Midlife Loves

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Midlife Loves

Packing For The Unknown

So my big day has finally been & gone & wow what an amazing time I’ve had.  As I mentioned in an earlier post I had no idea where or what we were doing for my actual birthday as I had left all the planning in the very capable hands of my hubby & son.  Now whilst I had joked that we might end up at a Star Wars convention I secretly knew *prayed* that I was in safe hands as hubby had arranged a surprise trip for our tenth wedding anniversary six years ago when he surprised me with a trip to New York so I felt pretty confident that whatever we were doing would be fantastic & that there wouldn’t be a light sabre in sight!!! And I have to say he didn’t disappoint :-) 

Of course having to pack when you don’t know where or what you’re doing is a complete & utter nightmare.  And with wanting to travel light in the hope that part of our trip would involve shopping made things even harder.  All I knew about our trip was that the weather could be up to 14 degrees if we were lucky. 

Now initially when beginning the packing process I looked in my wardrobe & pulled out enough clothing let alone accessories to easily do me for a fortnight away let alone a few days.  It’s so hard to pack a capsule wardrobe when you have various favourite pieces that you’d love to take away with you & in my case that is particularly true with my love of jackets & accessories.  But when travelling with only hand luggage and one checked in holdall between three it was a case of HAVING to be sensible & only take what I thought I’d need plus a few options just in case, well a girl has to be prepared ;-)

So having been relatively successful & pleased with my packing for our summer hols I decided to stick to the same formula & pack a mixture of separates that could be mixed & matched to create a variety of outfits to suit the weather & our travels & cover both smart & casual options.  Of course if I suddenly discovered I hadn’t brought a vital something or other then that would just give me the valid reason *coughs excuse* to shop J

So after much deliberations here’s a list of what I took, apologises there's no picture...I did mean to take a piccie of clothes before packing but forgot...remembered & meant to take when unpacking & forgot....remembered & meant to take when packing to come home.....& forgot.....remembered & meant to take when unpacking back at home......but forgot!!!! Can you tell I'm now forty?!!! Think I might be suffering from memory loss now I've gone to the other side lol!!!

- Boyfriend jeans (light denim)
- Skinny jeans (dark denim)
- Faux leather leggings (black)
- Leather biker jacket (black)
- Double breasted blazer (beige)
- Tartan scarf (multicoloured)
- Woollen snood (grey)
- Faux Fur Stole (black/blue)
- Lightweight polo neck jumper (black)
- Thick warm polo neck jumper with button detailing (cream)
- Lightweight over-large jumper (navy)
- Camisole (cream)
- Lace effect blouse (cream)
- Long sleeved top (cream with splashes of blue)
- Furry cardigan/jacket (cream)
- Hi-top pumps (a soft gold effect)
- Shoe boots (black)
- Captain's cap (black)

As you can see I basically stuck to a neutral colour scheme with just a small injection of colour.

From a bag point of view (holdall not woman…although our seriously early start did mean I could have been described with the two words ‘woman & haggered’ but not in that order!!) I thought we’d most likely be visiting a city so decided to take a small bag that could be worn across my body that I couldn’t fill with a load of nonsense just the essentials….lippie, sunnies & my ‘flexible’ friend.  I don’t know about you but if I’m carrying a heavy bag for the day I start to get shoulder ache & if it’s crowded & busy you’ve also got the added worry of pickpockets & I find a small bag easier to keep nice & close.

Having been well & truly trained from my Brownie days, I decided to be well prepared & in case it rained took my H&M captain's cap as I find a hat so much easier for keeping dry (let alone warm) when walking in crowds than carrying an umbrella which you’re forever lifting up & down as you try to avoid taking people’s eyes out.  It’s also a great accessory if you’re having a bad hair day a.k.a. can’t be bothered to wash your hair & will hide a multitude of sins ;-)


H&M Captain's Cap




Of course scarves & gloves were essential & I have to say my Zara tartan scarf has been such a fab buy…..lovely & soft not to mention huge so perfect if cool on the plane & so cuddly for wrapping up in.  I also took along my fur stole for a bit of glamour (well if you can’t be glamorous on your fortieth then when can you?!!!) & my Sandwich snood.


Zara Tartan Scarf




Sandwich Snood




H&M Faux Fur Stole




Because of our likely destination I thought it best to stick with trousers for my bottom half as they’re so easy for dressing up or down & also easier for keeping footwear to a minimum.  Boyfriend distressed jeans for a casual relaxed vibe, a pair of skinnies if I fancied being a bit smarter & my faux leather leggings for evening. 


Zara Boyfriend Jeans




Zara Faux Leather Leggings




From a jacket point of view my biker jacket was a no brainer for warmth & simply throwing on in the day with a smart thick blazer for the evening along with several tops including a camisole that could be worn with both my navy ‘V’ jumper & my cream fluffy jacket/cardigan.  A black polo neck (useful), cream pretty blouse for smartening my jeans up, a cream top with a pop of blues & a cream chunky polo neck for warmth & style (I absolutely LOVE the gold buttoning).  Of course even I knew I wouldn’t need this amount of tops but I wanted to take something that would cover all eventualities & weather conditions.


Zara Double Breasted Blazer




H&M Fluffy Jacket




Zara Cream Polo Neck With Button Detailing




Zara Oversized Jumper




Topshop Cami




As I mentioned in a previous blog when deciding on what to wear for my day trip to London I have to have comfy feet & no matter which city we would be visiting I knew it would involve walking a LOT of miles & spending the day on my feet so I needed to ensure my feet & I were still talking to each other.  So I opted for my comfy M&S shoe boots that I wore to London for a smart look for evening & my hi-top trainers for pounding the streets of a day, which were also great for hiding my cankles which would no doubt spring up as a result of too much time spent upright!!


M&S Shoe Boots




So did I pack the right clothes for our trip & did I need as much as I took???  Well if you’re anything like me you no doubt already know the answer to this question!!  But will we ladies ever change?  Hell no, that’s what’s makes us so special ;-)

I’ll be back next time with a round of up my outfits from my wonderful birthday trip together with where we actually went & what we got up to in my next blog.  But in the meantime here’s what I’ve been wearing these past few days since our return.


Outfit One




Pearls - Birthday present
Shirt - Zara
Grey Snake Print Belt - Massimo Dutti
Vest Top - Zara
Jeans - Zara
Ankle Boots - Oasis


Outfit Two






Pearls - Birthday Present
Jumper - Primark
Skirt - Zara
Shoe Boots - Next
Stole - Zara


Outfit Three




Grey Pearls - Handmade
Vest Top - Zara
Jumper - Zara
Sequin Skirt - Zara
Boots - Oasis


Outfit Four




Necklace - Zara
Top - M&S
Blazer - Zara
Bracelet - J Crew
Jeans - Zara
Boots - Next


Outfit Five





Camouflage Scarf - Zara
Jacket - Zara
Denim Shirt - Zara
Jeans - H&M
Boots - Oasis


A HUGE thank you to everyone who has sent me such lovely birthday wishes....I can honestly say I'm LOVING being forty :-) so if you've got your 'big' birthday fast approaching embrace & enjoy every second.

Right seeing as my birthday has been & gone, I really need to get on with getting in the festive spirit…..so I’m off to wrestle with a tree & hang a few baubles.  In the meantime I’d love to hear if you’ve ever trusted your other halves to plan a surprise trip away not to mention your trips for travelling light when only going away for a few days.  What would you take?

See you at the weekend.

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21 comments

  1. Oh yes - he is a far better planner than I am!! He surprised me pre-children with a trip to Hong Kong and then NYC for my 40th - he has set the bar very high!!! Can't wait to hear where you went! xxx

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    1. Oh wow Joanna your hubby certainly knows how to spoil a girl, both trips sound perfect locations xx

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  2. p.s. I'm rubbish at packing so no tips from me - I always want to take EVERYTHING just in case

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    1. LOL that's the trouble isn't it. It's always nice to have a few extras for the unknown...there's always something I think I should have brought with me no matter how much I try to think of all eventualities xx

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  3. Your packing tips are awesome Jane! That has to be the perfect capsule travelling wardrobe! Thanks to you, I now need the H&M fluffy cardigan in my life....how versatile?!
    Glad you had a lovely time and look forward to hearing more about it.....I need details Mrs!! And would I trust the hubby to plan such an amazing trip.....only time will tell, as he normally leaves the planning stuff to me! xx

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    1. Aww thanks Michelle. I'm loving my new H&M fluffy cardigan...I didn't get round to wearing it for my birthday so thinking I should save it to wear at Christmas but we'll see!! xx

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  4. Where did you go the suspense is killing me? Sounds as though you packed perfectly Jane and all your outfits look lovely as ever xx

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    1. Thanks Sharron, I promise to reveal all at the weekend xx

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  5. oh I thought you were finally going to tell us, like Sharron, the suspense is killing me. Great packing tips, there is always something I wish I had packed but left at home! xx

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    1. I think everyone leaves at least one item at home they wished they taken with them & probably takes a good handful of things that didn't need to be packed....well I do anyway lol!! xx

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  6. Arrrggghhhh - what a cliff hanger - the suspense is killing me - when's the next episode!! :0) - Love your outfits, especially three and two - love your pearls in outfit two (and 1?)

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    1. LOL sorry Paul didn't mean it to be such a cliff hanger.....will be revealing destination on Sunday, can you wait?!!!

      Yes pearls are the same in outfits 1 & 2 (one of my birthday presents) they're actually much longer in length but I'd wrapped them round my neck a couple of times....one of hubby's surprises as I'd admired them in the summer when on holiday, didn't know he'd snuck back & brought them! xx

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  7. I never know what to pack - this all sounds fab! Can't wait to see and hear more about your trip! Love your stripy jacket in the last pic. Lynne x

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    1. Thanks Lynne...I seem to make hard work of trying to pack light for holidays...always takes me an age to decide & edit it down! xx

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  8. Just clicked on your site to see the H&M faux fur stole! What a good one! i am LOVING the look at the mo! xx

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    1. It's gorgeous isn't it Alex.... I could sooo buy lots of faux fur stoles at the moment that I will definitely be putting a few on my sales list. They're just so versatile not to mention cosy! xx

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  9. Oooh, Jane, I can't wait to see where you went. I love the Zara sequin skirt you're wearing xxx

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    1. Thanks Liz, I'll be revealing all (destination, not my birthday suit ;-) ) at the weekend xx

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  10. I've got much better with my packing over the years but I do still do the old put in & take out at the last minute thing! Lol! I think you packed so well! I just love that Zara tartan scarf & you look fab in the first outfit! Those pearls are gorgeous! Ax

    http://couscousandcorkwedges.blogspot.co.uk/

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    1. Oh gosh so do I Andrea & then generally regret taking out the items I did & wish I hadn't brought some of the items I don't get round to wearing lol!! Jane xx

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  11. Great collection of fashion dress!


    Chico's
    Women's Designer Fashion and Clothing

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