What I Wore in France
A packing list & ode to the only walking shoe
A packing list & ode to the only walking shoe
After nearly six years away, my husband and I made our way back to one of our most beloved places on the planet: the French Riviera! We primarily spent our days wandering around new-to-us cities: Èze, Menton and Saint Paul de Vence, plus a day in Monte-Carlo, which was a treat.
The simple pleasures of café hopping and spending full afternoons lounging on terraces and beach chairs were not lost on us—a stark difference from our last visit which happened to be in the middle of November... Still gorgeous, but raincoat required. Loved the many opportunities to wear whatever I wanted, no large jacket in tow.
If you’re spending some time on the Mediterranean—or somewhere nearby—this summer, you might be on the hunt for some easy-breezy, packable wardrobe additions. I’ve spent the last couple of months sifting, ordering, and refining, and am happy to share what I’ve landed on here. Hope you find a few things you love!
Consider this photo your fair warning to reapply sunscreen to your ankles
TOPS
When sifting through a vintage market in Portland about 7 years back, I stumbled upon what’s become my favorite shirt in my entire wardrobe: the linen lace top pictured in the last photo (above). At the time, the hand-written tags said it was 1950s Irish Linen. I’ve taken it to the tailor to be patched up a few times now and I plan to wear it until it’s a barely recognizable rag of its’ original self. Whenever that time comes, I’ve lined up a list of replacement contenders with this top from DÔEN coming in as the closest match. Also pictured above is a vintage Ralph Lauren one-piece with a matching coverup skirt: the perfect thing to wear out and about on a truly sweltering day (that hopefully ends with a walk directly into the ocean). A few other notes: the Boxy Pima Crew and Surplus Tank linked above are the most flattering, comfortable basics I’ve put on my body. The search for the perfect white tee is rather universal, and this is the one—I swear. Same goes for the tank: it’s sturdy but not too thick, not see-through, and offers the perfect amount of coverage. I’ve purchased multiple colors of both and am hoping and praying the brand never changes the fit of either!
SHORTS & SKIRTS
I’m so excited about these mini board shorts and mini gingham shorts: they’re comfy, versatile and keep outfits feeling more interesting than a cutoff does. And a take you’ve likely heard dozens of times: J. Crew really is killing it. This convertible dress is the ideal vacation piece—get multiple wears out of it as both a dress and a skirt. The eyelet coverup is so dainty and I plan to wear it both over a swimsuit and over a short slip to let it double as an actual skirt. The Cool Shorts were a bit of a splurge, but were well worth it: the material is a super-relaxed denim and they feel far more like sweatpants than jeans. The organic twill shorts come in a million colors, so take a look if you’re in need of a staple pair—they’re structured and comfortable for walking around all day, but airy enough to avoid overheating.
DRESSES
The formula: super short or super breezy. Love the Tanzania Dress as a coverup—then worn over a slip for an evening look—and forever a fan of this boatneck dress as an easy, flattering default option. The red dress I’m wearing is foolproof and possibly my favorite thing worn on the trip, due to its extremely lightweight nature: I’m ordering the brown one next.
SHOES
These leather fisherman sandals are the only walking shoe I’m packing: they have an orthopedic footbed and feel comparable to walking on marshmallows. They were my holy grail: not a single blister or moment of pain. I have a few other pairs of shoes from Camper and they’re the absolute most comfortable I own—this is the pair I wore constantly during a 3-month stint in Hawaii when I was clocking 10-20k steps a day a couple years back. You can trust me on this because a decade of distance running has left me with knee, hip and back issues and I cannot function if a shoe is even mildly uncomfortable. 😅 I opted against bringing sneakers for this trip, but I’m considering the cream pair above for a trip to Japan later this year! All of the other shoes I brought were best for the beach or worn to dinner.
BAGS & Accessories
I opted for a vintage beaded bag and my Audette baguette, but primarily reached for my raffia tote since it could hold my camera, sunscreen, sunglasses, phone, and book all at once. I relied on vintage scarves to change up the look of my raffia bag day-to-day, and while I waited too long to decide on the Triton Belt, I would’ve brought it if I’d placed the order on time!
TRAVEL FAVORITES
This is the travel tote I use: I’d recommend a darker color if you opt for canvas because it can’t be machine-washed. I’m still loving my carry-on suitcase a year later—it’s surprisingly so much easier to close than a zipper suitcase and I feel like it holds everything I need for a trip, which is generally quite a lot, lol. And lastly, the neck pillow that changed my life: I famously cannot sleep anywhere besides my own bed with a sleep mask on and the air conditioner blasting, but by some miracle, I slept on the plane and I’m certain it was due to this neck pillow. Be warned that it’s massive—use a carabiner to clip its’ bag to the outside of your tote to reclaim half of your bag.
SWIMSUITS
I have far too many swimsuits laying around to justify a haul, but if I were to order some, here’s what I’d get. Interested in the quick links to everything I’ve shared above? Here they are. Happy packing!
A travel hack, If you made it this far
We were trying to watch Breaking Bad together on my laptop while we flew, and I used this thread to figure out how to simultaneously connect both of our AirPods! More soon x