Holidays ahoy, how to pack only the best and not the rest.

It might seem a little early to post about holiday packing, it is only the middle of June. But I am going to be selfish here because I am going on a short break to Stockholm in about 10 days. Going away for a beach holiday is one thing, but going to a super stylish city is another story entirely. I generally have two holiday options: Paris, or the French countryside. This year however marks the beginning of a new era in which I carry on exploring the world... and shake my packing habits a little bit. I thought I'd share my packing tips with you, as I am pretty sure a good few of you will be going away at some point in the next few months.

What to pack... for a short city break

The idea when you go on a city break is to see and do as much as you can possibly handle in a very short time. You also want to travel light on the way out, as you might go on a crazy foreign shopping spree. I have two different suitcases: a large one and a small one. You guessed it, for a short city break, I will take the small one, but I will only fill three quarters of it.

Let's say you are going away for 4 days, here is a little tick list of what you will need:

❤ pyjamas (number one on the list, I love pyjamas)
❤ one pair of trousers, and by trousers, I mean real trousers, not jeans.
❤ one pretty dress for this special night out
❤ 4 tops (make it two tee-shirts, a pretty blouse and an evening top)
❤ your undies, unless you want to go commando for 4 days in the name of light travel.
❤ a beauty bag with your everyday make up + a red lipstick, shampoo, conditioner, face wash, moisturizer, toothpaste etc all go in small travel containers.
❤ a pair of cute but comfortable shoes for the daytime
❤ a pair of incredibly impractical shoes for the evening.
❤ a cardigan
❤ a jacket (blazer or denim jacket)
❤ a little bag full of necklaces, brooches and hair accessories.
❤ a mini umbrella

The idea here is to have one core piece for the daytime (the trousers/skirt/shorts if you prefer) that goes with all your tops, shoes and jacket. For example, I would bring my beige high-waisted trousers as they go with most of my tops. Add a cute pair of white jazz shoes, a denim jacket and the right accessories, you have yourself a comfy but not sloppy day look.
In the evening, you will have your dress and shoes, no need to agonize about what to wear!

What to pack for a city break by Mademoiselle Robot
I used the items available on Polyvore, of course I don't expect anyone to dish out their one gazillion pounds trousers and bag combo!

Make sure you also plan a travelling outfit that will make you feel très glamourous while still being practical. You don't want to look a mess when you get out of that plane... especially as you can't really take your make up bag with you in the cabin.

Next week, I will write about what to pack for a week (or two) at the beach...

This is an archive photo of me, from when I didn't know how to pack... Actually that's a lie. This is the suitcase I packed when I left Paris to move to the UK. Not that big, considering... You can also witness a rare sighting of a Tishinjeans.