Sunday, February 24, 2013

My NYC Travel Wardrobe

Well I did it, I am all sorted out as to what I will take to NYC next weekend!

We will be gone from Saturday morning till the following Thursday night.  We will drive for long stretches (to Maine and back) and fly for very short stretches.  We will walk and if you recall, I am bringing one purse, one wristlet or wee crossbody, and one carry-on suitcase.  That's it.

But I think I have it licked!  Thanks to Dani's concept of a "colour story", GF's concept of a list, and my own desperate need for comfort, comfort, comfort, I think I am in good stead...

So - my colour story?

I decided that I would use the shawl/scarf below as the basis:



The scarf has pinky, burgundy, beige and grey colours. 

It pairs nicely with the coat, I am bringing, my charcoal grey peacoat:





The tops - heather flax cashmere cardigan, camel, black and grey tshirts, one gray ribbed tank, one green silk camisole, paris tshirt and burgundy tippi.

Two pairs of pants only, the black and grey Paige premium ponte knit pants:


And 2 dresses, one a VERY comfortable and versatile day dress, the other, more dressy for the theatre and one of the fancier dinners we have organized.


You can see I am only bringing a couple of less expensive beads with me - I tend not to take my finer jewellry with me and I plan to simply wear my diamond solitaires the whole time.


Two pairs of footwear only: my burgundy Aquatalias, which are very comfortable and long since broken in and my cole haan loafers, ditto.  I know my feet will swell from all the walking I plan to do and I am not going to fight it!  And yes, shoes will be all spic and span before we go!



Some tights and pjs and I am all set.  The combinations are versatile.

My dress-up outfit:



Because the dress has short sleeves, the wrap will be absolutely required and I think will look quite chic.  I must be ready in case Tom Hanks notices me out in the audience and calls me forward to sit with his wife, Miss Rita Wilson, she of the lovely style.

Other outfit ideas I have already have:

Museum hopping


At the other dinner, a cardigan and my little floral Ralph Lauren scarf.


A close-up of the scarf print, which pairs very nicely with the green silk charmeuse tank.







I am taking another cotton scar as well with blues, beige and grey and black, which makes a nice outfit with the flax cardigan, the black pants and the loafers.




All in all, I am very happy.  I have listed when I will wear what and where I will wear it on a little piece of paper that will go on the outside of my bag as per GF's suggestion.  I hemmed and hawwed about whether to add a third cardigan, my grey tippi or my turquoise Brora, or even a blazer, but in the end, I decided I would not have room.  Under dire circumstances, I can always buy something! :-)

I am feeling very pleased about having it all sorted out.  At present, the long-range forecast for the time we are in NYC shows sun/overcast and daytime temperatures ranging from 5 to 7 celcius.  The pieces I have chosen allow me to layer or not.  The peacoat is warm but not heavy. 

There you have it.  Have a wonderful Sunday and stay safe out there!

44 comments:

  1. You will have a wonderful time, all the while being chic and fabulous!!
    Packing can be a beast, but having the right formula makes all the difference. Can't wait for your photo's :-)))

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  2. Oh you have this down to a fine art, I hate packing more than anything, do you remember last year? I went to France, packed only one of each pair of shoes I had planned to take because I had tried everything on with just one shoe and put just the one in my case? What an idiot, in my flat black walking shoes the whole trip.

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    1. Oh I have had times like that! It is so embarassing! I was even contemplating switching the loafers out for my black converse so I can really hoof it! I would certainly look like a new yorker then!

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  3. I agree that you are going to look incredibly chic and fabulous on your trip, WMM! I know you must be getting extra excited now that you have less than a week to go before you leave. Plus there will be no need to stress this week over what to pack, since you already have that taken care of. :)

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    1. Yes - it will be the last minutes fussing with the kids who will wait till Friday and then need laundry done!

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  4. Have a wonderful time WMM! I love feeling very set in my packing, so I'm not caught out without something I want when I get there. You are going to have a great time and look fabulous doing it! :)

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  5. Looks great, WMM! I think you've done it! :)

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  6. Excellent packing up. I really like that RL floral scarf, it's so pretty!
    You are going to be comfortable and be so well-dressed the whole time. You'll fit right in when you go for drinks with Tom and Rita!

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    1. Thanks Dani - Oh wouldn't Tom and Rita and Barry and I have fun! FOur smart asses in one place at one time!

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  7. I think you did a great job and will work out perfect for you in NYC!
    Hopefully you can do a little shopping too:)

    ..and i finally became a follower and added you to my blogroll!

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    1. Ina! You made me laugh out loud! Thank you so much for adding me to your blog roll. You know that I am hoping to get "discovered" in Europe and this may help! :-)

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    2. oh and surely there is something lucky about #65!

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  8. MIX & MATCH WMM, I am so proud of and happy for you. Just wait 'til the DH sees you've done it - with no need for Garanimals sets. (Oh and Ms. Rita is smiling already.) Your scarves are really lovely and I think it's a good idea to leave a little "give" in your bag for any really must-have purchases. It is NYC after all. Plus, since you do have teenagers to wrangle, it will be excellent to be calm and ready about your own stuff.

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    1. Enjoy your Oscar night. I will be remote battling with DH toward end (Walking Dead on AMC).

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    2. Oh I know! I have to PVR the Walking Dead! Thank God Downton is done! Thanks for the good words, GF! I am feeling much better about the whole enterprise. Now I am doing truly goofy stuff, like looking up the addresses of all those statues I am going to visit. I really am becoming quite eccentric...

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    3. Hospital, crime and disaster stuff doesn't usually bug me but don't watch WD anymore as I have to keep my throw over my head for so many zombie scenes and the governor gives me the creeps = no Sunday sleep. Well-written series with compelling characters (ditto the graphic novels which DH has) but admit I am more of a Breaking Bad, Mad Men gal - less half-dead, decomp, blood-spurt gore.

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  9. I think you did a great job and it will work out perfectly! Do you plan to wear the evening dress with the Aquatalia boots? Being petite I always feel like a Smurf when I wear loafers with a dress or skirt.
    By the way, I passed by the French sole store yesterday night and they are having a winter clereance, I hope you can find some great deals there! And if you are in the Met area during the week, I can meet you for coffee (will make sure that Andrew is there) and a little tour of JCrew ;-).

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    1. Ema - yes, would love to meet for coffee! I will be in touch on Sunday and we can find a good time! I will definitely be wearing the dress with boots - KNOW exactly what you mean by smurf comment! I was going to bring my comfortable pliner sparkle midheels, but I don;t think there will be room, so boots it is!

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  10. Enjoy your trip. I love NYC. If the weather's good go eat at Grimaldi's in Brooklyn and then stroll over the bridge back to NY. It's a lovely walk if you've never done it before. In fact, it's lovely every time. Don't forget the panties and the camera.

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    1. BB - I have never been to Brooklyn - should walk teh bridge as I am reading about it right now! Am I getting this right - you only want me to wear panties and carry a camera on the Brooklyn Bridge? Oh My! I may need Ema's home # to get her to bail me out!

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    2. WMM, please no trips to any police plazas or Rikers type joints as vacay souvenir. Although in NYC undies and a camera would hardly get even an eyelash batting, much less a citation. And, time permitting plus as WFF says so many "bests", I'm adding my vote for Bridge walk - my second fave city stroll after High Line.

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    3. Well...maybe not. I did forget underwear on a trip to Vegas. Hubs didn't seem to mind but I am not a commando type of gal. But if you have time and the weather is good the bridge walk is great. Take the sub over and walk back.

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    4. Thanks Ladies! Bridge walk + keep clothes on! Gotcha!

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  11. I love your color story. You picked beautiful and rich colors and they all harmonize perfectly. I often use a scarf as a starting point too. Those grey ponte pants were really a good buy. Your trip is really just around the corner!

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    1. Thanks KNityarns! I am quite excited, having not been there for a couple of years. After I am discovered in europe, am going to have to get discovered there!

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  12. Everyone has her own New York, just as everyone has her own Paris, so I'm not going to dictate a list of Musts. Except, of course, that opening on 2/25 at the Met is an exhibit called Impressionism, Fashion and Modernity, which I think you will love.

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    1. Oh! I am all over that!!!! THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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    2. OOOh, me too. Thank you WFF. Although I don't know if my sons will be willing so soon after the Schiaparelli exhibit...

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    3. It looked to me like they had a group of well-known Impressionist paintings together with the gowns, or replicas of the gowns, that some of the ladies were wearing in the paintings. Since men's clothing has also changed dramatically since that era, I was wondering if they had any of those outfits...

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    4. I just looked to see the dates and in the description they said that there would be men's costumes as well. Thanks for the tip WFF. I am looking forward to going!

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  13. Wow I can't believe how organized you are. Are you fitting all of that in a carry on? The choices work so well with the scarf.

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    1. I think so - thank goodness I can wear coat and boots. Everything else rolls up very small and not taking much in way of toiletries and makeup!

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  14. Hi WMM, well done on the packing! We are leaving for our cruise the week after you. My MO is a little different of course - peacoat, boots, jeans and top for the trip to the airport (we are driving to Buffalo), then summer clothes after that. Since I'll change for dinner on the cruise, I will take 2 or 3 dresses, plus summer pants and tops. I've ordered the Lands End slim ankle pant chinos in white and blush pink. For days at sea I have my polo dresses, and of course swimwear. Shoes - flat sandals, wedge sandals, and hopefully I can fit in my trainers, as I'd like to do some early morning walks around the ship.
    We have two stops, but I'm not sure what we'll do yet - I'm not really a beach person, we might take one excursion. This trip will hopefully be all about relaxation. We did consider going to New York this March break, but in the end decided for warmer climes. I definitely want to go sometime when it's just me and my husband - I'd love to do the culture vulture thing! Looking forward to hearing all about your adventures!

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    1. Hi Patricia - oh you are going to have fun! I have never done a cruise before!

      It will be interesting this time as we will likely split from the kids more frequently as they are all 18 to 21. I am ready for a bit of culture!

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  15. You are all set and ready to go! You must have a good-sized carry on bag for all those items, or you're an amazing packer. I'm always afraid to pack too tightly lest I look like a Shar Pei when I'm out and about. I'm sure you will have a lovely time and I hope the weather is beautiful for all the walking you will do. Have a wonderful trip!

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    1. Well I may end up ditching something when I go to put it all in! The good thing is that the suite has an ironing board and wrinkles will come out quickly! Thanks for the good wishes!

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  16. I am very jealous, I've been missing NYC a lot lately. You will have a fabulous time and great choices for packing!

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  17. I'm jealous since I've never been to NYC! I'm sure you'll have a ball sightseeing and shopping and dining! Great scot that's a lot of stuff you're bringing! I'm a bit of a minialist, and usually don't carry more than a purse, backpack and a carry-on (basically whatever TSA/CTASA allows us to bring onto a plane) since I'm a scaredy cat about checking in luggage.

    Have a great time and will look forward to your NYC posts when you come back!

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    1. HI CC! I suspect it may get really narrowed down when I put it all in! I am thinking the monoprix dress may be superfluous, but we will see as i pack on Friday! Mine all has to be in a carry on as well!

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