Essential Clothes to Pack for a Girls Trip
I know you can agree with me that there’s just nothing in the world like a good girls’ trip!! I especially enjoy spending time with my best friend of over 20 years. (Gasp!!) We went to college together and we love taking the time to get together and do fun things and just hang out.
The problem with girls’ trips though is packing. How in the world do you pack to hang out with your BFF’s without it feeling like you packed your whole closet? That’s what we’re talking about today.
Women Dress for Women
As a general rule, we say that we dress “for our man”, but let’s be honest. Women dress for other women. We want feedback from them; we want them to admire our clothes, we want them to ask where we got the necklace, etc. We just want that time to be girly.
When women get dressed to go out together, there typically is no time limit on the getting ready part. No kids crying because they’re starving, no hubby looking at his watch. Just you, your girlfriends, a glass of wine, and all the time you want.
But I Don’t Know What to Bring!!
What if you don’t love your wardrobe? What if you aren’t sure what looks good? What if you don’t get that affirmation you so desperately want from your friends?
This is what causes us to overpack. If you don’t know what looks great on you, or if you aren’t sure what your style is, then the easiest thing to do is just bring it all. We’ve all done it. So how do we stop overpacking and only bring clothes that look amazing on us?
Planner Outfits
As part of my Adore Your Wardrobe course, I teach you how to plan your outfits. Fashion is not accidental; you should have your outfits planned out. So when I talk about “planner outfits”, I am talking about those outfits that you have already put together ahead of time and you already know look amazing on you.
As I plan for girl trips, I always go back to my planner outfits. I stick with neutral colors, knowing that plans can always change last minute. Jeans with a nice top paired with heels can take me to a nice restaurant, while jeans and a nice top paired with flip flops can go more casual.
Travel Outfit
The first outfit we need to talk about is your actual travel outfit. You have to actually get to where you’re going and you want to do so in style and comfort. I drive 3 hours to meet my girlfriend from college, so you better believe that I want to be comfortable. I might look great in a pair of jeans while I’m standing up, but I do not want to be riding for 3 hours in jeans. I almost always choose a comfortable dress for travel.
“But Kelly, dresses show off all my extra stuff.”
I hear you! And I have a great solution that I recently discovered. It is shapewear from Soma that is perfect for summer; it is lightweight and breathable, but it smooths out all the extra “stuff” and makes dresses look amazing.
The Evening Outfit
So you’ve made it to your destination and it’s time to head out on the town. This is the time to show off a little bit. Maybe that’s a pair of nice jeans and a cold shoulder top; maybe it’s a skirt and a sequined tank top.
The key here is that it should be something that you love to wear.
Loving what you’re wearing makes the whole experience better. If you don’t love your outfit, you’ll either be pulling at it or wondering about how you look all night. It doesn’t build your confidence or make you feel pretty.
Loungewear
When I meet my girlfriend from college, I can guarantee you that there will be one whole night of just sitting in the room talking. A bottle, or two, of wine may be involved, but the point here is chatting.
This is not the time to be wearing your nasty, holey t-shirt from college or the pajamas you slept in the past 3 nights. No. You need something both comfortable and stylish. Nothing you’re constantly pulling and tugging at to keep in place.
I usually pack a pair of high-end bootcut yoga pants and a cute tank top. This is a combo I feel totally comfortable in for laying around, but I could also walk down to the bar and get coffee in the morning or a glass of wine in the evening and not feel self-conscious.
Shopping Outfit
What is a girls’ trip without shopping? That’s no trip at all, right?
I always pack a neutral outfit for shopping so that I can enjoy trying stuff on without it clashing with what I’m already wearing. Say I see a gorgeous necklace that I want to try. If I’m wearing some big floral print shirt, then that necklace might look totally stupid with that shirt.
Another thing to consider is what bottoms you’re wearing. A good pair of jeans that really fit you well, or a skirt that hugs you perfectly would be the best option for neutral bottom wear. That way, you can try on different tops to your heart’s content, knowing it will all go with your bottoms.
Accessories
Now that we’ve got the basic outfits down, let’s talk about accessories.
One of the items I always, always take is a light denim jacket. Some restaurants are cold and if you’re wearing a sparkly tank top, you don’t want to be miserable for the whole night. So a light jacket of some kind is a must have for me.
Another must have is a small purse. I haul a big Mama bag with me everywhere I go but you can bet I am not taking it if I go out to a nice restaurant. I pack a small clutch type purse for any going out that I do.
And the other thing I take is my good make-up. I take it all. Remember how we talked about actually having time to get ready to go out? You have time to play around with makeup on a trip. Been wanting to try a smoky eye? Or a bright red lip? Now’s the time!
Don’t forget the accessories! I love to take along a huge bag of jewelry so that I can try different combinations of necklaces, bracelets, etc. Since I’m not going to be doing dishes or any kind of cleaning, I can enjoy wearing more jewelry than I do at home, knowing that I won’t ruin anything.
Time to Relax
If I have the things with me that I’ve listed here, then I know I will be able to relax and enjoy my time with my girlfriend. I’m not worried about how I look, I’m not feeling uncomfortable, I know my makeup looks amazing, and I feel ready for anything that comes up! And I didn’t have to pack 17 different outfits to accomplish it!
Listen, girls’ trips don’t come around too often for most of us. So we need to grab them when we have the chance and not let packing rob us of our joy. I hope these tips help you the next time you have the opportunity to gather with girlfriends or for any trip that you have planned!
