Travel Luggage & Outfits

I can't believe it's the end of August!! It's been a good summer this year but part of me can't help but feel the FOMO. Soooo much of my Facebook newsfeed is a constant reminder of all the places I haven't been, but the one that hits super hard is the fact that I've still never been to Europe! I'm packing for the long weekend in Montreal but my imagination likes to pretend I'm going to Italy or Spain.

One thing I noticed is that ever since I picked up my new DvF luggage set, I've enjoyed packing a lot more! I remember reading this article that builds on Marie Kondo's concept of only keeping/buying things that "spark joy", and the author of the article talks about buying a $50 rose gold stapler (wow!) but how the simple act of stapling piles of paper together now brings her joy.

Given my regular trips home to Toronto with a few trip to Montreal sprinkled in here and there, sometimes it feels like I'm constantly packing and unpacking. So even though I didn't really need a new luggage set, I appreciate how it somehow feels less of a chore!

I actually worked backwards for this post and picked my outfits first and packed them into the luggage for the lifestyle shoot. The looks I put together are realistic to what I'd plan to wear walking around Rome or Milan or Athens.

Outfit 1 (left): American Apparel linen shorts, American Eagle ribbed tank, Chinese brand button-down shirt, Coach flat sandals
Outfit 2 (right): Choocolate (Hong Kong Brand) shirt dress, waist belt from La Petite Garconne, Cole Haan leather sandals

Outfit 1: The Linen Shorts

The first outfit I immediately thought of was centered around my trusty linen shorts. Linen is a material I strongly associate with European styles, especially in the warmer regions like Greece, or Spain, and Italy.

The colour palette for this outfit was me picturing the setting sun in an orange-pink sky, overlooking historical ruins. Nick also commented that I look like Indiana Jones so I think I'll call this my "Archaeologist Off-Duty" look :P

Outfit 2: The Cotton Shirt(dress)

One of my favourite brands is actually Massimo Dutti from Spain. The Spanish editorials almost always include a clean white shirt, or in my case, this shirt dress.

I kept this outfit pretty simple, with black leather accessories throughout. Funnily enough, I was reminded of Europe when I purchased these leather sandals from Cole Haan a few weekends ago. They're all leather, flat but with a little heel, and have built-in cushioning in the insoles. So comfy! When I put them on, the immediate thought was, "Man, I could walk all over Europe in these!" I was actually struggling with a concept for this month but it's funny how a new pair of shoes can change your outlook ;)

Still dreaming of my European vacation but it was fun playing it out with this post! Hope you enjoyed these photos, thanks for reading :)