Packing for Summer Essentials

Last summer, we did a driving tour of France for two weeks, driving down from Paris, to Dijon, the Grande Route des Alpes, on to the French Riviera and Provence. It was a trip of a lifetime, and I have never seen such diverse natural beauty - from snow-capped mountains to crystalline ocean shores - in one country.

Part of enjoying that trip was the relaxed easy from which we moved from stop to stop.  That could not have been achieved without packing light.

Because of my frequent travel for work, I learned to be a rather ruthless packer for more formal wear, but it was a little bit of a challenge for this kind of  casual trip, especially when dealing with so many climates.  I've done my best to recreate my suitcase for you below, and as you can see, with a little handwashing here and there, 9 pieces of clothing can make for a fabulous, stylish and worry-free summer travel wardrobe.  This continues to be my summer formula this year as well with small variations here and there.

View of boats from Cannes, France

Packing for Summer Essentials by c'estca featuring rubber shoes






































Tops:
1. Fun top in your accent color - I always like a peasant-inspired style for summer
2. Breezy white blouse which can be punched up with accessories or a cover-up on the beach
3. Striped Breton top - Saint James' shirts are indestructable and worth every penny
4. Soft white t-shirt - I actually prefer longer length sleeves even in summer, for sun protection, and the thin cotton ensures I won't get too hot
5. Light cardigan in a neutral - for chilly evenings, air conditioning, or mountain tops

Dress:
1. Black dress in cotton or linen - can be a comfortable touring outfit or jazzed up for evening

Bottoms:
1.  A white skirt - much preferred over shorts, and just as cool and comfortable
2.  Black linen trousers - comfy, cool, and surprisingly easy to refresh with a bit of ironing
3.  Black knit skirt - day or evening, comfortable and chic

Accessories:
1.  Statement necklace - I actually take two and alternate, but this horn one works well with almost anything
2.  Sparkly earrings - dresses up practically anything to take you to dinner and so small to pack
3.  Floppy hat - again, sun protection is very important!
4.  Sunglasses - I prefer tortoiseshell for my complexion, make sure the style and color suits you before jumping on a particular trend though
5. 2 scarves - yes, even in summer these are great treats.  Tie loosely around your neck or even around the band of your hat for a pop of color.
6.  A bangle or bracelet in your accent color

Shoes:
1.  An interesting sandal or flip flop - but make it special!  I love these heart detailed rubber sandals from YSL.  They are a few seasons old, but they go with me everywhere in the summer.
2.  A great walking shoe* in a ballerina style - for me, nothing beats the comfort of Chanel flats for my wide feet, but there are plenty of other designers doing this style.
3.  A comfy sandal which can be dressed up or down - for me, it's the Oran sandal from Hermes, but the key here is they should fit like a glove, wear well, and look nice enough to go anywhere.

Bags:
1. Tote or shoulder bag in neutral color: the essentials for me are clean lines, go anywhere style, and quality.  It's okay to take your good bags on holiday, I swear. **
2.  Clutch in a neutral color - casual enough for days when you don't need to lug a heavy bag, and nice enough for night.

Polish:
A neutral shimmer on the toes wears well and won't show chips.  I go clear or totally bare on my fingers, so as not to worry about manicures while traveling!


Alight, now for a side-rant on traveling shoes and bags:

* I am not a fan of sports-styled walking shoes and sneakers, esp. in the summer.  I feel they look too clunky and out of place in a chic wardrobe.  I choose shoes that can go with slacks as well as skirts, and if it doesn't pass the skirt test then perhaps it's a bit too sporty for my needs.  I am a firm believer that you can find a comfortable but elegant shoe for most city-touring kind of trips.  I never understand people who look like they are about to climb a mountain when they arrive ready to tour Paris or New York.  What kind of rough terrain or survival challenge do they expect to meet in the pastry shop or museum?  If you wouldn't wear hiking boots to your home town to stroll around, why would you do it somewhere else (especially where you plan to be memorialized by photo)?  My one exception to sporty sandals are Birkenstocks.  Especially if you have foot troubles, these can be a lifesaver.  I think they are an excellent alternative to less-supportive shoes but still look very presentable with their variety of colors and styles.

** Many people let their good bags linger in their closets while they travel.  Your things are meant to be used, so use them!  Of course I am still talking of the city trip here, and not safari, but if you love your Birkin every day of the week at home, why wouldn't you take it with you on holiday?  My nice bags go with me everywhere (in carry-on, never check).  Yes, they have to be looked after, but it's no different than when I am  using them in my own neck of the woods.  Don't leave your bag open or unattended, don't put loosely capped bottles of liquid inside, and don't walk down dark alleys at night.  Really, that should apply whether you are wearing a Chanel or no-name canvas tote.  Take care of your things and they'll last forever, don't use your things and they'll end up fetching a ton in your estate sale - which would you choose?  

<end ranting> ;)



Traveling is about being in the moment, taking in all the new experiences, and being ready for any adventure that may call.  To me, that also means being comfortable and confident in your wardrobe, feeling like you can go anywhere dressed just as you are, stylishly and lightly.  Worry about your clothes before you leave, so you won't have to when you arrive.  With some carefully edited packing, you can enjoy your summer plans without all that baggage!




 

Doing Away with the Extra

When we moved to Europe, we decided to take just the bare bones of our household goods with us -- less than half our things, in the spirit of living in a smaller space and living "lighter."  The remaining items went into storage (including much of my clothing -- see a previous post on that), and we quickly learned that our new set up was more than enough to live well.

Now having returned to the US, I am faced with all those things which we have been reunited with from storage.  Though we have the room to keep all these extras, I don't want to.  They are all slowly percolating their way to the garage and from there, charity or eBay, and it feels great!   I want more blank spaces, thinking room, and spacious shelves in my life, and so saying goodbye to these former treasures is getting easier and easier.  Why did I need a 5 pc place setting of white Crate and Barrel buffet dishes, which I never used?  Our own regular white dishes work just as well.  Not to mention the extra-extra set of flatware (no one needs more than two sets of flatware, no matter how you reason), the monkey bread mold pan (which should NOT be used regularly, for obvious reasons to my waistline), and the french press coffee set (pretty but why get it out when the fancy cappuccino make currently on the counter does the same more easily).

Truth is, I would be embarrassed to have my European friends come over and see this plethora of "extra" all over our house right now.  Their homes were never crowded over with stuff the way our American homes are.  Though spaces were smaller, there were plenty of clean surfaces and spots for everything.  Kids were no excuse, they had places for their toys and they didn't take over the entire house.  And people used their good things, because they bought the best they could afford, and they couldn't afford not to use it.  It's not like they had room for "everyday" plates and "nice plates" and "only at Christmas plates" in one little cupboard.  Clutter is not chic, it is not elegant and it is not comfortable.

Anyway, the house-wide purge has been raging these past few days, and much to my surprise it is striking all kinds of places.  Here are some tips I've learned along the way:

1.  I can be a book-lover without being a book-hoarder. 
I loved having lots of stacks of books around, having all those choices to read and re-read just seemed comforting, but they were taking over one full room in our new house.  I kept every book that had ever come into my life -- which was way too many!  Now I am down to one third of that collection, largely because of the ingenious little Kindle. Many of the classics can be downloaded for free on Kindle (think Shakespeare, Jane Austen, etc.), so I have parted with the paper versions.  I have only kept sentimental books, or things I know I won't find free or buy again on Kindle.  I have also parted with all those "airplane" reads - the chic lit you read one time and toss aside.  I know they won't be read again, and that's okay, but it doesn't give it the right to permanently move into my house.  And gone are all the dated books from college on social security or the courts system or group psychology.  I won't read them again, and there's more current reads out there if I ever do get that particular intellectual pang again.

2.  I can throw makeup away - it is physically possible!
Much of my makeup falls into two categories - love and hate.  I have almost-empty pans of much loved products which have just a scootch bit of product left.  They are saved under the rationale that I must finish to the last droplet or keep it to remember the name for eventual repurchase.  On the other side of the spectrum is the untouched stuff.  Tried once or twice, it wasn't my color, but as I spent good money perhaps it would become my color one day... right?  Wrong.  I chucked out the lot, and replaced my loves.  Now my make-up kit is half its size and makes be smile every time I open the drawer.

3.  Acknowledge I will never be the scrapbooker (or hobby of your choice) of my dreams.
I had grand aspirations that I would scrapbook every moment of my life into a stylized, artistic opus to be admired by captive audiences everywhere.  Only it takes a lot of time.  Time I'd rather be out living scrapbookable moments.  But in the meantime, I collected a supply of odds and ends that take up quite a bit of room.  It's since been culled down to some crafty basics, and some stacks of plain notecards.  When I am feeling particularly creative, I can scrapbook a notecard or greeting card for someone, but I think I'm done pressuring myself into a big expensive hobby that just wasn't me.

4.  I am done beating myself up about mistakes, but I will try very hard not to make more.
One of the reasons I used to have such a hard time letting go of things was I would tell myself, "hey, you spent so much money on all this stuff, and you clearly wanted it at some point!  it's a waste to throw it away!!"  Now, I imagine having to carry all this stuff with me, physically and psychologically, to my next place.  That weighs me down more than the idea that I am getting rid of perfectly good things that don't suit me any more.  My new commitment is not to accumulate anything new until I am 100% certain I will want it with me forever.  This makes shopping more tedious but way less spendy.  Besides, all my unwanted things are either recovering some of their cost on eBay or going to good homes through donation.  I will not guilt myself into clutter ever again!


How do you handle the clutter in your life, and what tips do you have for making your surroundings more chic and comfortable?

 

Hair: Looking Like Your (Best) Self is Chic

This evening, as a break from the dinner party preparations, I took a look through some old photos that I'd recently organized.  As I moved further back in time, I couldn't help but get distracted by something - my hair.  I am sure we all have those "what was I thinking?" kind of moments, but I was having it for every single shot!

As I sorted through the photos, I saw wedges and bobs and pixie cuts (and a mullet-like number I want to burn all evidence of).  Flat-ironed straight and even a post-80s perm (why was I so behind the curve on that one??).  Light brown, highlights, really bad highlights, various shades of red, and even the beet purple so popular with my Eastern European aunties.  Let's not forget the ill-planned blonde, which lasted all of three days, because my roots grew in so quickly.  Did I mention  this was all in the past 10-12 years?

It was entertaining but a little bit mortifying too.  At the time those pictures were taken, I thought my look was the bees knees.  But with a little distance I can now safely say I had some very unflattering styles.  It often looked like it simply belonged to someone else, and I had just snatched it off some bald pate and run away.

The photos I was most pleased with were from the last three to four years, but much like my style, it was an evolution over time to get there.  It started with my slowly finding the best cut to suit my face shape, a modified chin-length wedge withs some layers in the back.  By then, I was living in California and heavily influenced by the popular intense-highlighting trend there.  It was very stripey and choppy.  I jumped on that bandwagon, but I never really felt comfortable with the results.  It needed a lot of maintenance and just didn't suit me, but I felt like I needed to do it in order to feel properly groomed.

I was getting married around that time, and I had read all the advice about having a timeless hairstyle.  I knew the heavy highlights would be a trend I would not care to remember in my wedding photos 20 years from now, so I toned them down a bit. But I still kept some light highlights, because to not have anything "done" to my hair made me feel naked!  (I am so glad I made that choice, because the wedding photos today do not make me cringe like the rest of them do.)

Shortly after the wedding, we moved to Europe.  And then another realization struck.  Away from California, I suddenly had perspective on the brassy bottle blondes -- it wasn't just trendy, it was artificial and harsh.  And it was definitely not me.

By now, I was sporting a more "natural" look, though it still needed to be maintained.  I sought out a hair salon in Brussels and explained what I was looking for.  The conversation went something like this:

Me: "I have highlights, and it's been a couple months, and I need the roots touched up."
Stylist, lips pursed and brow furrowed: "But why?"
Me, now also furrowing brow: "Because they are starting to show, where it's growing in, here."
Stylist: "Hmmm..." as he tousles my hair.
Awkward silence while I wonder what the word for "highlights" is in French.
Stylist: "You know, maybe it's too much blonde here if you can see the roots so sharp.  Look at how faded these ends are.  I think you need to rest your hair a bit."
Me: "But I need to have some highlights to brighten my face."  That's what all the style segments on talk shows say about 'em, haven't you heard??
Stylist, "Yes, but you know there is a danger in going too far from your natural color.  You know the color you are usually best-suited for?  The one you are born with.  This way you can be sure it matches your complexion."
Me: "Hmmm..."

Long story short, he convinced me to return to my natural color, one I hadn't seen in years.  I felt practically goth in my darker hair, but also a little daring for making the change.  What he said did make sense - the color you are born with probably does match the rest of you rather well.  And I liked the idea of less chemicals, and less time and money spent at salons.

But the biggest clincher was how it made me feel.  I felt more authentic, more natural, more healthy - and my hair looked it.  Looking at the photos since, I see the brown curls gleaming in the flash and it looks lovely.  I look like the best version of myself, not some hyped-up trend of the moment or celebrity.  I stopped looking for fashion, and found my style instead.  It was there all along, and that was chic.

Sidetracked...

This coming Saturday we will be hosting a dinner party for twelve, and I am really looking forward to having company.  The theme is White Nights of Russia, and the menu will consist primarily of zakuski (the Russian version of tapas).  There are many dishes to prepare and errands to run and things to do around the house, however I am in the middle of a case of college-like procrastination.  I am compelled to do just about anything other than what's on my task list.  Oh, well.  That translates into the following projects attacked and accomplished:

1.  All CDs have been uploaded into iTunes, backed up on Time Capsule, and then removed from the house (sold or donated).  I am done will one pile of clutter!
2.  Childhood photos and momentos have been recategorized, organized and thinned down to fit into one box.  Less is more, and no one is really interested in my old dolls but me.
3.  Scented sachets have been made and installed in all our closets.  Yup, I have my priorities in order.  Anyway, here's how to make them.

DIY Closet Sachets

First, find yourself some muslin pouches or other small bags of breathable (natural) fabric.  I found these on Amazon.com, though if you are handy with a needle and thread (which I am not) I presume they could be made by hand.

Cotton Muslin Drawstring Bag

Next, choose your essential oils.  Here is my preferred line-up, which is well suited for closet sachets as Lavender and Eucalyptus both have moth-repelling effects.  The rest are there just because they smell good.

Eucalyptus, Lavender, Clove Bud, Sweet Orange, Bergamot Essential Oils

Incidentally, we use these essential oils to prepare our own cleaning products, so they are always around the house.  If you don't have a plethora of essential oils laying about, fear not, this works well with just one oil.  Pick your favorite.  (A good source for oils is Whole Foods, by the way.)

Next, find yourself some dried lavender.  We have a heap of it left over from our driving trip though Provence last summer.  I make potpourri with it as well.

Dried Lavender

Next, fill the bag about 2/3 full with lavender.  Shake approximately 3 drops of each oil you are using.  This is not a precise recipe, your nose will tell you when it smells good.

Make sure the oil droplets hit the lavender, and not the fabric.

 Close the bag up and give it a squeeze to blend and release the fragrance.  Voila, you are done!

The finished product

It takes just a few minutes to put together, but now every time I open my closet door I get a great waft of lovely scent!

Now, what else could I possibly do that's not on my must-do list...  Do you get sidetracked easily?  What do you like to do to procrastinate?




 

An Earful of Advice...

An old and dear friend of mine asked for my opinion today on a skirt she was eyeing from Ann Taylor.  I thought the skirt was nice, but I wondered how it might fit into the rest of her wardrobe.  Instead of just saying yay or nay (which is probably what I should have done), I decided to give Polyvore a try to come up with some alternative suggestions.  Ann Taylor has a lot of great new things for fall.  So of course, I got carried away and planned her an entire new autumn/winter wardrobe.  Oops!  Meanwhile, Polyvore is so much fun, I can see it get very addicting...

This is for my chic New York City friend, an urban professional with a modern but classic sensibility...

For Ems Ann Taylor A/W in Neutral by c'estca featuring a burberry umbrella


Po

This is the Purse That Started it All!

Hermès Good News cross-body bag, in Etoupe Taurillon Clemence Leather

A Style (R)evolution -- Part 2: Blame it on the Purse

Moving to Europe, I had far more excitement than misgivings about making the big change.  And yet I was apprehensive about how I would adjust to a new culture, a new lifestyle, a new language... We were leaving Southern California, the land of shopping malls, freeways and friendly "Housewives of Orange County" (yup, some even lived in our neighborhood!), not to mention walk-in closets and storage space galore.  Our new home, Brussels, Belgium couldn't have been a more perfect polar opposite.  Atmospheric rainy cobblestone streets filled with bi- and tri-lingual baguette-toting Eurocrats... a place where carb intake was considered normal and even appreciated (hence their mastery of chocolate, beer and waffles).  But I digress...

Our new apartment in Belgium was a 19th century maison de maitre, with beautiful plaster work and molding and wood floors.  We were lucky, though, that it had been remodeled to include some modern amenities, including a few small closets.  As our Belgian friends liked to frequently remind us, this was NOT the norm and we should consider ourselves lucky.  We did.  

We moved in, and I tried to artfully arrange my pared down wardrobe in the new space.  I had to get everything - clothes, purses, shoes, folded items, undergarments, pjs - all into one space PLUS it somehow had to fit all our bed and table linens.  It was crammed to the gills, but I did it!

My Belgian Closet, a couple months into our move.

We settled in, and one of my favorite new hobbies became cafe-going.  My definition of really living it up involved sitting outside at one of those small tables... ah, that was the life.  I would step out my front door, march up the street about 50 yards to a pedestrian riddled shopping zone filled with cafes and restaurants.  I could sit there for hours and admire all the outfits as they passed by.  Yes, I am an outfit oogler, I confess.  A few of the things I learned while sartorially staring at the Bruxelloises saunter past?

1.  They care about how they look when the leave the house.  

By American standards, they look "dressed up" even for the most banal errands.  Meaning, they are not in sweatpants or pajama bottoms or sports-purposed shorts.  No one looks like they ran out of the door with wet hair and a cup of coffee from Dunkin' Donuts.  Yes, people may start the day a little later as result, but darnit the outcome looks good.

2.  They invest in quality, well-fitting clothes.

The way a shoulder was joined to the rest of the suit, or the fine loft on a well-knit cardigan, or the way a skirt draped... these things were obvious even if I was not very close to the wearer.  Oftentimes I found myself lingering for one last look of a person wearing a fantastic jacket or some such thing -- not because of a logo or reflective stripe, but because it was beautifully made and beautifully worn.  

3.  They pay a lot of money for their clothes, so they choose wisely.

The bargain-hunter in me was surprised to see people enter fancy boutiques and exit with a bag!  I mean, there wasn't even a sale going on.  In the States, I loved popping into a Marshall's or TJ Maxx or Macy's and picking up a little bargain.  Here, sales happened twice a year, and while they were nice, people shopped outside the sales seasons too.  Prices were steeper, but it made them focus on only what they really needed.  They might go into a shop and buy a jewel of a sweater, and it be the only purchase they make that winter.  But they would treasure it, and wear it for years, because it was carefully considered and selected.

4.  They are picky about what they buy.

While in the shops, I noticed people having much more in-depth conversations about the products with salespeople.  Questions like "where was it made?"  "how was it made?"  "how do I take care of it?" were very common.  Trying something on was a serious event.  The husband, child, and salesladies from two different counters could hover around a woman as she tested a dress from different angles.  She might spend 20 minutes discussing, considering, moving around in the garment, before deciding not to take it after all.  There was no shame in passing up something mediocre and holding out for just the right thing instead.  And the salespeople never seemed put out by this behavior either.  

5.  No one looks chic if they are walking funny.

Meaning, just about everyone wore sensible shoes.  Brussels is a wet city with lots of uneven sidewalks.  Stilettos were virtually unseen, but practical boots, flats and wedges were all around.  Rarely, I would see a woman daintily picking her way between cobblestones in sky high heels, arms akimbo as she balanced precariously -- invariably it was an American or Brit on holiday.  (Brits seem to have a lot of the fashion foibles we Americans do...)

6.  Everyone looks good in black, or grey, or navy...

People seemed to gravitate towards darker colors and neutrals more often than the fun green shirt that goes with just one thing in your closet.  Coming from California, I was used to lots of resort-wear colors - but that also meant investing in coordinating single-purpose accessories and accompaniments.  People here didn't have the room for those kinds of fripperies, and dark colors and neutrals could be invested in for the long haul, looked slimming and always looked stylish.

7.  Everyone could afford at least a little luxury.

As we slowly built up new friends and acquaintances, it seemed like they spent more on luxuries than our American friends.  We wondered how this could be, because we knew the cost of living in Europe to be higher and credit card debt per capita lower than in the US.  I won't get into statistics here, but I think this anecdote explains what might be happening:  In the US, I had friend who hoped someday to have a Louis Vuitton wallet.  He talked about it often, but said he couldn't afford it.  But he did afford big sprees during the Nordstrom's sales, and going out to eat almost nightly.  Our European friends saved up and planned for purchases -- and it included high end, high quality items too -- rather than binges or bad habits.  It's about making choices.  

While I could go on with this list for a very long while, I will stop there for now to share with you my biggest personal style epiphany in those early months.  It happened shortly after our move.  I have always had a love of purses, and considered myself a collector of sorts (at least quantity if not always quality).  I had a purse in every color of the rainbow, from Coach to Furla to Gucci.  And I had this "collect-them-all" kind of mentality, where I wanted to have a purse from each of the major purse designers.  I was slowly working my way around the list, when I got to Hermes.  No, I wasn't working alphabetically, but Hermes was just one area I was too intimidated to cross.  I was certain it would be too expensive right now, but maybe someday...

That's when my spouse reminded me that I was talking just like my American friend with the wallet lust.  Someday, someday, well, why not make it today?  By chance, the Hermes boutique was less than a 10 minute walk from our apartment.  On one of our evening strolls soon after, we decided that I should stop fogging up the window and actually go in.  The rest, as they say, is history.

I found a purse I fell in love with then and there, and it came home with me that night.  It was a messenger style in this lovely taupe color (I'll post a pic tomorrow) and gorgeous leather.  It was better quality than anything else I owned, and more expensive than all but my diamond jewelry, and when I wore it I think I hovered a few inches above the ground... I was in purse heaven, and in a totally new way.  

Ordinarily, when I bought something new, the thrill was in the acquisition and also maybe the first time wearing it.  After that, it joined the ranks of the ho-hum and I really didn't get too excited after that.  But this Hermes purse was special.  It was my jewel, my little treasure.  I would want it to last forever, and I planned on building my life around it... Ok, maybe I exaggerate a bit.  But not by much.  I had a thrill each and every time I wore it, and it didn't diminish over time.  It made me want to have more jewels in my wardrobe -- things I could feel joyous about wearing every day for years to come -- rather than those cheap fixes that cost a lot but left me feeling empty. 

It was my ah-ha moment, and I was hooked.  Suddenly, when I went shopping, I started examining every item as if it would be chained to me forever.  Does this item fill a gap in my wardrobe?  Would I buy it for twice this price or only if it were a deal?  Would I want this 2 or 5 or 10 years from now?  Would it last?  Is this worthy of being worn with my lovely Hermes bag?  

My shopping habit trickled to a standstill.  I still spent the time researching, examining, discussing with salespeople, but I was happy to walk away empty handed if nothing met my criteria.  It appears some of the shopping habits of my newfound compatriots had worn off on me...