Tag Archives: Garance Dore

The tale of a reformed overpacker

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It happened on the second day of my honeymoon: I was was getting ready for a day trip to Hilo when I realized that three-quarter of the items I had packed were not Hawaii-appropriate. Actually, they were all appropriate: for instance my beloved Manolos, but only if I had had plans to go for cocktails or fancy dinners every evening. But since our plans consisted of things like checking out the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and swimming with turtles and manta rays – ok, these two were solely my husband’s plans – I didn’t need high heels or cocktails dresses. And since it was scorching hot outside, all I really needed were a couple t-shirts, a pair or 2 of shorts, 2-3 bathing suits and some flip-flops. As Habibi had hinted, him and I could have shared a suitcase and avoided the added baggage fee. But I didn’t listen and packed everything that I owned that was summery, cute and in another shade than black.

You think that I would have learnt my lesson after having to pay $50 in service charges for excess baggage. I didn’t. Over the holidays, I had so many things in my suitcases that, on our way back home from Los Angeles, I had to ask my brother to put some of my purchases in his suitcase.

Anyhow, I’m really trying to become a reformed overpacker and that’s why when I went up North a couple weekends ago my bag looked like this:

Good, no? Granted, I was going to the country and only sleeping there 1 night…

Therefore, the true test will be my upcoming trip to New York City, because it’s one thing to scale things down when going to the country, it’s a whole other when going to the big Apple. Here’s my game plan: I’ve been meaning to give the popular 5-piece French wardrobe concept a try for a while now – it sounds like torture, but so does chemically straightening one’s hair and yet I do it every month. Anyhow, this time packing will be all about true quality pieces and not quantity. Plus, I also really want to avoid doing that thing I always do: buying new clothes before going on a trip even though shopping is always on the itinerary when I’m traveling abroad. And finally, since I highly doubt that I’ll be the one to impress New Yorkers, why should I even try?

Here’s to being a light packer! I’ll definitely keep you posted on my success. Or failure.

P.S. Looks like Garance Doré and I have yet another thing in common.

(Summer) uniform

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Today I was online, wasting time during a workshop… I know I know, but in my defense, the workshop was on the use of technology in our classrooms. In any case, I started thinking about my summer wardrobe and about all the different pieces I need to get if and when summer finally gets here. My list:

  • Swedish Hasbeens Slip In (in black);
  • Slightly oversized crew neck t-shirts (in white);
  • Lightweight stripped sweater;
  • Stripped t-shirts;
  • Nike Huaraches;
  • The perfect pair of distressed denim shorts that I’ll be wearing with those aforementioned Balenciaga sandals (inspiration: Tash Sefton and Elle Ferguson).

Nothing highly exciting, no real color, only updated versions of items I already own… That’s when a Garance Doré post from 2 weeks ago – Uniform – came to mind. At the end of her post, she asked “Do you wear a uniform?” I really want to answer no, because saying that I not only wear a uniform but also enjoy wearing it sounds so boring… Yet, you and I both know that it’s the sad truth.

For many years, my mum has tried to get me to remove my black cloak, with no avail. Maybe I’m just a really lazy person – black is easy and works with everything. Maybe it’s the Virgo in me – you really can’t go wrong with black. It could also be that wearing a uniform during my formative years has conditioned me to appreciate its distinctive nature. Or maybe it’s just that, as The New Oxford American Dictionary puts it, it is the particular way in which I exist in the world of fashion.

It is the forming part of my sartorial personality.