by Wendy
Follow me on Twitter @wendylooksleaps

You know we love posts about packing on Looks and Leaps. We’ve written about the summer capsule wadrobe, spring transition, and packing for a ski trip, to name just a few. My recent challenge was two weeks in Europe (mostly Spain but also 2 days in France) with carry-on only. My husband Jack and I each took a carry-on suitcase and figured we could do laundry at some point. My goals were to 1) bring clothes that I really liked wearing, 2) mix and match items for a variety of outfits and 3) avoid any fashion fails.

What to Pack
You can see most of my trip wardrobe in the photo above. I brought 6 dresses:

• Two dresses that could be dressed up or down. One black knee-length and one purple print
• One casual dress in a soft material. Great for long car trips between destinations
• One dress best suited for evenings out
• One dress that is primarily a cover up for my swimsuit (it’s pretty short for everyday wear)
• One black convertible dress/skirt. Have you ever seen these? You can lengthen or shorten the hem by adjusting the top and wear it as a maxi skirt or strapless dress. This was my the first time traveling with this kind of item so I was curious to see how much I’d actually wear it.

I also brought:

• One pair of jeans and several t-shirts in solid colors
• An olive jacket and a floral jacket that could be matched with several items each
• A lilac scarf that has traveled with me on many trips and seems to flatter my skin tone even when I’m a jet-lag zombie
• A denim shirt that could be buttoned up as a blouse or worn unbuttoned as a layer over a dress or t-shirt
• I usually always pack flip flops, but I really wanted to bring both the sandals and the ballet flats. So I decided that I could wear the sandals to the pool and beach, as well as with a variety of outfits – and leave out flip flops. And it probably goes without saying that I brought my fave Converse.
• Not pictured in the photo are 2 bathing suits, pjs, a small case of costume jewelry, socks, underwear, and a pair of shorts in case we used a hotel gym.

I also brought a small beach bag and several extra plastic bags for carting wet swimsuits. I packed a mini flat iron I bought during my first trip to Spain. Tip: sometimes buying a travel flat iron that doesn’t need a converter is just easier to deal with and not that expensive. I think this one was 20 euros and has traveled with me on additional trips to Spain and Denmark. I packed ziplock bags of toiletries for me and Jack, leaving out soap and shampoo that I knew would be in the rooms.

How did it work out?
I did well overall, but with room for improvement. And I had a GREAT time on the trip, which is the important thing!

Did I like everything? Just about. The denim shirt was a standout star – you can wear that with everything! How did I not have this item in my closet before? The casual dress got a lot of mileage, as did both the purple print and knee-length black dress. The black dress was an inexpensive purchase from Old Navy, and looked nice with the floral blazer or denim shirt. Unfortunately I had to say good-bye to the dress at the end of the trip, due to pilling on the material.

Did my description of the convertible dress/skirt raise any red flags for anyone? If so, congratulations. Convertible dress was kind of a mess. I didn’t love it as a skirt with the extra fabric at the waist. I wore it as a dress with the olive jacket only once, and it was only OK. If you’re into tube dresses, you may have better luck than me.

Could I mix and match everything? Again, I loved the denim shirt. And jeans are always a good idea (no, I did not wear the denim shirt with the jeans). Convertible dress wasn’t as versatile as I hoped, but it was comfortable as a skirt on the plane. I ended up only wearing the sandals to the beach, so I probably could have lightened the suitcase with disposable flip flops instead. I forgot that wearing open-toed shoes is not really ideal in cities with litter and crowded streets. Didn’t need the workout shorts – we did so much walking that we skipped the gym.

Packing for 2 weeks in a carry-on suitcase can totally work. It’s perfectly fine to repeat outfits and soooo nice not to have heavy luggage. Besides, we could not have fit much more in the Mini Cooper we rented to drive around! It wasn’t a problem for us to do laundry in Spain – though maybe we lucked out and picked a time that wasn’t crowded. We were in a smaller town, and I think it was during siesta. We did one load with hot water and then dried everything on high. I think it took about 90 minutes tops.

And finally, did I avoid fashion fails? More or less. I think what I packed was appropriate, sometimes even cute. Looking back I might swap the convertible dress/skirt for a couple more basic dresses, and a blouse or two to wear with jeans. I could people-watch for hours in cities like Madrid, wondering how to copy that disheveled elegance that so many Euro women achieve. I probably still fail at this, but it’s fun to be inspired by international street style and keep trying. Cut yourself some slack – especially when you’re limited to a suitcase and not a full closet, right?!