I'm enjoying the tail end of a vacation I take every year at this time, which includes a few days in Portland, Oregon plus spending the Labor Day long weekend on the northern Oregon coast with the same group of friends. This is year 20 and it is a cherished tradition.
Packing is a little challenging because Portland is usually very hot at this time of year – and this year was no exception, I think it's close to 100 degrees here right now– while the coast is usually foggy and often even drizzly, interspersed with bouts of sun, and temps ranging from the high 50s to mid-70s. This year, due to the crazy heat wave so much of the west coast is experiencing, we had the best weather we've ever had; the high hovered around 80 degrees and there was not a cloud in the sky until very late in the day. Incredible sunsets over the ocean.
The weather is not the point of this trip, though – it's about seeing and spending time with family and friends. I need to have clothes for summer in the (albeit very casual) city – outfits for walking around town and going out to lunch and dinner as well as spending time with my very young nieces and nephew – and then for the laid back time at the coast, dining outdoors and taking long walks on the beach. I could probably have made due with a bit less than I brought, but given the varied climates and activities, I was happy with what I had with me, and did not feel I under nor over-packed. I wore everything I brought, and every piece worked multiple ways. Luckily I knew that there would be neither rain nor serious hiking this trip, so I was able to skip both rain gear and hiking boots, which lightened my suitcase considerably. Below are photos of what I packed, plus just a few of my vacation outfits. My level of organization varies quite a bit when it comes to packing (and most things, actually); this was a pretty successful packing job and travel capsule for me!
The ladies in this vacation group always spend one afternoon shopping together at the very cute boutiques in town. It was a little dangerous for me to read that Angie doesn't consider what she buys while on vacation part of her wardrobe budget... just days before I flew up! Let's just say that between NAS and the Anthropologie fall pre-sale plus this vacation shopping trip, I am completely set for fall!
Photo #1 – What I packed, from front row to back:
Bottoms: Rolled white embroidered jeans, relaxed grey pants which double as yoga pants, relaxed cotton knit grey skirt
Dresses: Taupe maxi slip dress, Boden green dress with a wrap-around sash (or what we used to call a sash; is it still called that?!)
Tops: Cream/violet floral empire waist top (doubles as yoga top), dusty mauve tank top, black, white & grey floral halter top, aqua henley (long sleeved for nighttime beach walks), pale mint tank top, seafoam cotton/linen lightweight tunic/cover-up
Sweaters: Ribbed grey boyfriend sweater (an old favorite/standby piece for knocking around in cooler temps), very lightweight cotton knit lavender tunic hoodie sweater, long taupe cotton/linen cardigan
Accessories: Grey knit hat and black & grey fleece vest for coastal fog at night; favorite summer hat, cream (bought on this very vacation last year); aqua scarf
Photo #2 is just a better view of that back row.
Photo #3 – Travel shoes capsule:
Blush sneakers (Kenneth Cole), cream slip-ons, grey sporty ballerina flats, creamy taupe sandals
Photos #4, #5 & #6 – First day in Portland, running around to see family and friends. Green dress, taupe cardigan, sandals
Photos #7 & #8 – First day at the beach outfit:
White embroidered jeans, mint tank top, sea foam tunic, grey flats, cream hat
Photos #9 & #10 – Last day at the beach/driving back to Portland outfit:
Grey skirt, halter top, blush sneakers, cream hat, plus long taupe cardigan
Photo #11 – This is a photo I've posted previously; it's basically what I wore on the flight up – long slip dress and long taupe linen cardigan, perfect for a shorter flight. I wore it a bit differently than in this photo – layered over the dusty mauve tank top, with the grey flats. I'll probably wear it again on the way back; like Angie I usually wear the same travel outfit both ways, but it also depends on weather and my mood. Unlike Angie, I usually do wear slip-on shoes for air travel, and for longer flights I always pack a pair of snuggly socks or even slippers in my carry-on, but the flight between Oakland and Portland is so short, just over 1.5 hours, so there's no need for that.
Photos #12 & #13 – Shopping trip loot!
- White and taupe jeans, kind of a marble print (to add some interest to my white jeans wardrobe!)
- Grey cotton A-line tunic top
- Dark grey knit pencil skirt
- Taupe ribbed poncho style sweater (kind of a loose tunic with short sleeves)
- Long-sleeve T-shirt, bought because I love the color, which is somewhere between blush and pale salmon; it will be so useful!
- Grey gloves – these are so cute, I'll have to get a better photo of them at some point
- Cream cotton/linen scarf
- Cream felt hat, which I hope is not getting too squashed in my suitcase at the moment!
The one thing I did resist was a very cute pair of flats, ballerina flats with a just a hint of a wedge in metallic grey. If they'd been bronze or rose gold I probably wouldn't have been able to pass them up, but I already have two pairs of grey flats, the ones here plus some suede ones with criss-cross straps from Gentle Souls that I love. No metallic flats... yet. Something for next year's list.
Photo #14 – Yesterday's sunset.
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