Suited and Booted

(A post for my fellow females and fashionistas)

The great Karl Lagerfeld once said, “One is never over-dressed or under-dressed with a Little Black Dress.” Well folks, I hope Karl was right because I currently have three Little Black Dresses crammed into my RTW pack.

Difficult does not even begin to explain the packing process for this trip. As a female who does consider herself to be somewhat fashionable, I was tasked with identifying essentials for six countries, various climates and one backpack (for 20 days). Are you serious?

I don’t consider myself to be a “girly-girl”; I’m not high-maintenance in the traditional sense of the word; I can absolutely get by with an every-other-day/every-few-day(s) shower; and I don’t need to have the most expensive, designer clothes on my back to feel confident. That said, I certainly felt like a diva this past weekend when packing for our trip.

Where to start?

I drafted a list of essentials per country based on our scheduled activities and restaurant reservations – I laid out the basics including toiletries, undergarments, socks, shoes, pants, shorts, tops and a few dresses. Last week I piled those clothes (and then some) on my couch and named them my “dream team”: everything that I’d ideally bring along regardless of whether or not they’d fit. From there, I narrowed down my selection based on practicality and need.

Yesterday, I threw my final stack of clothes on my bed and started experimenting with the packing process. I was quite impressed with myself at the end; most everything that I wanted to bring fit comfortably in my pack. I was even able to squeeze in some granola and oatmeal, which I know will come in handy at some point.

I have included pictures of my process within this post. Feel free to reach out with thoughts/questions. Oh – and I do have to give a shout out to the Eagle Creek team as their packing cubes gave order to my OCD-ness and organized my pack in minutes.

I leave Chicago for NYC on Wednesday night, where I will be reunited with Patrick before takeoff on Thursday. The only things left on my list are: adapters and a new tube of mascara (yeah, yeah… it’s a MUST!). Fingers crossed that everything goes smoothly in these next few days.

Say a Sunday prayer for us,

-Two for Takeoff

***

Maggie’s Final Packing List:

• Undergarments
• 4 headbands
• 6 tanks
• 2 short sleeve tops
• 2 long sleeve tops
• 1 sweater
• 1 jeans
• 4 leggings/shorts
• 1 maxi skirt
• 1 maxi dress
• 2 LBDs (“Little Black Dresses”)
• 1 Under Armour
• 1 jacket
• 1 swimsuit
• 1 tennis shoes
• 1 sandals
• 1 umbrella
• iPhone/iPod/Garmin Watch Chargers
• HD Digital Video Camera/Camera
• Toiletries
• Treats: KIND Granola and Quaker Oats Oatmeal