I pride myself on being a fantastic packer and only bring what I can carry on the plane, but packing for our honeymoon in Australia posed a few challenges. First, we would be gone for almost 3 weeks. I’m big on recycling outfits, so I was able to make it work by rolling and cramming in as much as I could. Second, the four locations we would be visiting – Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Gold Coast, and the Great Barrier Reef & Whitsunday Islands, have pretty different climates and aesthetics. Fortunately, our honeymoon was planned for the Australian Summer, so the temperatures weren’t too drastically different to make one suitcase work.
I divided the days into a few categories for clothes: city (Sydney/Gold Coast), country (the Blue Mountains), and beach (Gold Coast/Whitsunday Islands), and planned out a few outfits for each category that I could dress up or down with different shoes and accessories. With the exception of a pair of heels that ended up being too tall to walk in around a city or beach, I couldn’t have packed a better suitcase for myself – the bulk of the clothes were dresses that could be made more formal or casual with a few accessory tweaks.
My favorite thing that came along was a book my husband bought me before we left, ‘In a Sunburned Country’ by Bill Bryson. If you are a Bill Bryson fan, are interested in visiting Australia, are Australian, or are looking for an entertaining and hilarious analysis of Australia and its people, I would highly recommend the book. I couldn’t put it down by the pool and beach, and woke up far too many napping people up and down the Eastern coast of Australia with my extremely loud laugh.
Overall, the only item I wish I would have packed was a pair of nylons (or two). I loved nylons even before Kate Middleton brought them back, and they weren’t the easiest thing to find in the middle of the Summer on the Gold Coast (or maybe I just don’t know where to look!).
HONEYMOON PACKING LIST:
CLOTHES
6 Black Cotton Dresses
2 Black Wool Dresses
2 Black Silk Dresses
Pair of Black Shorts
Black Short-Sleeved Polo
Black Cardigan Sweater
Black Burberry Trench Coat
Yoga Pants, Tank, and Athletic Shoes (for the plane and hiking)
SWIMWEAR
2 Cotton/Linen Coverup Dresses
2 Black One-Piece Swimsuits
Assorted Black Two-Piece Swimsuits
SHOES
Beige Chanel Ballet Flats with a Black Cap Toe
Black Tweed Chanel Heels
Beige Chanel Wedges with a Black Cap Toe
Black Chanel Sandals with Beige Camellia Flower
Satin Chanel Pumps (this is the only item I should have left at home…)
Gold Jack Rogers Sandals
PURSES
Black Chanel Medium Flap in Caviar Leather with Silver Hardware
Black Chanel Cambon Bowling Bag
SCARVES
Silk Chanel Scarf with Flowers
Cotton Chanel Scarf with Chains
JEWELRY
Cartier Stainless Steel Tank Francaise Watch
Cartier Yellow Gold Love Bracelet
Solitaire Earrings
Solitaire Necklace
Pearl Earrings
Pearl Necklace
David Yurman Cable Bracelet
SUNGLASSES
Chanel Black Sunglasses
Ray Ban Black Wayfarer Sunglasses (technically these are my husband’s, but I borrowed them every now and then)
MAKEUP
SKINCARE
Love your list! Monochromatic choices make a trip sooo much easier! And you make me feel better for having too much black in my wardrobe, everyone teases me about it.
You are fabulous!!!!
Thanks Lily! I do get teased sometimes by my friends (like when they saw my closet: http://thenewblackisblack.com/2011/02/07/the-red-dress), but I’m a firm believer in quality over quantity when it comes to ones wardrobe, and it doesn’t get more classic or versatile than black! I love wearing a dress and knowing that it will be equally chic in 5, 10, or 15+ years. Plus, it’s soo easy to mix and match when packing monochromatic.
What a wonderful and inspiring list – thank you so much! I got many wonderful ideas for my next trip and love that are back with so many new posts:)
Thank you Friederike – I am happy to see you stop by again! Hope all is well with you : )
I admire how you are able to pack yourself, I have never possesed that skill:)
Thanks Ola! The key is knowing what NOT to pack ; )
that is quite a collection of lovely chanel footwear! love it.
Thanks, and it is a completed collection – no more! ; )
How incredibly chic you must have looked, boy do you have an enviable wardrobe. Oh you would love Downton Abbey!
Oh and I second the above you are fabulous!
Aw, thanks Tabitha – that means a lot coming from you, the peak of UK chic!
Wow what a fab wardrobe to take on holiday – the all black works so well and easily together – i like black in summer – love all the Chanel – seriously impressive – thanks so much for your comment x
http://fashionandfrank.blogspot.com/
Thanks – and thanks for stopping by!
Love all the looks and that you have so many dresses packed! I am also very jealous of your Chanel shoe collection !
Thanks Katherine – I’m a big fan of dresses, they are so versatile! No more shoes for me! ; )
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Wow – like most of us here I was of course aware, what a great colour black is, but never thought it could really be this versatile.
Thanks also for your reply regarding the CC – after seeing this post I want one even more! xox, Macs
Thanks Macs! I adore black (haha – obviously!), the only key is to use special laundry detergent (I use woolite black) to keep the color looking fresh and not faded. Go for the CC!! What color/hardware are you thinking? xo
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