My Essential Summer Holiday Packing Guide
Are you stressed out by the thought of packing for your holiday and end up dragging too many things along with you? I’ve had a good think about the absolute essentials I’ll be packing this year and thought I’d share my own list. Hopefully it will save some precious time trawling the shops and planning what to take!
I was inspired to write this because I finally booked a holiday yesterday so my head is in holiday mode. This year I’m on my annual summer sojourn doing a spot of surfing, beach and waterparks down in beautiful Bude in Cornwall having a ‘staycation’ - (how bloody annoying is that word!?) I’m seriously glad to be getting away from the bustle and stress of London and now I’ve settled on the idea of staying in the UK, I’m actually quite relieved not to be going near an airport. Pray for good weather.
So, feeling ‘holiday inspired’, here is my list of the essential pieces I’m going to be taking away with me to cover all bases and give me a few glam but practical outfit options.
3 x pretty tops
Denim shorts
Denim skirt
raffia bag
Dresses; maxi, wrap and slip
Strappy sandals
Trainers
Raffia wedges
A thin knit for chilly evening
A khaki jacket/shacket
3 x Pretty TopsSezane is the place for this kind of top for me but I also recommend looking at Monsoon and Anthropologie. In the summer I go a bit more boho and relaxed and these brands do feminine, embroidered tops that tick that box perfectly. I really love the contrast of a pretty top like these with cut off denim shorts or a denim skirt.
2. Denim shorts.
I love a classic Levi denim cut off but lately I’ve got into Hush’s more boyfriend style denim shorts. I’ve definitely gained more cellulite on my upper legs so a looser, longer fit is required until I get my tan on.
Hush star print relaxed denim shorts
3. Denim skirt.
These come in all shapes and sizes. I really like a short distress one when I’m tanned in summer but I also like this pencil skirt version because it could be dressed up a bit for evening.
Denim pencil skirt at River Island
4. Raffia Bag.
These are literally everywhere this season in handbag form or more of a basket/tote. I’ve gone for this basket bag because it would fit stuff in for the beach and still looks a bit glam with the red pompoms.
5. 3 dresses; a maxi, a wrap dress and a slip.
Maxi dresses are such an easy-to-throw-on piece that looks great on the beach as well as being suitable for a restaurant later. I rarely wear colour in the colder months so love to ramp it up on colour during summer.
Wrap dresses work well on curvier figures and again are easy to throw on. I’m also taking a couple of slip dresses on holiday this year and Topshop have a great selection. I love wearing these with strappy sandals, trainers or converse and when it’s chilly a slouchy cardigan over the top or slouchy jumper like the Neon pink cashmere knot from Hush below.
Bloom floral slip dress at Topshop.
6. Thin knit.
An absolute must-have for a British summer. As I mentioned already, I’d also throw in a slouchy cardigan too to wear over a slip dress or with cut off denim shorts if the temperature drops. I’m a massive fan of Hush knitwear because they do loads of bright colours like this excellent neon pink. I’ve also got this buttermilk yellow thin knit with star print that looks great on darker skin.
Hush shocking pink cashmere jumper
7. Strappy sandals.
The 90’s revival trend we’ve seen this spring/summer has resulted in lots of barely there sandals around. Very cute and feminine, I like the white ones below because they go with everything and because I’m an Essex girl and need a pair of white shoes in my life at ALL TIMES!
White strappy sandals at Topshop
8. Trainers.
Utterly indispensable if you’ve got kids and if you like high/low dressing i.e. mixing a pretty chiffon dress with a bit of trainer-led edge.
9. Raffia wedges.
Year after year I’m in a pair of these and get loads of wear out of them. I’ve got some quite high wedge Castener navy blue raffia wedges but can’t run around in those so this year I’m going low and think these will be perfect. They also come in red and yellow which are both lovely too.
Black detailed raffia wedges at Anthropologie
10. A khaki jacket or ‘shacket’.
Hahaha the word ‘shacket’ always makes me laugh but seriously, SUCH a handy item! Really great to throw over dresses or shorts and the khaki colour looks great with most other colours too - particularly with reds and pinks.
Essential Khaki Jacket from Hush
Hope you felt inspired by my summer edit of essential pieces to pack for holiday. Have a great holiday whatever you are doing and I’ll be back in September starting my autumn/winter shopping season.
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