dress for the day: fall in (and for) london

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dearabbyleigh

(insert witty tagline here)

it’s been FAR too long since i’ve been here to say:

dress for the day you want to have, not the one that’s trying to have you.

but i trust you didn’t need me to say it.

i trust you’ve been dressing for the end of summer, the beginning of school, and the first fantastic days of fall with great intention and maybe even a little flair. mmmhmmm, fall looks good on you.

if you’re new here – or a little rusty like me – let me catch you up: i’m a big believer in setting the tone for each day with clothes that inspire great personal confidence in the day ahead. i share my experiments in dressing for the day i want to have here on wednesdays and when the mood strikes on instagram – and i invite you to do the same in the link up or with the hashtag below!

i have many london stories to tell but thought it only right to start with dressing for the trip i wanted to have. i followed lacy’s great packing advice , and fit everything i needed for a week in london in a carry on. here’s the proof:

okay . . . so everything except my new hat, which i carried all the way to london feeling quite carmen san diego.

i brought just enough of just what i needed for 7 days of:

museum going,

macaroon tasting,

canal strolling,

sunday roasting,

market meandering,

castle loitering,

theatre viewing FUN.

*links where i can find them* blazer: TJ Maxx // jeans : Urban Outfitters // white oxford , plaid oxford , polka dot blouse & wool skirt : J. Crew Factory // heeled booties, black silk shirt & sweater : (old) Old Navy // denim tank, satchel , blue scarf & tights: target // hat & flat booties : anthropologie // olive pants: XXII // striped cardi: Banana Republic // grey dress: Madewell // gold watch & pink scarf: borrowed from sister // lace sweater & bird blouse: clothing exchange with friends

i’ve never before packed with such intention and strategy, putting together a palette of pieces that all served multiple purposes and would work together to expand my options to infinity should i get stranded, encounter a snow storm, or choose to stay on indefinitely (this nearly happened atop primrose hill).

it challenged me to prepare wisely: instead of throwing in everything i could possibly want or need, i had to spend time before my trip planning, dreaming, and imagining how i wanted to feel in a place i’d never been – which made setting foot there all the more wonderful.

it helped me focus on the experience at hand : without endless choices each day i wasted less time choosing what to wear on my much-awaited vacation and went straight to enjoying it.

it made me more comfortable in my skin : by only packing things i felt 100% me in, i ended up feeling like myself 100% of the time. the math works out, i promise.

it helped me embrace my adventure : i took this first trip abroad as a golden opportunity to stretch my personal style in a more european direction. who knows if i made it that far – a quick peak at london fashion week proves i need a lot more neon and leather to fit in – but i wore a big old hat . . . in public . . . all day long . . . . and i felt pretty posh doing it.

you can stamp that in my style passport for sure.

if you’re into buttons, feel free to grab this one, and link up a post or a photo that tells your story below. feel free to link up anytime during the week, and look for a new dress for the day story each wednesday . even if you don’t link up – join me throughout the week on twinstagram (twitter +instagram) by using this hashtag: