Vacation Wears

I have this habit of buying a completely new wardrobe before I go on vacation. Probably not the most fiscally responsible thing to do, but I guess I just see it as part of the expense of the trip. I don't take time to look nice very often in my regular day-to-day life (something I'd like to change), but it's one of my favorite things to do while on vacation. I think it's because I finally feel like I have the extra time to dry my hair and put on makeup.

(Our closet in Palmiye.)

Packing for our trip to Turkey proved to be more complicated than usual because we had a week at the beach (swim suits, shorts, and sandals), a week in the city (jeans, t-shirts, and walking shoes), and a bunch of wedding related activities (dresses and heels.) Thank goodness our flights included a checked bag for each of us.

The Polyvore board that I made for myself really helped - I just kept updating it as I purchased new items. Royal blue, orange, and yellow became my pops of color. I love how that turned out. (You can see the board I created for Kate here.)

The other thing that helped was setting up a staging area in the guest room. I pulled out a hanging rack and filled it with all of the pieces we planned on bringing. It helped to see outfits that could be made and (more importantly) kept us from wearing the clothes we wanted to pack once they were clean.

I did a pretty good job packing and only came home with three shirts and one skirt that I never ended up wearing. I probably could have re-worn some items more than I did, but 90F heat + walking around all day meant we got pretty sweaty.

The item that I purchased that surprised me the most was a pair of white denim shorts that I got on clearance for $10 at Marshall's. I actually looked for a pair after seeing some cute outfits on Pinterest, but wasn't sure if I could pull them off (or feel confident wearing them.) They are stretch denim and not too incredibly short, so they ended up being quite comfortable. Moreover, they were super versatile. I wore them over my swimsuit, with a tank around the resort, and dressed up with a nice top for dinner. I kind of love them now.

These yellow shorts from Old Navy also proved to be a good purchase. They are comfortable, summery, and can be dressed up easily.

What's funny(ish) is that I don't usually wear shorts. Before this summer, I mainly just wore jeans or dresses. But all of a sudden, while on vacation, they became my favorite go-to items. Maybe it was because it was so wicked hot out, and AC abroad doesn't seem nearly as cold as it is here. Regardless, I'm happy to have them as part of my wardrobe now.

p.s. Thanks to Kate for putting up with all of my requests to have my photo taken. Even if it was done begrudgingly.