Sac)

What I brought (includes my Wednesday clothes)

• 3 pairs of shoes
• 2 pairs of pants
• 1 dress
• 2 skirts
• 1 blazer
• 2 cardigans
• 1 short-sleeve shirt
• 2 sleeveless tops
• 2 belts
• 2 bikinis
• 5 days of unders (in the bag)
• 4 toiletry bags (one for lotions, one for contact lens stuff, one for makeup, one for supplies)
• 1 jewelry pouch
• 1 tech pouch (chargers, headphones, travel mouse, etc.)

Not shown: Laptop bag (laptop, portfolio, laptop charger, external hard drive) and purse

While some people stand firmly behind rolling their clothes, I am a flat packer. I actually ended up with extra space and so I threw in my skinnies, an extra blouse, and an extra belt...just in case.

Some tips on packing:

• I lay my shoes on their sides and then in a plastic bag. Unless I'm carrying anything heavy-ish, shoes go toward the bottom of the suitcase (when it's upright). That way they don't press down on the clothes and wrinkle them as badly.
• Many little bags are easier to pack than a few large bags.
• This suitcase doesn't have a garment area, so I folded the blazer with the lapels out and laid it on top. First thing I did in the hotel was take it out and hang it up.
• If you wear pajamas, I recommend placing them in last. Usually they're the first thing you'll want to grab.
• I had mostly sleeveless tops, but if you have long sleeves, I leave the sleeves hanging over and fold them over on top at the end. Almost like your tops are hugging everything else on top of them.

While it doesn't seem like a lot, there really is no way I could go through all of these clothes even once in my five days of travel (although some pieces are likely to get reworn). But I always like to have a few wildcards just in case I feel like mixing it up!

What did I end up wearing and what got left behind? Check back tomorrow. :)


Are you a heavy or light packer? Any tips?

30 for 30 | Take Two

Yup it's here again! 

[30 items of clothing + shoes] + [unlimited accessories] + [no shopping] + [30 weekdays] = ??

I was hesitant to sign up for this challenge for two reasons: 1) last time I got some feedback that my outfits weren't professional looking (just a note of clarification in case anyone was confused--I don't dress professionally on weekends), and 2) it's winter, and I'm notorious for layering 3-4 tops at a time as normal wear...how the heck will I make do with only 30 items?

So this time I'm going with weekdays only (on the plus side, I'll have time to do laundry), and Kendi has exempted coats from the 30 items (whew). So that should tide me over at work. I chose some old favorites and some lesser worn items to challenge myself. Only five items are repeats of my last 30 for 30 inventory. 

Here's what made the cut:

Tops

1. Blue and white striped button-up (J. Crew outlet - 2009 - $20)

2. Turtleneck vest (2010 - swap)

3. Three-quarter sleeve white blouse (Macy's - 2007 - gift card)

4. Black dobby dot shirt (Target - 2009 - $14?)

5. Cream tee-shirt (2010 - swap)

6. Brown sweater (Gap - 2008 - $20)

7. Long-sleeve white tee (H&M - 2006 - $12)

8. Green button-up (BR Factory Store - 2009 - $6) Gold bow pumps (Nina via Ross - 2009 - $16)

9. Green and white striped sweater (Old Navy - 2008 - Christmas gift)

10. Yellow plaid flannel shirt (Ross - 2009 - $7)

11. Teal top (The Limited - 2009 - $12)

Bottoms

12. Black textured pencil skirt (2010 - swap)

13. Black suit pants (BR - 2010 - $90)

14. Tweed pants (Old Navy - 2006 - $6)

15. Boot leg jeans (Rockabilly from Renew Denim - 2010 - $30)*

16. Trouser jeans (Old Navy - 2010 - $12)

17. Skinny jeans (J & Co from Renew Denim - 2009 - $40)*

18. Red skirt (Target - 2007 - $6)

19. Brown pants (Gap - 2009 - $15)

Dresses

20. Black A-line (Target - 2009 - $17) Gray ruffle dress (?? - 2009 - $60)

21. Green print faux-wrap dress (BR - 2008 - gift)

22. Gray shift dress (Gap outlet - 2008 - $12)

Cardis/Blazers

23. Green tweed blazer (2010 - swap)

24. V-neck cardi (H&M - 2009 - $30)*

25. Black suit blazer (BR - 2010 - $100)

Shoes

26. Nude pumps (Enzo Angiolini via Piperlime - 2010 - $35)

27. Brown flat boots (Franco Sarto via Macy's - 2010 - gift)

28. Black booties (Jessica Simpson - 2009 - hand-me-down)

29. Red pumps (Blake Scott via DSW - 2010 - $40)*

30. Brown peep-toes (Enzo Angiolini via Nordstrom - 2007 - $70*

*Indicates items that were also part of my first 30 for 30 inventory.

Check out the list of the other 336 remixers on Kendi's blog and cheer us on!

30 for 30: The inventory

As I mentioned on Friday, I'm taking part in Kendi Everyday's 30 for 30 remix challenge.  For the next 30 days, I will be wearing the same 30 items of clothing and shoes in various combinations.  Kendi also gives up shopping as part of the 30 day challenge, but since this falls nearly smack dab in the middle of my year of not shopping, I don't think that will be a problem.

Somehow, after planning out 30 possible outfits for the next 30 days (really, I did), I ended up using only 26 items, and some of those only once.  So I threw in a few wild cards for good measure, which will give me a chance to deviate from the plan in case I get restless and bored.  I told you I didn't really wear a lot of my clothes.

So here are my items for the next 30 days:

1. Salmon-colored long-sleeve button-up - J. Crew - 2009 - $20
2. Gray 3/4 sleeve button-up - J. Crew - 2009 - $20
3. Yellow short-sleeve ruffled blouse - Ann Taylor Loft - 2008 - $20
4. Studded white blouse - Calvin Klein - 2009 - $30
5. Gray studded tee - Target - 2010 - $7

6. Rhinestone tank - JC Penney - 2009 - $7
7. Sleeveless cowl neck top - Ann Taylor Loft - 2008 - $20
8. Ruffled top - Gottschalks - 2009 - $12
9. Pink flowy top - Banana Republic - 2008 - $20
10. Floral tank - Old Navy - 2008 - gift

11. Black blazer - Gap - 2006 - $50
12. 3/4 sleeve blazer - Gottschalks - 2009 - $10
13. V-neck cardigan - H&M - 2009 - $30

14. Black trousers - Banana Republic Factory Store - 2009 - $12
15. Skinny jeans - J & Company (from Renew Denim) - 2009 - $40
16. Light trousers - Banana Republic Factory Store - 2009 - $20
17. Bootcut jeans - Rockabilly jeans (from Renew Denim) - 2010 - $40

18. Khaki pencil skirt - Ann Taylor Loft - 2009 - $13
19. Black tulip skirt - The Limited - 2009 - $20
20. Black pencil skirt - Mango - 2007 - $14
21. Shorts: Mossimo (from Target) - 2009 - $16

22. Green cap-sleeve dress - Banana Republic Factory Store - 2009 - $20
23. Olive green maxi-dress - The Limited - 2007 - $20

24. Red pumps - Blake Scott (from Off Broadway) - 2010 - $40
25. Brown peep-toes - Enzo Angiolini (from Nordstrom) - 2007 - $70
26. Black pumps - Calvin Klein (from Off Broadway) - 2007 - $70
27. Black gladiator heels - Mossimo (from Target) - 2010 - $25
28. Nude flats - Merona (from Target) - 2010 - $17
29. Gold heels - Nina (from Ross) - 2009 - $16
30. Black flat sandals - Gap - 2010 - $20

So a few notes about these next 30 days:

• Although I don't usually post my weekend/casual outfits, I will be summarizing them for the challenge, most likely on Mondays. 
• Since I often change from work clothes to casual clothes after work, I will either a) begin rewearing the same casual outfits a couple of times a week or b) start living in my pajamas outside of work. (PJs and workout clothes don't count.)

To keep things simple and easy-to-remember (I've been known to forget about a challenge part-way through), I lumped together all my challenge items in one spot in my closet.  No reaching outside of this area for the next 30 days.  (Pardon the mess--my closet is also our sports/outdoor, hardware, electronics, musical instrument, and linens storage area.)

All my challenge items in the middle, jeans and shorts on the left, shoes below.

Check out and follow Kendi and the other remixers here.