beach trip – Christina Darling

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Every summer, I look forward to heading down south with my fiance and his family for a beach vacation. We’ve been going to the Isle of Palms right outside of Charleston for over 10 years, so I’ve sort of got my packing list down to a science. I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to create a mini capsule wardrobe with all of the essential outfits. We spend most of our time on the beach and at the beach house. We go out a few times throughout the trip, but most of our days and nights are spent in casual clothes at the house. With a washing and dry machine, these capsule items should easily last you for a 7-day beach trip, plus 2 travel days. The best part is that all of these pieces are interchangeable, so you can create a number of different outfits if you mix and match the pieces.

What I pack:

3 tops

2 layering pieces

3 bottoms

After we’ve squeezed as much beach fun out of the day as possible, we all reconvene at the house for a delicious homemade dinner and a card game. Most of my outfits are pretty casual, but I like to have a few nicer options just in case we go out for dinner one night or run into the city for lunch. I also bring layers to stay warm in the air conditioned house.

3 dresses

For my days spent flying to and from the beach, I usually wear a comfortable jersey dress and a jacket or cardigan. We usually go out for one really nice dinner, so I make sure to pack a formal dress and a day dress just in case my fiance and I decide to run downtown for a nice dinner or lunch.

3 cover ups

5 to 6 bathing suits (not pictured here)

I like to have a few different cover ups to get me through the week since I have a variety of bathing suits in different patterns and bright colors. Also, after a few days down at the beach, they start to look not fresh. Haha!

4 pairs of shoes

Not all shoes are pictured because my Jack Rogers go with every outfit, but I like to have sneakers just in case we go for a walk. And I live in my flip flops at the beach.

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