Midlife Loves

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Midlife Loves

Capsule Holiday Packing & WIWT

So the holiday is already feeling like a distant memory but before it disappears completely I thought I'd do a round up of what I took with me & my thoughts & rules on packing a capsule wardrobe for your hols.

I've previously written a couple of posts on this subject here & here & if you're anything like me you'll hate packing with a vengeance.  Trying to decide what to take used to take me ages with trying to work out how I could take all my favourite pieces, which tops would go with which bottoms, what shoes, bags & accessories would go with which outfit until I'd not only totally confused myself but worn myself out in the process.  

Then last year I had a bit of a lightbulb moment & decided to take just one pieces - dresses & jumpsuits in mainly neutral colours with a selection of brightly coloured jewellery & bags to help accessorise the outfits to create different looks.  

So with these rules in mind when packing this year I managed to get myself done & dusted in less than 30 minutes, which has to be a world record for me!

This year I not only kept to one pieces I've also stuck to a colour palette of creams & blacks, the only exception being my denim shorts & striped top & navy maxi which I just couldn't resist packing.

So what did I take for a two week holiday, well here's the list:-

Day Wear:-
1 maxi dress, similar here.
1 pair of shorts, similar here.
1 off the shoulder top, similar here.
4 dresses, similar hereherehere & here.

Beach/Pool Wear:-
6 kaftans (which I'll admit I could easily have lost one or two but hey they don't take up that much room do they ;-) ).  See herehere & here & similar herehere & here.
3 Swimsuits, see herehere & here.
2 Biknis, see hereherehere & here.

Evening Wear:-
2 cream knee length dresses, similar here & here.
1 cream maxi dress, similar here.
2 black knee length dresses, similar here & here.
1 black maxi dress, similar here.

Accessories:-
Sun hat, similar here.
Sunglasses, similar here.
5 statement clutches (again this could have been reduced), see here & similar hereherehere & here.
A selection of jewellery, this necklace would be perfect for being a great multi tasker.
2 pairs of flip flops, see here & here (again I could easily reduce this to 1 pair).
4 pairs of sandals, see here & similar herehere & here (whcih could also be reduced probably just to 2 pairs if I was being strict!).

And here's a round up of my outfits from the holiday.


My Midlife Fashion, Zara, Summer, Holiday Outfits, Coco Bay, HM, Mango


My Midlife Fashion, Zara, Summer, Holiday Outfits, Coco Bay, HM, Mango


My Midlife Fashion, Zara, Summer, Holiday Outfits, Coco Bay, HM, Mango


My Midlife Fashion, Zara, Summer, Holiday Outfits, Coco Bay, HM, Mango


My Midlife Fashion, Zara, Summer, Holiday Outfits, Coco Bay, HM, Mango


My Midlife Fashion, Zara, Summer, Holiday Outfits, Coco Bay, HM, Mango


My Midlife Fashion, Zara, Summer, Holiday Outfits, Coco Bay, HM, Mango


My Midlife Fashion, Zara, Summer, Holiday Outfits, Coco Bay, HM, Mango


My Midlife Fashion, Zara, Summer, Holiday Outfits, Coco Bay, HM, Mango


My Midlife Fashion, Zara, Summer, Holiday Outfits, Coco Bay, HM, Mango




My Midlife Fashion, Zara, Summer, Holiday Outfits, Coco Bay, HM, Mango


My Midlife Fashion, Zara, Summer, Holiday Outfits, Coco Bay, HM, Mango


My Midlife Fashion, Zara, Summer, Holiday Outfits, Coco Bay, HM, Mango


Obviously I could of managed without a couple of dresses & a few less pairs of sandals too but on the whole it seemed to work & be about the right balance.  Although next year I shall only take one day pair of flip flops & 2-3 pairs of evening sandals, as hubby was breaking into a small sweat at check-in on the way home that our existing clothes & holiday purchases might have taken us over the allowed allowance!  Luckily we were fine & even had a few kilos to spare :-)  

For those of you who have asked how I've found the Charlotte Tilbury Beach Sticks (see my post here) I absolutely loved them & would highly recommend.  I wore them as I'd planned in my post & found them to be really easy to blend.  They go on really smoothly & you just build colour to suit, the only negative I can think of is they're addictive so you have been warned!!  

Back to today & here's what I'm wearing.  So what had planned to be a very quiet day in loading up on carbs ready for a night on the town with some friends has now turned into a mad dash trying to finish off the painting we started yesterday & tidy the house.  As usual my time management leaves a lot to be desired & I have SERIOUSLY underestimated the time it would all take but hey ho we've got bubble o'clock to look forward to :-)   To say I'm a teeny weeny little bit excited is an understatement, although we're supposed to be up bright & early tomorrow morning to hit an antique fair which could be interesting!!


My Midlife Fashion, Rachel Wears, Oversized Cardigan, Denim Pencil Skirt, Zara, Seven Boot Lane Dakota Shoes, Pia Jewellery Gold Star Pendant


Cardigan - Rachel Wears
T-Shirt - Zara
Necklace - Pia Jewellery
Skirt - Zara
Shoes - Seven Boot Lane


Grey and Denim, My Midlife Fashion, Mint Velvet Button Through Denim Skirt, Zara,  Boden sparkly slip ons, Rachel Wears Oversized Merino Wool Cardigan, Mango Grey Marl T Shirt


Cardigan - Rachel Wears £135
T-Shirt - Mango £17.99
Necklace - Pia Jewellery £70
Shoes - Boden £49


So what do you think, do you think I managed to travel light for our hols or did I over pack?  I always like to dangle the carrot of potential holiday purchases when packing, let alone the thought of having to unpack it all & wash & iron it when I get home so I always try to keep room in the suitcase.  How about you how do you go about packing for your holidays?  Any tips you'd like to share?  I'd love to hear your thoughts.

See you tomorrow & if you want to see what I'm wearing tonight I'll be posting a picture on Instagram later (follow me here) there may even be a sneaky holiday purchase or two coming out to play.

Hope everyone has a fab Sunday & don't forget you've got until tomorrow to get 20% off all purchases with Coco Bay use code MIDLIFE20 at checkout.  I seriously can't rate their swimwear & accessories highly enough, it's amazing quality & seriously didn't budge an inch, even with out the straps!

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10 comments

  1. I love your packing tips, Jane. Taking one pieces is a brilliant idea! You look fabulous in all of your outfits. I think you packed the right amount, it doesn't seem excessive at all! Lynne xx

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    1. Thanks Lynne, one pieces are definitely the way to go & I could easily loose a day & evening dress....the trouble is when we don't get the weather here to enjoy wearing our summer clothes you just want to take it all away with you don't you?!!
      Jane xx

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  2. You having the perfect packing off to a tee Jane! It is so much easier to pack dresses and ring the changes with the accessories! It is great to have a post like this to refer to see where you could slim down your packing next time around too! Have a fab time tonight! xx

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    1. Thanks Michelle & yes it's great keeping a note. Before I started packing this year I referred to last year's post so I knew how many dresses to take, which made it even easier :-)
      Jane xx

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  3. Looks like you got it spot on Jane....Love how you have broken it all down for us! Even though I think I have got my packing pretty near perfect, I always end up with a couple of items that I don't wear. I think until you get to your chosen destination you never know what the dress vibe there is going to be?!
    Helen xx







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    1. That's where we're quite lucky for summer holidays Helen as because we return to the same place I know what clothes I'll be needing which makes it so much easier & of course knowing it's going to be good weather helps too otherwise that would be a whole different minefield!!
      Jane xx

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  4. Oh thanks for this I'm just packing myself ! Are you at the Mon Port in Mallorca ? I was there in September:-)

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  5. Yes we were Rhona, we absolutely love it there - well spotted!
    Hope you have a wonderful holiday :-)
    Jane xx

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  6. Some gorgeous holiday looks here Jane, and I love your idea of just packing one-pieces! We've just booked to go away again in October, so I'll have to see if I can be a bit more organised for that one! xx

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    1. Thanks Becky one pieces are definitely the way to go so much easier & less space.
      How lovely to have a holiday booked for October.....not long to wait! :-)
      Jane xx

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