Last week I went on my first ever girls holiday abroad. The boozy trips to Kavos, Aiya Napa and Kardamena experienced in my late teens and early twenties were all enjoyed in a mixed group so it was high time for a ladies only holiday. The trip in question was to celebrate the final days of singledom of a very close friend with seven of us jetting off to Seville for a long weekend.
After many unsuccessful packing adventures it’s probably safe to say we all nailed the capsule holiday wardrobe managing to pack sufficient clothing for 20 to 25 degree temperatures into our cabin cases. I’ve included a little run down of items in the grey box below for anyone who is holidaying in Europe over the next few weeks before the temperatures get too hot. Some of these items I bought moons ago and are no longer available therefore the ‘shop the post’ function at the bottom features a selection of similar clothing.
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Day One
A 3am start calls for comfort so I wore jeans, comfy leopard flats, a slouchy tee and my new faux leather jacket. Luckily the plane wasn’t too cold but I still wore my extra large pashmina scarf for the flight.
On arriving in Seville we couldn’t check in to the apartment until late afternoon so I ended up wearing the same outfit all day switching the jacket for a slouchy thin cardigan.
The sun was blazing in the late afternoon and thanks to our rooftop pool, I spent the afternoon in my cossie, hat and a cover-up.
Night One
The first night was all about flamenco, drinks and dinner with a glam dress code so I wore a scuba skirt and plain top with a mid heeled sandal. Though we got taxis around much of the city the heel height was perfect for walking along the paved streets. At 8pm it was still warm but I took my faux leather jacket to keep away the later chill.
Day Two
The second day was overcast so I wore jeans with a thin long sleeved draped shirt and flat sandals for a day of sight-seeing. I had also bought a pair of ‘slacks’ and a loose tee but my friend donned a similar outfit so I opted for plan A rather than risk looking like a couple of members of a girl band.
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In My Case
2 x Slouchy tees
2 x Jeans
1 x Patterned trousers
3 x Vests
2 x Tees
1 x Shirt
1 x Dress
1 x Maxi dress
1 x Maxi skirt
1 x Pencil skirt
1 x Midi skirt
1 x Leather jacket
2 x Thin cardigans
1 x Mid heels
1 x Flats
1 x Sandals
1 x Swimming costume
1 x Cover-up
1 x Straw hat
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Night Two
This was our main night out of the trip. Like any good hen-do we had a theme and ours was ‘Kate Spade’. Cue seven girls sat in a rooftop bar wearing black and white striped dresses.
Day Three
The Sunday was hot, hot, hot so I was glad I packed a leopard maxi skirt and scoop vest. If the weather had been cooler I would have just popped a cardigan on top.
Night Three
The final evening was a pamper evening for the bride so we all ended up in our PJ’s. I had packed a cotton maxi dress though to wear originally.
Day Four
Returning home I sported the same outfit as day one switching the white slouchy tee for a grey one.
I like to pair together outfits on my bed before packing making sure I’ve got the right underwear, shoes and jewellery for each ensemble before rolling it in the suitcase. I have to admit to feeling fairly smug when all my clothes were in the suitcase with loads of room left.
So while the wardrobe was sorted the beauty routine was most definitely not. Someone had the bright idea of checking one piece of luggage so we weren’t restricted to travel sized shampoos. Also we had several bits of (very tasteful) hen paraphernalia we didn’t want exposed going through Gatwick security check! Despite many email conversations beforehand about who would be bringing what, last Thursday seven women attempted to get three turbo hairdryers, four pairs of straighteners, seven bottles of suncream, seven entire make-up collections, four flamingos(!) and goodness knows what else into a suitcase. It was utter chaos. This definitely reminds me we need to cover a holiday beauty post at some point in the future!
Are you off on a trip anytime soon? What are you planning on taking for warmer days and chilly nights? Any great pieces you’ve bought recently that are perfect to take on spring break? Oh and if you’ve got a long summer weekend planned then do check out our archives for a packing a carry-on case.
{SHOP THE SPRING PACKING LIST}
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Wow, Kate Spade theme – such a brilliant idea! I am definitely stealing that 🙂 Lauren, you are such an organised packer – I sling everything in and hope for the best when I touch down. I am now vowing to take this approach for a hen party abroad later this year. Might just steal all your ideas. Thank you!! x
Hi Sian, it was an ace theme! The Bride loves black and white, stripes and spots so was perfect for her and really easy for the rest of us to do too. Two of my friends organised that particular night and decked the restaurant out with spotty gift bags and striped table confetti.
I’ve got a post coming up next week with some of the decorations from mine and the bridesmaid’s night x
Oh that would be great thanks Lauren, I’m always on the look out for hen night ideas / decorations and wasn’t sure if it was more of a RMW thing but I don’t want to stray on there when I’m not actually engaged….
Oh no Sian, you should pop over – it’s very pretty on RMW!
We thought we could cover this one on RMS as it’s more down the lines of packing for a party away. Hopefully we’ll be able to give you lots of ideas. x
Great post Lauren, it’s like re-living the weekend! Can we do it all over again please? Still slightly disappointed Kate didn’t make a personal appearance ; )
And I honestly can not believe you fit that long list of clothing in that tiny case! BTW if anyone is on the lookout for those easy to pull along cases on 4 wheels rather than the 2, House of Fraser has a sale on with great discounts on the cabin cases, £140 reduced to £42. I’m definitly tempted. x
Hi Lindsay, have you got a link to the actual case please? In the market for one but can’t find it on the HoF website x
Hi Katie
I saw this one in the HoF shop window this morning:
http://www.houseoffraser.co.uk/Linea+Dakota+silver+4+wheel+hard+cabin+spinner/201634927,default,pd.html
x
Katie / Lindsay – you are angels! I’ve just been all over the HoF website and bought two large cases. £108 instead of £360. Fabulous x
Yay! You are going to look very snazzy at the airport Karen x
Maybe Kate will turn up at the wedding?!
It helps I wore the bulky items like the flats and the leather jacket for the flight Also vests and tees take up no space at all.
Love the case – really want a four wheel snazzy one. You need one for your honeymoon…. x
Blimey, that’s half the number of clothes I’ve got in my actual capsule wardrobe. let alone a holiday one!
V jealous of your girls weekend though, Seville sounds amazing. Will you do a post about it?
Ha ha Claire. It is practically all of my caspule wardrobe too. Who’d have thought you could roll all that stuff into one case and still have a third of the space left?!
I took a lot more than I would if I was going on a summer break but the weather forecast ranged between 16 and 27 degrees dependent on which one you looked at so had to prepared for all eventualities!
sounds fab! We are going back to Paris in July and have three nights, not sure on the weather so need a few options, also would be keen to see the link for the suitcase too as really need a new one! I am trying to get a little bit of weight off pre trip so haven’t got any new clothes yet I’m hoping in June there will still be some nice bits about right!? At the minute there seems to be loads of pretty in the shops but I just don’t want to buy yet! A lot of my clothes will be smart casual with the odd glam for night but mostly will be mooching around and enjoying the cafes and shops and some night drinks and meals out. Holding out for nice weather! X
Hi Alex, I went to Paris in July a few years ago and it was so hot!
I’m sure they’ll still be lots of lovely pieces available in June. x
Ooh! As if I wasn’t excited enough about a lovely long weekend in Lisbon at the end of the month! We’ve already booked The Decadente for the Friday night (RMS recommendation!), but I feel like there might be a wee shopping trip required first for those Jamie jeans that I’ve had my eye on for a while and then some of the gorgeous swimwear from yesterday’s post. Hmmm…. looking increasingly less like a capsule wardrobe at this end! x
Have a fab trip Rebecca.
I don’t think swimwear is part of a capsule wardrobe so you can go and treat yourself 😉
ooo this is amazing, am off to London for a long weekend and hoping the sun stays shining so can grab that fab oasis dress. Any chance of a post for off season travel to south Africa!? I loved the post from last year but we are heading for our honeymoon in july and have no idea how to pack for capetown, wine lands and safari when I need a nightmare combo of summery things and warm clothes eeek!x
Oh Rachel, you will love South Africa. It’s incredible!
I would suggest getting your hands on spring wear now – a lovely trench or mac and lots of thin cardigans.
The weather in Cape Town was a lot cooler for us than safari (by about 15 degrees) so keep checking the forecast for both areas when it gets closer to the date x
Thanks, good idea re trench!x
Definitely taking inspiration from this for my holiday to Barcelona in September! We’re checking our bags so not as limited on space but I’m a nightmare when it comes to packing. I’ve only achieved a good capsule wardrobe for holiday once. And it did work brilliantly for a four day trip. But when it comes to week long?! Forget it!
I don’t think you need much more for a week Jo. To be honest I had three outfits in the case I didn’t wear but wanted the flexibility because I had no idea what the weather would be doing. Have a fab time in Barcelona x