Summer in the City of Light means late sunsets and long picnics along the Champ de Mars, listening to guitar strums, breaking bread and drinking Bourdeaux over good conversation. Walking along St. Martin Canal, walking down the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, walking up the hill to Sacré Cœur de Montmartre, walking everywhere you can. And the thing about Paris, is, everything is art in Paris. The sign posts, the metro stations – the doorknobs, the ceilings – a billow of extra cream in a warm café noisette. Every little thing is dressed in fleurettes, red and blue broadcloth, and a tailored adornment of toujours la politesse.
Layering at the Louvre: You may already be privy to my aversion to checking luggage. Efficient packing is that sweet spot where my contingency planning tendencies and an intense love of all things miniature collide. For our recent 10-day trip I crazily whittled down to hand luggage only and when I saw a lone suitcase languishing on the open tarmac of the Madrid-Barajas airstrip – bravely standing like a wheeled monument to lost bags everywhere – I was happy to have stuck to the 10 kg limit!
Tucked into a Bric’s weekender duffle for a day romping around Paris, a thrifted DKNY blanket cardigan served as a jacket, wrap, scarf, nap blanket, and eye mask. Paired with a trusty pair of skinny jeans and Hudson booties, the cashmere wrap was perfect for the indecisive weather around Paris.
THRIFTED DKNY CASHMERE WRAP CARDIGAN: Nordstrom, DKNY, Donna Karan. Also thrifted: Ann Taylor sleeveless silk button-down, Lux skinny jeans, Neiman Marcus rosette clutch. MICHAEL KORS ‘RUNWAY’ WATCH: Nordstrom. On sale in black and similar Bailey, Bradshaw, Slim Runway. H BY HUDSON “HORRIGAN” BOOTIES: On sale at Revolve Clothing, Jules B. Also on Nordstrom. Order up one size; full review here.
After Paris we traveled to Barcelona and Ibiza, Spain. Since this post (and my original post of smart and stylish travel tips), I’ve put together an extensive guide to traveling lighter – it includes detailed steps and a printable packing list template.
