How to pack for vacay!

You know I'm all fashionably challenged.  I did want to try and up my game a bit since we were going to New York City.  Plus, I have a small duffle and didn't want to mindlessly throw in lots of items like I usually do.  I wanted to go in with a plan!  That's what I did.  I developed outfits that could work for every day with a little flexibility since I couldn't exactly predict the weather 7 days in advance. 

I picked out a lot of my favorite pieces and just started trying on outfits.  I went with layers and flats.  Here's what I ended up with:

We were going for seven days.  I wore some casual, comfy clothes not pictured for the long car rides.  I tried on every outfit and listed each one in my iPhone, so I knew I wouldn't lug along a bunch of extras.

As for shoes, I knew flats would be an absolute necessity.  I brought along my rain boots (necessary for rainy days in NYC),  my oxfords, my Tory Burch flats, and my Clark's.  The oxfords were a stretch since I hadn't worn them and weren't sure if they'd give me blisters (they didn't!).  The TB flats tend to hurt the balls of my feet and backs of my heels after being in them all day.  I knew I needed a back-up if the oxfords and flats killed me any day.  The Clark's Wallabees are certainly not the most fashionable, but they have to be the most comfy shoes I own.  I knew they'd be a necessity for my feet if fashion killed them :)

I added this French Connection dress last minute.  I have started wearing it as a "skirt" with the sweater over it.  I knew I could layer it well with tights and a jacket if need be.  I actually wore this instead of the other dress.

All in all, the pre-trying on and well-thought out packing really helped!  There were a few outfits I didn't wear.  There were a few I didn't love on arrival.  It was still nice to not think about pairing and changing 5 times.  Even if I didn't love the outfit, I usually went with it for ease.