Monday Musings: Did I Misunderstand the Assignment?
We’re heading home from our amazing trip to see the spirit bears, and I’ll have much more to share soon. Being that close to such majestic animals in their own habitat was mind-boggling and makes me realize just how small we are in the grand scheme of things, which I consider a very good thing.
Apparently, that applies to packing too… but do note that I’m ready to fly with a large water bottle and a bag of potato chips.
I pride myself on being a good packer because I think through the weather, the activities, and what I’ll realistically wear. I did all of that for this trip and thought I’d executed it flawlessly. Except I packed far too much of one thing and nowhere near enough of another.
There’s a difference between reading the packing list and understanding the assignment.
It got me thinking about how often we do the same thing with clothes in everyday life. We can own beautiful things, put together a perfectly nice outfit, and still be slightly wrong for the occasion. Too dressy, too casual, too precious, too uncomfortable, or simply dressed for the version of the day we had in our heads rather than the one we’re actually having.
The older I get, the more I think a large part of dressing well is simply paying attention. Where are we going? What will we actually be doing? How do we want to feel once we get there? There’s a certain ease that comes from looking appropriate without looking as though we studied for the exam.
Maybe humility is part of good style too. Not the kind that asks us to make ourselves smaller, but the kind that lets us admit when something isn’t working. A beautiful outfit can still be wrong for the occasion. The shoes we love may be ridiculous for the amount of walking involved. And sometimes the thing we were certain we’d need turns out to be the thing we barely touch.
So much for packing flawlessly.
Reader Questions
Q – I’m interested in the Frank & Eileen Westport Illusion Cuff jeans, but at 5’4”, I’m wondering if the wide cuff will visually shorten me. Will it look stylish, or like I just forgot to hem my jeans?
A – Any cuff will visually shorten your leg, but these have a 26.5″ inseam, which may be full length on you. They don’t say how deep the cuff is, but it appears about 2.5″, which gives it enough presence to anchor a wide-leg profile without swallowing up shorter frames or dragging down your proportion. I think they look fun and I adore how comfortable this style is.
Q – Fall is a long way off where I live. How can I get the fall feeling without roasting?
A – I love this question because I struggle with the same dilemma every fall. Look for summer-weight clothes in deeper colors that feel more autumnal, then shift toward slightly more covered-up silhouettes in fabrics that still breathe. Swap out your straw, raffia, and canvas bags for leather or suede. Instead of sandals, opt for a more substantial shoe that’s still cool. Woven leather or open-weave leather flats work especially well this time of year.
How do you dress for fall in hot weather?
I can so relate to this post. Preparing, coordinating, planning and then realizing I really somehow missed out on the basic outfit where I really don’t think about what I am wearing.
I’ve had one trip to Africa for 4 weeks where I truly felt that I had packed well and was sensibly prepared for the changing weather conditions. I really pared down my clothes and wore them over and over again. I deliberately did not put in a lot of variety. I remember it as an easy trip because I had little baggage and didn’t worry about my clothing.
Sounds like the perfect packing strategy Marlene.
I can totally get it right for any occasion/weather in Dallas where I live but I am a terrible packer despite being consumed with what I’m going to wear on a vacation! I constantly check the weather for my trip, put way too much time thinking about each outing/event, consider who I will be with, etc. And then I arrive with the wrong clothes. I thought it would be cooler in Cabo, my layers would be sufficient in Turkey in December, I wouldn’t be overdressed compared to our hosts in the Bahamas. I fail every time. It’s so frustrating!
I understand your frustration. I should have known better about this trip.
Great post. I have two pre-outfit questions before deciding what to wear:
(1) What’s appropriate? (2) What will be comfortable? Then … I get to what do I want to wear, mostly Classic/Minimalist/Effortless, but occasionally I’m in an artsy mood.
For Texas “fall,” I wear what back-in-the-day we called “fall cottons.” That’s pretty much what you described above.
Would love to hear your thoughts on being “current,” but not too-too.
By not too-too do you mean trendy?
I’m still wearing my gauze and linens as it is still very hot here. I will switch out of my white leather bag to my navy leather one. I tend to wear white mesh shoes from Skechers or Easy Spirit and change to navy. Too hot for jeans here in southern Colorado. No jackets either. The weather will change in October.
Ours in California often doesn’t change until mid November. I remember many October days over 100!
As a 54.5 inch woman with short legs and a long torso, I’d just like to add a caveat about cuffed jeans since I’ve always liked the look on others. Whenever I try them to wear them, I look like Toulouse-Lautrec and immediately remove the cuff.
LOL
Can’t wait to hear about your trip! I looked up the lodge online, looks like a wonderful experience.
I had similar challenges when we went on African safari. Limited to one medium duffle bag and tote bag for each. We were told to wear neutral colors and to avoid two colors that attract tsetse flies. I wore everything except the pair of shorts I took, only warm enough to wear one day. (We were near the equator but I forgot it was a 5000 ft elevation!) For dinner every night I wore a pair of light khaki narrow leg pants, a linen shirt/tunic and tank, and metallic gold foldable flats. The safari staff at each camp did our laundry (except not underwear which we had to do in our sinks). It was by far the least I ever packed for any trip and every item was used/needed. And after that I went back to packing my usual way. Because our trips tend to be about 14 days, and tend to be “shoulder season” weather can be variable. It usually turns out to be colder, warmer, wetter (choose at least one) than what I packed for.
Your wardrobe for the safari sounds perfect!
To dress for fall in the heat I do just what you said. I wear lighter weight but darker fall colors in tops. I’m still wearing white jeans but maybe darker shoes and not sandals. Can’t wait to hear about your trip!
I don’t dress for “autumn” till January since I live in Florida! Still wearing shorts and tee shirts here! And dresses when I go out for lunch.
I absolutely love your look in the sweatshirt peacoat but I was a little taken back when I read on the Frank & Eileen website the recommendation to wash before wearing to prevent color transfer. I would think for $348 that would already be done did you
was yours first and did you have any issue with the fabric bleeding onto your white shirt?
You look so great!
I think they’re trying to cover themself. I had no color transfer onto my white shirt and I wore it all day traveling.