What I Packed
With so much going on I needed more than one outfit for a few of the days and since I also needed professional attire, the struggle was VERY real!! I love to create mini capsule wardrobes to try and minimize the number of items I need to take and ensure that everything can be worn with everything else. I employed this very technique for this trip. When I travel I need to get a week worth of clothes in a tiny little box. The only way to do this is to maximize versatility and then get creative with my pairings.
Here is almost everything that was in my bag. (I had a back-up Holiday shirt – more on that in a minute) and I may have had a long sleeve turtleneck or T-shirt just in case. #PackingHeavy
You know when it takes two collages there was a lot in my suitcase. #truth
Jackets, “Dress” and Accessories
Coat | Leather Jacket | Blazer (Stripe Shirt) | Knit Top and Skirt | Black Heels | Cheetah Scarf | Houndstooth Scarf (similar) | Leopard Belt | Day Boot
A note about the Day Boot (or White Booties). I know some of you LOVE them and some of you HATE them. I am clearly in the love camp. If you are not, simply replace them with black or brown or whatever color floats your boat. I included style notes about what I would have worn if I wasn’t in the white bootie LOVE camp. #YourWelcome
Tops and Bottoms
Silk Blouse | Stripe Shirt | Cashmere Sweater | Cable Sweater (Alternative) | Ivory Sweater | Velvet Pants (mine are old Loft but these are similar and I love these) | Jeans | Spanx Leggings | Black Jeans | Plaid Pants
My San Francisco Style
The one advantage of a stuffed suitcase? Lots of looks. I was able to easily create eight outfits for my five day trip and I could have conjured up a few more if necessary. They ranged from casual to Holiday party fun with some business attire mixed in the middle. Here are my looks from my five days in San Francisco. (I didn’t take the camera so most of the pictures are blurry snaps taken on the go). #NextTrip
Travel To (And From)
By now you should know that I don’t like to pack my blazers if I don’t have to. I typically will wear them traveling both to and from a destination to spare them the crunching. I wore pants on the way to SFO and denim on the way home (it was a full travel day with no meetings). It was an ivory sweater for my outbound trip and a rust sweater for the journey home. I also added a scarf for the journey home knowing I was returning to winter temps. I didn’t get any pictures from the outbound trip but I did snap one coming home. To replace the white booties for either of these looks I probably would have opted for brown or snake loafers or something like these.
Ivory Sweater | Coat | Cheetah Scarf | Knit Top | Day Boot | Plaid Pants | Blazer | Jeans (Rag & Bone for $80)
Cheetah Scarf | Knit Top | Day Boot | Blazer (all sizes restocked) | Jeans
Client Meetings
Since I was there for work I obviously had business attire but I’ve learned from previous trips to San Francisco that a suit is typically overkill. I brought separates to mix and match and created all my work looks using those. I didn’t take any pictures dressed in my work attire while traveling so I took a few pictures of the looks over the Holiday break. Both of these looks would work with a pair of snakeskin pumps instead of the white booties (see picture below). I would recommend the pumps from INEZ because of their comfort factor but there are tons more options in this Shoesday post.
Coat | Blazer (Stripe Shirt) | Knit Top and Skirt | |Cashmere Sweater | Leopard Belt | Day Boot | Cheetah Scarf
Knit Top and Skirt | Blazer (Stripe Shirt) | Leopard Belt | Day Boot | Cheetah Scarf | Cashmere Sweater | Snakeskin Pumps (see this post)
Holiday Party
For the holiday party it was a silk blouse paired with velvet pants. I had taken a back-up blouse but no other pants. You can learn about that failure in last weeks fashion emergency post. I survived though.
Silk Blouse | Leather Jacket | Velvet Pants (I really took old Loft but these are similar and I love these) | Black Heels | House of Harlow Earrings
Silk Blouse | Velvet Pants (I really took old Loft but these are similar and I love these) | House of Harlow Earrings
Casual Looks
I had a little time for some sightseeing and also the opportunity to be more casual for dinner a few nights which I took full advantage of!! #Yessss For the mostly navy look you could swap the white booties for burgundy or taupe and for the other took looks black booties would be perfect. (Notice that white booties have the power to pair equally well with navy, brown and black making them VERY versatile. Taupe would be my second choice for a color almost as versatile.)
Look 1
Coat | Blazer | Diamond Studs | Stripe Shirt | jeans | Day Boot
Look 2
Cable Sweater (Alternative) | Black Jeans | Leather Jacket | Cheetah Scarf | Day Boot
Cable Sweater (Alternative) | Black Jeans | Leather Jacket | Cheetah Scarf | Day Boot
Look 3
Leather Jacket | Cashmere Sweater | Spanx Leggings | Houndstooth Scarf (similar) | Day Boot
Leather Jacket | Cashmere Sweater | Spanx Leggings | Houndstooth Scarf (similar) | Day Boot
Want to be the first to know or to get more work wear inspiration subscribe to the Newsletter for insider style tips and more.
You can also Follow me on Facebook , Instagram or Bloglovin for even more work wear style inspiration.