Serendipity

One of the things I love about travelling is finding beautiful pieces to add to my wardrobe.

I don’t spend too much time shopping with intention on a trip. But I love to go for long walks in new places, and that means I stumble across great finds.

I do have two rules I stick by these days. One is to consider quality. The other is not to binge-buy. It’s too easy to end up with luggage problems, and a number of garments I will never wear again. (Being on holiday can play havoc with good sense.)

This dress is a result of serendipity. I was on holiday in Paris, it was my last day and I was having one last walk when I saw the dress in a window. I fell instantly in love.

It wasn’t cheap, but it ticked all the compulsory boxes. 1. I had nothing like it in my wardrobe, yet it’s my style. 2. I love the colour. 3. It’s made of silk.

Silk is always worthwhile. Good quality silk lasts, and is not as delicate as a lot of people think. Also, you can wash most silk by hand, which I prefer to dry-cleaning. (Dry-cleaning is very hard on your clothes.) You do have to be careful with patterned fabrics, and also if the silk is mixed with a synthetic fabric as the latter will often shrink.

This dress has a silk lining, which is an added bonus. I always look for silk or cotton linings. They feel so nice next to the skin and breathe better than synthetics.

But perhaps what I love best about these travel finds is the discovery that they complement other things in my wardrobe. For example, the red Alice shoe from the María Perón range looks as though it’s made to go with this silk dress. It’s the same red, and the cream contrast exactly matches the polka dots. Serendipity is a wonderful thing. 

Travelling light with style

How many of you have known the following two scenarios when you are travelling?

1.     Arriving home and feeling foolish because you’ve only worn a third of the clothes in your suitcase.

2.     Being invited out to dinner half way through your trip and going, “Damn! I knew I should have brought that sexy dress!”

And how many times have you read articles in women’s magazines about these dilemmas? Their suggestions are often either impractical or governed by the latest fashion “must have”. Why would you take a pair of platform espadrilles on an overseas holiday? That’s my question. They are perfect for sitting in a hotel lobby with a drink in your hand, but if you want to go on a little sight-seeing jaunt you’d have to change into something else, or risk serious ankle injury.

Packing for a holiday or a business trip is fraught with problems, and only people who travel a lot seem to get it right.

My secret is to bring only clothes that work together, and to make sure that what I wear on the aeroplane is useful for the whole trip.

A wise friend once told me that you should never dress down for a flight. You never know whom you might meet. Also, while they are checking you in, airline staff are checking you out! You are more likely to get an upgrade if you present well.

This rule suits me perfectly, as I loathe looking daggy. I don’t own a tracksuit. I have a pair of yoga pants, but I leave them at home when I’m travelling. I still practise yoga, but my silk pyjamas double up as my hotel room active wear – lighter in my suitcase, and far prettier.

My aeroplane outfit is carefully considered. Black tailored pants, with some stretch in them so they are comfortable. Black cotton T shirt worn under a black, fine wool polo-neck skivvy. I bring a light, down jacket in my hand luggage for when we reach altitude. (You will notice that’s a lot of black. I rarely wear all black, but it’s useful on a plane, in case of spillages, and I can mix all the garments with other colourful pieces later, and roll the pants up if I’m going to a summer climate.) My final addition is a pair of María Perón loafers in navy. No high heels on a long flight for me thank you very much! I want to be able to walk in those precious half hours between flights, and stuffing swollen feet into high heels is not my idea of fun.

So that leaves my suitcase. My first piece of advice is to invest in a good suitcase – preferably one of those really light ones you can lift with one finger before you put anything in it. You will never regret it, I promise you.

In my suitcase I take the following: 1 pair jeans, 1 light jacket (if I’m travelling to a winter climate I take an overcoat on the plane instead), 1 light dress, 1 evening dress, 1 skirt, 1 cardigan (either pink or black), 1 pair shorts (if summer), 1 white shirt, 1 white T shirt, 2 silk blouses (one plain, one print), silk pyjamas, underwear, socks, stockings, 1 hat that doesn’t mind being squashed.

The tricky bit is making sure everything goes with everything else. For example, I make sure that at least one of the blouses can be worn under the black polo-neck. There should be no frills that stick out to look peculiar, so I bring a simple silk blouse, plain or print.

I like the shirt look too, so my other blouse will have a pussy bow tie, or if I’m going to winter I’ll bring a button-up that I can wear with a cardigan and coat.

The dresses I take will also depend a little on the climate I’m going to. I love colour, so I often bring the flower print dress shown below when I’m travelling. It’s a stretch fabric, perfect for packing, and goes with so many colours. It’s versatile too, as I can wear it during the day, but make it work for evening with a sensational pair of shoes. If I’m going to a summer climate, I’m more likely to take something like the sleeveless silk number shown.

Lastly, and most importantly, there is the footwear decision and, mamma mia, have I got that wrong numerous times! I’ve been known to travel with eight pairs of shoes in my luggage – only two of which got worn.

Now I travel with two or three pairs of shoes in my suitcase (well, four, if you count my tango shoes, but that won’t apply to most of you). I take one pair of heels (at the moment I’m favouring Kathy in beige or Megan in pink from the Maria Peron range), 1 pair of day shoes that I can stand in (like the Annika or Alice shoe) plus 1 pair of walking sandals (or boots if I’m going to winter). Don’t forget I’ve also got my loafers.

Between these I have something for sight-seeing, that little trip down to the shops or a café, and something for that night out or special luncheon. Travelling this light means I can either take a small suit-case, or have plenty of space for international travel purchases. How marvellous is that?

Elegance

Now here is a look that you would see me in much more often. I love dresses like this – fitted top and gored skirt. This one is particularly lovely, because the fabric is quite heavy, so it has a great swirl when I walk or turn. There is something very attractive about movement in clothes if they follow your own line.

This look is easy to wear because it goes both with heeled and with flat shoes, but I particularly like it with classic round-toed pumps, like the Megan shown here, or a sensational evening shoe, like the gold Kathy. The first is perfect for a garden party or the races, while the second is more suitable for the theatre or an evening do.

I like to tie the outfit together with a belt to match the shoes, but it would be just as attractive with the shoes as a colour feature by themselves. I remember seeing a French film a long time ago, and in one scene the leading actress wore a black dress, black stockings and black jacket, but she had striking red shoes on. I’ve never forgotten that scene. 

The dramatic entrance

This is a look that’s easy to achieve with the Kathy shoe from the María Perón range. Any kind of clinging dress will do, and this shoe in beige will go with almost any colour and stand up to plain or print.

I love this look equally on a thin or a curvy woman. Both are sexy. It’s also a style that transcends seasons, as you can add a light jacket in spring, or a warm coat in winter.

Best of all, despite the height of the heel (8 cm), you can actually walk and stand comfortably wherever you go, because the heel is so well balanced on the Kathy shoe. This look will take you to a wedding, a party, the races or a red carpet event. 

It will give you that dramatic entrance when you want it, and is equally perfect for a romantic date. The photos were taken at the Princess Theatre (Spring Street, Melbourne), and the café next door to that beautiful Melbourne icon.