Dresses for Travel

Dress you up in my love
I know there are those of you who can’t abandon your fashionista ways while traveling. There is no need to not include a few trends when packing for your next trip to Europe.

A fabulous dress is the "must have" item for spring and summer. Dresses have to be one of the strongest trends this season. This is great for news for anyone planning their travel wardrobe because there will be many styles to choose from.

What could be easier than throwing on a dress and calling it a day? Dresses are a natural for your travel wardrobe. There is no one dress shape that is dominating, but I think the most versatile and flattering styles are the shirt dress and the wrap dress. I’m also a big fan of the maxi length dresses as long as the top is light and strappy.

If you choose a dress with versatility in mind your travel wardrobe possibilities will multiply beyond wearing the dress on its own - thanks to the layering trend. Dresses can be layered over a thin knit cardigan or thin knit tee in cooler weather. Of course you can always throw a cardigan over the dress when you need cover up your shoulders upon entering Italian churches. It can be worn over skinny jeans, straight leg jeans, or over leggings. I’ve always been a fan of the dress over pants look myself, I’m not exactly a dress girl but over pants I can totally rock a dress. Thin, lightweight dresses will keep the look from appearing too bulky. A ballet flat completes the look.

Wearing a dress over pants requires a bit of fine tuning to ensure that your proportions are correct to avoid looking short. The dress should not really pass the knee, unless you are tall. It’s important that the pant is cut close to your leg, that’s why a skinny, straight, or slight boot cut pant works best.

Remember Travelista clothing guidelines when selecting a dress. Look for lightweight thin knits that will dry quickly when hand washed (in your hotel sink). Synthetic knits are super lightweight and will dry quickly, polyester has come a long way baby and is not a bad fabric for the girl trying to pack light.

Other good materials include machine washable lyocell(modal), acrylic, rayon, nylon, spandex, lycra, and silk. Cotton is fine as long as it is combined with another synthetic material. 100% cotton clothes take forever to dry, unless it is in an ultrafine knit.

Dark neutrals work best. A pattern is alright as long as it still coordinates with your other travel clothes. A flattering fit will take you far in blending in with chic European locals and will make you feel comfortable and confident.

Those going a more classic route need to just ensure that the dress pairs well with whatever walking shoe or sandal you’ll be wearing during your trip. Adding a fabulous belt gives you an opportunity to accessorize and really make the dress your own.

Speaking of accessorizing I think dresses look fab when one accessory is totally overdone, such as multiple strands of necklaces or an armful of bangles. A more romantic look can be achieved with wearing a scarf headband. Wearing a long strappy sun dress topped with a long silk scarf as a doo rag (or biba style) and large hoop earrings will give you that sophisticated Ibiza hippy look (try and channel your inner Jade Jagger).

There are many dress options right now available for any budget at Target, Old Navy, Banana Republic, Anthropologie, LaRedoute.com, and of course high end stores such as Neimans and Nordstroms will have an exquisite variety. Once you hear your first “Ciao Bella!” in Italy you’ll know you’ve pulled off the look. Happy hunting for your perfect travel dress!

What to wear in Europe?

Why is what you wear to Europe so important you ask? Does it really matter? Well yes, yes it does.

Even if you don’t give a flip about fashion there are a few things you should think about before you dust off your fanny pack.

First of all Europeans as a general rule dress up more than your casual Friday, make that casual everyday American.

Europeans dress to impress and as a means to communicate their good taste, it sounds pretentious I know but its true - just go with it. The amazing thing is that they accomplish this not by buying out designer showrooms each fashion season but by buying a few items of quality that they ingeniously accessorize. This is the essence of my packing and travel fashion philosophy.

Yes, there are those that can afford the luxury of the latest and greatest designer offerings and they do look breathtakingly fabulous. Alas we are not going to Europe to walk the runway. We’re going to walk the streets and become part of the cultural landscape and try not to disrupt it with bright, white tennis shoes.

“Dressing the Part” of the European also helps dispel a tourist mentality. I don’t like feeling like a tourist or an outsider while traveling. I prefer the idea of blending in with the locals and soaking up the culture in a more integrated way. If you don’t look like a tourist you won’t automatically be dismissed as one, which can lead to a more authentic experience.

They will still let you into the country even if you are donning your brightest, whitest tennis shoes along with your swooshiest track suit. However, trust me when I tell you, you’ll feel much better while there even if you put forth just the slightest effort to fashion a stylish travel wardrobe. Check out my Travel Clothes section to get you started! Ciao!

Wedge Heel will Travel

Want to look cute while traveling this summer, well look no further than the wedge heel.

Perhaps it’s the wedges ability to give extra height and stability while still making you look in fashion. It’s much more practical to wear wedges than to teeter around on skinny little stiletto heels especially during travel to Europe.

The prevalence of wedges is fantastic because more comfort shoe brands are incorporating this style into their sandals. This means we can have happy and cute feet while touring European cities in the heat of summer.

A wedge style sandal can smarten up capris as well as dress up a skirt or dress. There are lots of options when it comes to wedge sandals so remember to stick to styles that are designed for comfort and walking. Sandals with ankle straps will provide more stability than open back styles.

For a more complete look at what to pack for Europe check out my travel clothes section as well as the Travel Forecast for the latest on how to translate fashion trends into your travels. For more Wedge Heel options click here.


The "Anissa" by Clarks Artisan Collection
can be found on Zappos.com for $83.95.

12 Tips on What to Wear in Europe

When packing for your trip to Europe it's not all about functionality like hiking boots and tennis shoes. Yet it's not also about being a slave to fashion, wearing stilettos and inpractical clothing.

Rather when traveling to Europe it's better to blend in with Europeans and they generally wear dark clothing in fitted cuts. They add accessories such as scarves, jewelry, or a distinctive handbag to compete the look.

For a more detailed look on packing check out my Travel Clothes section.

1. When you pack, make everything count. Clothing must intermix to layer easily and complete different outfits

2. Dark neutrals work best with distinctive accessories or pack all black. Most Europeans wear dark colors

3. Lightweight and quick drying (these launder easily in your hotel sink) clothes allow you to pack light

4. High synthetic fabric clothing dries quickly (lyocell, modal, nylon, acrylic, rayon, polyester)

5. 100% cotton this takes forever to dry and isn’t as compact as synthetics (a cotton blend is OK)

6. Flattering fits will make you look more European

7. Avoid loose fitting clothing (relaxed fit jeans, etc.). You may not feel out of place here but in Europe you’ll feel dowdy (compared to chic and glam Europeans) in comfortable but loose fitting clothes

8. Dark colored footwear blends in easily with dark clothing and minimizes focus on sensible but not so sexy shoes.

9. Padded foot beds, EVA insoles, and rubber soles, provide cushioning while walking and ease fatigue.

10. When choosing a walking sandal look for the same features that you would in a walking shoe

11. Waterproof sport sandals serve double duty for hostellers (to wear in showers), light hikers, and those hitting the beaches.

12. Accessories will help make the most of your look. Scarves, jewelry, or a distinctive handbaga add personality and liven up neutrals.

29 Things NOT to wear in Europe

As the high tourist season in Europe approaches I started thinking about some of the best ways to avoid being branded a “tourist”. Apparently Americans have been branded the worst dressed tourists by a survey of European hoteliers. Well let's try and change this.

What do you wear to Europe? Well there are differening opinions. Some advocate wearing what you would normally wear to Europe, just so long as you are comfortable. This may seem all well and good until you arrive in Europe and immediately note the vast difference between the way tourists dress and the typical urban European. Tourists really do stand out, which while your clothes may be comfortable your psyche may not.

Other experts state that it is too difficult to pull off a European look. Oh Please! It’s not about sporting the latest fashions. If all you do is wear black you are 100% completely ahead of the game.

Tourists traveling in groups may be unable to avoid the dreaded "tourist" label. However for the independent traveler it may be well worth the effort to blend in for a more authentic experience. Will people still know you are a tourist? If you follow my Travelista Guidelines for travel clothes no one will know you’re a tourist until you attempt to order café au lait in your best high school French. Feel free to add any other tourist fashion faux pas to the list.

What not to wear in Europe
1. Clunky tennis shoes, trainers are OK
2. Gym clothes
3. Ball caps
4. Sweatshirts
5. Sweat suits (not oven the expensive kind)
6. Yoga Pants, these are for Yoga
7. Khakis
8. Zip off cargo pants
9. Khaki Shorts
10. Oversize parkas
11. Hiking boots
12. Fanny packs
13. White socks
14. Pastel colors
15. Flower prints
16. Ratty blue jeans
17. Printed or overly logo-ed shirts
18. Exposed midriffs
19. Tapered jeans/pants
20. Money belt around your neck on the outside of your clothes
21. Uggs, over and uggly
22. Foamy platform thong flip flops (I'm talking about the ridiculous 4" heel kind)
23. Crocs (if literally everyone and their grandmother wears them here in the states you know they will not pass for European chic)
24. Super low-rise jeans
25. Giveaway tees that advertise your last frat party or the last 5K you ran
26. Baggy clothing, fitted clothing gives a more European vibe
27. Tee shirts with marginally clever phrases on them
28. Hawaiian or bold print shirts
29. Dry Clean Only clothing

It's Official...Americans Worst Dressed Tourists

According to a survey of European hoteliers Americans were deemed the worst dressed tourists with Britain coming in second. On the upside Americans are regarded as polite and tidy coming in second behind Japanese tourists.

The survey commissioned by Expedia is based on the responses of 15,000 hoteliers across Europe. Why is what you wear to Europe so important you ask? Does it really matter? Well yes, yes it does. Even if you don’t give a flip about looking stylish there are a few things you should think about before you dust off your fanny pack.

First of all Europeans as a general rule dress up more than your casual Friday, make that casual everyday American. Europeans dress to impress and as a means to communicate their good taste, it sounds pretentious I know but it’s true - just go with it. The amazing thing is that they accomplish this not by buying out designer showrooms each fashion season but by buying a few items of quality that they ingeniously accessorize. This is the essence of my packing and travel fashion philosophy.

Yes there are those that can afford the luxury of the latest and greatest designer offerings and they do look breathtakingly fabulous. Alas we are not going to Europe to walk the runway. We’re going to walk the streets and become part of the cultural landscape and try not to disrupt it with bright, white tennis shoes.

“Dressing the Part” of the European also helps dispel a tourist mentality. Blending in allows you to soaking up the culture in a more integrated way. If you don’t look like a tourist you won’t automatically be dismissed as one, which can lead to a more authentic experience.

They will still let you into the country even if you are donning your brightest, whitest tennis shoes along with your swooshiest track suit. However, trust me when I tell you, you’ll feel much better while there even if you put forth just the slightest effort to fashion a stylish travel wardrobe.

17 TSA Toiletry Hacks

Fortunately or unfortunately the TSA has put into place rules that drastically affect the way we pack toiletries for Europe. Specifically, how we pack our liquids, gels, and aerosols.

As of 9/26/06 the rules basically state that all carry on toiletries (liquid, gels, or aerosols) must be in 3 ounce bottles or smaller AND these bottles must all be contained within a clear quart size zip top bag.

As soon as you attempt this exercise in frustration you may realize that you are more high maintenance than you thought. It's pretty frightening to account for all the lotions and potions required on a daily basis. TSA guidelines do provide exceptions for breast milk, formula, and prescription drugs; double check the site for specifics.

If you simply cannot cram all your toiletries into the mandated quart size Ziploc bag you can always check your luggage. However, a Travelista will always try to pack light which means carrying on your luggage with you on the airplane.

Alternatives to toiletries that come in the traditional gel, liquid, or aerosol form are available. Best of all, these don't have to be displayed for all to see in your Ziploc bag. Other toiletry items can be found in 3 oz. sizes on websites such as Drugstore.com, Beauty.com, Sephora.com, and minimus.biz.

Another option is to only pack your absolute bare essentials and once you arrive at your destination buy all the liquid and gel based toiletries your little heart desires.

Tips for getting around TSA rules for toiletries
1. Makeup wipes replace liquid facial soap
2. Tooth powders and dental mitts can be used instead of toothpaste
3. Effervescent tablets can be used instead of mouthwash
4. Antibacterial wipes instead of sanitizing gel
5. Hair Bars replace shampoo and / or conditioners
6. Baby shampoo can be used as a body wash as well (double duty)
7. All in one shampoo & conditioners do double duty
8. Natural products such as Dr. Bronners Organic liquid soap (shampoo, body wash, and mouthwash) & Campsuds (shampoo, body wash, laundry wash) serve multiple uses
9. Lotion wipes provide an alternative to lotion
10. Mineral powder foundation can replace liquid foundation and concealer
11. Facial moisturizers with sunscreen serve double duty
12. Good old fashioned bar soap can replace shower gel
13. Hair Powder (Aveda)/ Hair wax can replace styling gel or hair spray
14. Cake mascara instead of liquid mascara
15. Lipstick ,lip gloss pencils, or lip balms instead of liquid lip gloss
16. Solid deodorant, deodorant pads, or wipes instead of gel or aerosol deodorant
17. Sunscreen wipes instead of sunscreen lotion

For more Beauty tips check out Travelista.com

Vino for Voyages

This portable wine glass is a fabulous find for the traveler who doesn’t want to drink European wine “wino” style straight outta the bottle as I have been forced to do.

There are wonderful bottles of wine to be enjoyed on the cheap while traveling throughout Europe, every bottle I’ve had was good and I never paid more than 8 Euros. They even sell handy half liter bottles for short and sweet train trips.

On my first trip to Europe I brought an aluminum folding cup but it completely altered the taste of the wine. I then was forced to drink out of the bottle, a little less than classy especially while picnicking in the Jardin Botanico in Madrid but I bemused old men while doing so, at least I've got that.

Whether you “self-cater” while traveling in Europe or just want to enjoy a glass of wine in your hotel room you will definitely want to have this portable wine glass.

It is made of Lexan Polycarbonate which makes it lightweight and nearly unbreakable. The stem also unscrews and snaps into the glass for easy storage. GSI Lexan Wine Glass $5.99 at REI.com