What's in my Travel Bag (Part II)

I must admit that vacation traveling (and in particular, beach vacation traveling) is 978359825 times easier than city packing (and in particular, winter city packing), so this post may not be as helpful as I'd hoped.  Anyhow, here's what I brought with me to La Amada:

• 3 Tunics: these make for the easiest on/off beach cover-ups.  From top left, starting with the white tunic: UniQueen, Zara, H&M
• 3 Blouses: 9to5 or not, I'm a blouse girl through and through.  Chambray top Levi's, White sheer blouse AlainnBella, Floral blouse Zara.
• 4 Bottoms. Mini skirt Zara, Denim shorts Siwy, Cut-off denim shorts Forever21, Polka dot pants H&M
• 2 Dresses: Yellow Zara dress, Long H&M dress
• 7 Swimsuits, individually packed in small ziploc bags (they're also stored this way at home). 
• Sedu Flat Iron: my hair tends to get quite frizzy, so I used it in the evenings before stepping out for dinner
• Liquids in my ziploc bag (the usual suspects of face wash, moisturizer, sunscreen...)
• Sephora Make-up bag (might be time for an update on this as I've added several new products to my arsenal!)
• Neutrogena make-up wipes
• J.Crew Sandals (officially my best summer buy?)
• Tumi "T" Tech 4-wheel, 19" carry-on suitcase (similar here): I may or may not have already babbled about how much I love this suitcase.  But I must say, at nearly 70,000 miles of traveling to date this year alone, they are the slickest wheels in the airport and make running around a total breeze.  Not to mention the hard shell protects everything I've packed.

That's it for the second and final installment of "What's in my Travel Bag" (find the first one here)!  Hope you enjoyed! :)

La Amada in Playa Mujeres

Oversized shirt - courtesy of UniQueen (no longer available)

Hat - H&M

Sandals - J.Crew

Beach bag - Fendi

Happy Monday!

A final set of photos from my beach vacation at La Amada Hotel in Playa Mujeres.  Whites and cremes make for a seriously chic setting, don't you think?  

(PS: I still have a "What's in my travel bag" post for my roller bag - coming up!)

Swimsuit Weather

Swimsuit 1 - Olaya Beach (here) 

Sheer Blouse - courtesy of Alainn Bella

Beach bag - Fendi

Hat - H&M

Bracelet - Club Monaco (similar here)
Swimsuit 2 - Olaya Beach (similar here)
Floral blouse - Zara (here)
Swimsuit 3 - H&M

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I'm back from my weeklong vacation to Playa Mujeres, a private stretch of white sand beach north of Cancun.  The resort was beyond amazing and I'll have one more set of photos to share with you. (And that picture of the plunge pool above?  It was in our own private terrace - crazy!)

PS: Black Friday online shopping anyone?  Here are my sale picks from Net-a-porter, Saks, Neiman Marcus, Barneys, Zara and ASOS.  Happy shopping!

Out of Office: Day Two

Shirt - Levi's (lusting after this more fall-appropriate version)

Shorts - Forever21

Beach bag - Fendi

Bracelets - Club Monaco (similar here) and courtesy of CC Skye and Tory Burch

Hat - H&M

Sandals - J.Crew

Day Two:

• Four mosquito bites and counting
• Three Grey Goose Strawberry Daiquiris (and counting)
• Three amazing Fish tacos
• A Double shot of espresso with a splash of hot chocolate
• Endless lounging at the turquoise blue beach and at the full-service pool

It's safe to stay that after Day Two, I stopped counting. ;)

Out of Office

My Out-of-Office message in Outlook for work is pretty discreet ("...During this time, I'll have limited access to emails and voicemail...") but this photo pretty much says it all.


Hello, heavenly beachfront resort.  ;)

What's In My Travel Bag

As with everything when you do it enough in life, I've learned quite a lot when it comes to traveling and packing.  For me, there's really only one simple rule and it's this: carry-on only.  Too many bags have been lost and found by various airlines (a disappointing 24 hours later) and when you're traveling on a tight schedule, waiting for baggage claim is just not efficient.  I travel light, and it's made my travel significantly easier.  The packing?  Not so much.  :)

Here's what I've packed in my under-the-seat carry-on for my November beach vacation:

• H&M Snood: The perfect throw-over-your-shoulders solution for cold window seats on the plane
• Macbook Pro: Recently encased in a clear shell by Speck
• iPhone
• Stella McCartney Sunglasses & Case: My go-to pair of late
• Various rings and bracelets and their own protective pouch
• Hair claw
• Reading material: Elle had just arrived, so it was the lucky one 
• iPad: Are three forms of wifi-capable, blogging-enabling gear really required? Absolutely! :)
• Packable Fendi beach bag
• Lanvin heels for resort dinners
• Caudalie Beauty Elixer: Recommended by a friend, it does wonders for post-airplane "air"
• Ahava lotion: To battle the dryness
• Estee Lauder Bitten Fig: This red shade is on my lips 75% of the time, the other 25% I'm wearing Revlon's Wild Orchid (bright pink)
• Kiehl's Lip Balm: A must when I'm on the beach
• Eclipse gum: Always fully stocked at home
• Keys
• Louis Vuitton Clutch / Purse / Crossbody bag / Wallet: It does it all and it's compact.  No brainer
• Lo & Sons O.G. Travel bag (courtesy of): This is the ultimate travel bag (and yes, it fit all of the above plus my DSLR camera!)

Next up?  What's In My [totally amazing 4-wheel] Roller Bag.  Stay tuned. :)

Weekend Neutrals

Trench cape - Stella McCartney (similar in tweed here)

Vest - courtesy of Alainn Bella

Turtleneck - Zara

Leather pants - Balenciaga (similar here in a beautiful gray/green hue)

Ring - H&M

Bracelet - courtesy of Quoise

Heels - Proenza Schouler

Reaching for my leather leggings as often as possible on weekends - they'll have to go into hiding once rainy season hits so I'm making the best of this leather-friendly Fall weather.  I've also been picking up winter basics, like this turtleneck from Zara.  Surprised that the first color I pick up is a neutral?  Not I. :)

Thank you for visiting!

Faux Fur Vest

Faux fur vest - BB Dakota courtesy of Stitch Fix (also available here)

Blazer - 3.1 Philip Lim (similar here in gorgeous deep khaki)

Blouse - courtesy of Gap

Faux leather leggings - H&M

Necklace - courtesy of Monet

Ring - courtesy Kendra Scott

Purse - Chanel

Heels - Chloe

Sunglasses - Stella McCartney

Happy Monday!

I enjoyed so many fun dinner dates with old girlfriends this past week, but this was worn for the dinner date with the hubby. :)  Excited to throw a faux fur vest into the mix (surprisingly warm and cozy) although now it only makes me yearn for a neutral brown variation too (like this or this!).  Hope you had a great weekend!

Something New: Burgundy Vest

Zara Vest

So thrilled about my new find - after wearing this H&M gray vest nonstop, I knew I'd find plenty of uses for this burgundy and faux fur version.  Care to share any of your fun new finds?

Brunch with Altuzarra at Neiman Marcus

(1) Joseph Altuzarra

(2) Orchids along the brunch table & a snapshot of me with the designer

(3) Bubbly for brunch, yes! & a photo with Maggie from Neiman Marcus 

(4) The designer during his Q&A session with Katie from Refinery29

A huge thank you to Neiman Marcus for hosting this lovely brunch with designer Joseph Altuzarra yesterday.  I absolutely loved hearing his candid answers during the Q&A session.  My takeaway?  He does a mean bias cut, the movement in his leather kilt skirt from the current season is AMAZING and he loves scented candles (about 150 in his possession - and counting!).  Charmed.

Afternoon Craving: More Capes

Vince Wool Cape with Leather Belt

Still crazy about capes over here and this one is no exception  Good news is, the sales seem to have started(!) - here are some of my favorite capes on sale right now: 1, 2, 3, and 4 (not on sale but a great price!)

Yellow

Blouse - courtesy of Anarchy Street (here)

Vest - H&M (another great vest here)

Trousers - Zara (similar here)

Ring - courtesy of CC Skye

Necklace - courtesy of Maya Brenner (here)

Purse - Celine

Heels - YSL

Sunglasses - Stella McCartney (here)

Hello friends!  I have no work travel this week which means I get to take part in fun get-togethers like last night's dinner at Cotogna with Caroline and Kate from Tory Burch (thank you so much!), Anne from CitySage / Rue Magazine, Blair from Atlantic-Pacific and Taylor from SterlingStyle / GlitterGuide.  Good times with these lovely ladies.

Happy Wednesday!

Graphic Stripes

Trench cape - Stella McCartney (similar here and a wintery tweed version here)

Blouse - Theory (similar here)

Dress - Max & Co 

Ring - H&M

Watch - Burberry Men's (similar here)

Heels - Chloe

Sunglasses - D&G, courtesy of Sunglass Hut

Happy Monday!

AWEARNESS: The Kenneth Cole Foundation

Proudly wearing Kenneth Cole's reinterpretation of the iconic AIDS ribbon.  It was designed to commemorate the discovery of the virus 30 years ago, and to ignite a new wave of awareness about the pandemic with the next generation.   

If you'd like to show your support, the ribbons will be on sale beginning November 4 with 100% of net profits being donated to AWEARNESS, the Kenneth Cole Foundation, in support of the MTV Staying Alive Foundation and amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research.  They'll be available at Kenneth Cole stores, Kennethcole.com; Bloomingdale’s stores and Bloomingdales.com; Gilt Groupe; and House of Fraser in the UK.

Thank you so much for stopping by and hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Purple & Gray

Bow blouse - courtesy of Alainn Bella

Sweater - Gap

Skirt - Dolce & Gabbana (similar here)

Vest/jacket - H&M (similar here in a perfect Fall color!)

Ring - courtesy of Kendra Scott

Clutch - Rebecca Minkoff courtesy of Polyvore (similar here) 
Heels - Chloe (similar here)

Sunglasses - Stella McCartney

A quick little post for today - Chicago has been beautiful.  Love this city! Hope you're having a great week!