Look of the Week: Flexible Wardrobe

Last weekend was an amazing experience. I flew to Dallas for my first Reward Style influencer conference. I had no idea what to expect but should have anticipated that my wardrobe would be pretty important. I’ve NEVER packed less strategically for any trip and this was awkward.

This is what I wore to travel in. It was comfy and felt stylish. I bought the jacket in Sweden 2 years ago and can’t link to anything that looks close…sorry.

 

The temperatures were sweltering our first evening as we gathered for the opening pool party. I chose linen to stay cool. Here I am with Susan Blakey and Deborah Boland.

There were 200 top fashion bloggers at this event and they were all dressed to the nines. I wish I’d captured photo’s of these gals because some of them were truly world-class looking. Besides the clothes, there were more hair extensions, false eyelashes, and stilettos than I’ve seen in a long time.

I roomed with one of my favorite bloggers, Susan from une femme d’un certain age. If you don’t read her blog, I assume you live under a rock so I will encourage you to check her out here. Susan is down to earth, hilarious and very chic…she even offered to lend me clothes when my malfunctions began:) That’s a real pal!

For the cocktail party on our second night, my wardrobe malfunction hit critical mass! I didn’t bring a cocktail dress and had neglected to pack enough tops so I wore white pants, a silk Kimono and…wait for it…my new PJ top from Soma’s Cool Nights collection. The fabric was silky, it was black, clean and no one could tell it wasn’t a regular top. I tossed a statement necklace over it, added extra lipstick and plastered on a smile.

The following day had classes then a mid-day barbecue. An easy top, white pants, and flats were perfect for this. By now I’d begun rotating pieces in different ways and hoping not to spill on my clothes:)

By the final evening, I was wearing this jacket for the 3rd time and ready to see the last of it. I switched out my pants and shoes for our early dinner but knew this would never work for the black-tie wrap-up party so headed back to our room to pack and catch up on some internet.

I now realize that the addition of several extra black garments would have made all the difference in my wardrobe versatility. This was the first trip in many years where I didn’t bring several pairs of Eileen Fisher pants and I sorely felt their absence.

Have you had malfunctions like this and how would you handle it?

Thanks for reading and have a great day.