Packing for a Tropical Vacation

Packing is always a little bit of a challenge. Especially when you are limited to the number of bags you can bring. Here is a guide of what to bring when visiting a tropical beach location and staying at a resort for 7 nights. Of course, this is just a guide, you will want to adjust to your particular needs.


Dresses:
Bring dresses. You will be in warm weather and chances are your resort will have some nice restaurants. Choose dresses that are light! I suggest a mix of casual and dressy. The casual ones will be great to throw on for lunch and for exploring the nearby areas. I think 4 casual and 2 dressy should be enough for the trip.

Mandarin-Print Mini Dress - $19.80 Forever 21
Naples Dress in Silk - $65 Lulus


Shoes:
This is the hardest part of packing. Shoes. How many? What colors? They are bulky and take up too much room! You only need 3 or 4 pairs. Buy a neutral color heel. Plan your dresses so they will match with this neutral color heel. Flip Flops! Pack a pair that will work for both the beach and for exploring the resort and area. If you decide to bring two pairs, make sure one is neutral so it will go with any outfit. And last, you need a good pair of sneakers. And don’t forget a couple of pairs of ankle socks! These are for those who want to explore the area and may do some adventure excursions or a lot of walking.


Massimo Inger Pleated Dress Shoe - $16.08 Target
Jessica Simpson Dinara Flip Flop – $13.99 Macy’s



Ryka Moira - $69.99 Lady Footlocker



Shirts:
You will be in warm weather. You don’t need any big bulky tops! I think bringing 4-5 tops is a good idea. You won’t need them that much. Chances are you will be in a bathing suit most of the time anyway!


Long Layering Tank - $8.50 Old Navy
Pleated Trim Top - $12.50 Old Navy


Sweaters: I think it is a good idea to bring 1 sweater. There might be some hard AC pumping when you visit certain places. Choose a neutral color. Ivory or cream is probably best!

Dropped Shoulder Cardigan - $59.50 Ann Taylor Loft

Bathing Suits:I suggest bringing 5 bathing suits. Choose 1 or 2 that are a one-piece for those who plan to participate in water activities. And then roll up those bikinis and stuff them in the suitcase. You will wear these a lot and they are so small and easy to pack!

Twist Front Tank One Piece - $44.99 JCPenny

Bikini - $34 Victoria’s Secret (price per piece)

Shorts:I believe only 2 pairs of shorts will be needed. You can wear the same pair more than once. I’d suggest a cute pair of jean shorts as well as some khaki shorts to give you variety.

Denim Shorts - $14.95 American Eagle

Amazing Beach Resorts!

Now that we have established what to pack for a tropical beach vacation, let's take a look at some amazing resorts that you could visit and pack for. These resorts all look amazing and offer excellent accomodations, food, and atmosphere. can you tell I want to go on vacation!?



Pimalai Resort – Krabi, Thailand
Le Taha’a Resort – Tahiti



Spice Island Beach Resort – Grenada
Pink Sands Resort –Harbour Island, Bahamas




Sani Beach Hotel – Halkidiki, Greece
Nannai – Porto De Galinhas in Northern Brazil (went here on my honeymoon. It is an amazing resort!!)




Majestic Elegance – Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Ponta Dos Ganchos – Southern Brazil

Excellence Playa Mujeres – Cancun Area, Mexico

Couples Swept Away – Jamaica

Hotel Amfora – Hvar, Croatia

Fashion Sales - Invites!

There are a bunch of wonderful fashion sale websites. They have designer sales that last a couple of days and offer excellent discounts. You have to be invited to join them though. Here are some invitation links you may use!

GILT

Ruelala

Ideeli

Billion Dollar Babes

Hautelook

Top Secret

Beyond the Rack

I also Love the website The OutNet. No invite needed. And the sales are not time limited. But stock is limited.

Happy Shopping!

New York RTW Fashion Week Favorites

I love checking out the new designs by fashions hottest designers. I'm not one of the lucky few who get invited to attend the fashion shows, but there are plenty of places online that allow me to check out the goods. This is when fashion is truly viewed as art. Pieces are carefully placed together to give the mood the artist is trying to create. Sometimes the looks are not actually practical for wearing in real life, but if you look at the pieces individually, you will know if it is something you would wear or not. Not every designer will appeal to you. Some may even disappoint you. Some may make you fall in love with them. After hours of looking on WWD and style.com, I have chosen my favorite looks/outfits and designers for Spring RTW 2010. I tend to lean towards more practical and classic looks.


Zac Posen:
For Spring 1020, Zac Posen is all about a variety of colors and shade and he is keeping them bright!





Vivienne Tam
I had mixed feelings on some of her looks, but these two stood out to me as practical and as pieces I would keep for a very long time!




Vera Wang:
I love her dresses and her use of fabric. Her pieces seem so wearable and flowy!

Nicole Miller:

Her dresses are so fun and she makes a wide variety of colors, shapes, and textures.

Mulberry:

I'm enjoying Mulberry this season as the pieces seem casual and fun! Not sure about the models wild hair though! Haha! Not something I could pull off, but added an element of fun to their show!





Marc Jacobs:

Over all this collection was fun to look at, but not practical for me. I do, however, love this green jacket!

Max Azria:

I'm a fan of the abstract scissor cuts in this collection. I also love the use of the soft neutral colors. Very wearable but also different from my everyday norm. Love it!

Marc by Marc Jacobs:

Great use of bold patters and bright colors for this collection. A pleasure to look at, but barely any looks I would actually wear. They just don't seem to have much that would look flattering. i do find this dress to be adorable for spring though!

Malandrino:

Malandrino channeled the Native American/Western look for this collection. Now I don't think you could make a wardrobe off this collection alone, but having one or two pieces would be a great and fun addition to a wardrobe.

Halston:

This collection will move flawlessly from spring into summer. I love the orange/peach colors and the shimmery silver/grays.

Donna Karan:

She does it again. Flawless pieces with classic cuts and elegant looks. Perfect additions for a professional wardrobe. great use of shades of peach and shades of gray. A wonderful collection!!

Dennis Basso:
One of my favorites for spring 2010. Just overall in love with his collection. Classic and elegant looks with beautiful fabrics and colors. be sure to go online and check out this entire collection. I'm in love!

Carolina Herrera:

My other favorite collection for spring 2010. I really love the use of the pinks, peaches, and creams. And I love how the colors are so complementary to each other. Beautiful designs!!

Badgley Mischka:

Gorgeous ball gowns and tasteful yet sexy swim suits. A wonderful collection. I am in love with the swimsuit here. And these dresses are to die for!

This is just a very small sampling of the collections and designers. Check out WWD.com or style.com to see everything from fashion week!