How to Pack for a Summer Vacation as a Color-Loving Maximalist
Going on a summer vacay soon? Don’t forget to pack your personality! 😆
The rules for how to pack weren’t written for color-loving maximalist moms trying to feel hot and confident at the pool. And those 3 x 3 neutral capsules hurt my ADHD brain. So I just know that kind of packing will just never work for me, with my closet looking like a Warm Autumn palette threw up all over it.
That’s why I wrote my own rules.
This post is my step-by-step guide on how I pack for a summer trip. In a way that leaves me feeling confident, colorful, and alive on vacation.
I can’t promise you won’t get to the beach and not have to run to CVS for some toiletries you forgot. But I can promise that you will feel like a STAR throughout your vacay if you pack this way.
If that doesn’t feel like you, scroll on. If it does, lock in.
Packing tip: It’s easy to mix-and-match when you know your colors!
I’m a maximalist, and everything I own is in a bold color or an out-of-pocket pattern, but they mix and match together naturally because there’s a throughline tying them together: I know my best colors, and I (mostly) stick with them.
Wanna learn your best colors? And get a knockout color palette you can build your wardrobe around? Drop your email below, and I’ll send you the info—plus a code for $20 off.
Most packing posts start with a spreadsheet frame of mind…
As if A + B + C will equal a perfectly compact suitcase with no wasted pieces. But the truth is that no one will give you a gold star for how rigidly you stick to one color palette or how tightly rolled your T-shirts are. None of that is going to help you feel hot and confident by the pool.
As a color analyst, style maximalist, and just a mom of two trying her best to get her color back while navigating almost midlife and ADHD, what gets ME off the couch to pack is the idea that, with a little thought, EVERY outfit I bring could be fabulous and make me feel more like ME.
My goal is to feel fabulous on vacation at any given moment, from breakfast in the morning, to the pool, to going out at night, to the plane (and we will get there). I want to feel like the paparazzi could stop me at any moment, and it would always be a good day.
That’s what we’re working toward together right now.
Oh, and just a heads-up: This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through our links, we make a small commission at no cost to you. Thanks, girl!
Hot Take: Start with the suit!
I’m assuming there will be a pool where you’re going. So we’re starting with bathing suits. Why? Because collectively, we are SLEEPING on swimsuit style.
I’ve seen people splurge on suits, dropping hundreds at a time, thinking it’ll help them feel more confident. I think we do this because we know that at the pool is where we’re going to feel the most vulnerable. I know I’ve been on a healing journey with my body image, but even still, the pool and my swimsuit tend to dredge up any pre-existing insecurities.
But here’s what we’ve been missing: Your body doesn’t have to do all the heavy lifting if you have a stunner by-the-pool look! I know that when you’re in a bathing suit, it feels like there’s a spotlight on your body. There’s nothing to look at other than that piece of spandex and YOU. But you control the narrative of how people pay attention to you. So here’s what you’re going to do:
Make a big commotion with your swim look!
Accessories, do your hair, put makeup on—you’re redirecting the eye to where you want them to look. I believe in this so much that I actually want your most fabulous packed outfits to be your swim looks! Just trust me on this one: It will be so healing and freeing to get complimented and feel beautiful in your swim looks.
How to show out in a hot swim look
You build a cute swim look by stepping back and looking at the whole thing, rather than zooming in on JUST your suit or JUST your body.
Take a step back in your mirror and start building a look. Add a cute wrap and turn it to the side with a big ol’ knot in it to draw attention there. Put on your cutest sunglasses. Add statement earrings. For some of my suits, hair up with a couple of bangles makes me feel like I have control.
Don’t want any high-maintenance accessories? That’s okay! Grab some acrylic bangles and earrings with a good back on them, and you won’t have to take them off to get in the pool.
Oh, and I say this with love: Swap those shoulda-been-thrown-out-last-summer flip flops for a strappy little waterproof number, or even fresh flip flops in a color other than black. 😉
This is your sign to buy a suit in a color you love!
People have been telling you to hide in black, but no!
Some people feel like wearing color draws attention to them, and look—I know that can be nerve-wracking. But in a swimsuit, that’s exactly what we WANT: for the attention to go from your body to YOU—the whole beautiful you. It’s the perfect time to say “screw it!” and go for a bolder color. Maybe even one in your palette.
Psst! Don’t have the suit yet? Shop our favs for your season!
Grab cover-ups that can be made into outfits
Pick a cover-up look or piece that can be reworn in other outfits—poolside or not.
I happen to have fabulous green pants for by the pool, and I love them with this thin, pretty long-sleeved green top I thrifted. So I’m packing that shirt because it’s a whole outfit I can make!
I’ll also bring my striped cover-up shirt and then wear it with jeans to lounge in another time!
Now boarding: Your cute plane look!
This might be controversial, but if you’re someone who wears dresses, I want you to try out a dress for a plane outfit. Trust me, it is a slam dunk. (Bonus points if it rolls up small.)
Here’s my hot take: If life is a stage, the airport is one of the biggest audiences you’re gonna have. You’ll see so many people!
Not that I want you to impress them or care what they think—screw that. 😆 But I can tell you from experience that starting your vacation on a bed of compliments from strangers goes far. (I haven’t gone from the TSA to my destination without getting at least one compliment in the airport from a stranger.) Plus, when you arrive, your first impression will be a happy one, with you feeling beautiful and confident, which will make you WANT to engage with everyone right away.
So if you can, pack two cute plane outfits. Dresses if you have ‘em! But if you’re tight on room, you can even get away with one. You won’t see the same people both times.
Psst, now lean in for a second: Between me and you 😉 I always have my Megababe Thigh Rescue Anti-Chafe Stick and these cooling, anti-chafe shorts under my dress, so when I’m running between terminals, the thighs stay intact. (If you know, you really know.)
Next up: Sensible walkable shoes
Because we can’t be too hot to trot.
One non-negotiable for me is making sure that I have on a pair of shoes that are walkable, go with pretty much any outfit, and won’t give me blisters.
Vacation is the WORST time to break out a new pair of shoes. If you haven’t walked a mile in them, don’t do it. You don’t want to be stuck with blister foot.
My go-tos are these gold, strappy sandals from Anthro. They’re an investment, but I’ve walked at least 50 miles in them all over NYC, and they go with everything. Metallic is a great option to pair with everything if you don’t want a straight-up neutral.
Now, go grab your matching set!
The next thing you’re going to put in your suitcase is your matching set. Mine is from Anthropologie (this top and these bottoms), and it’s perfect for me as a Warm Autumn.
I love a matching set because it always looks put together. It’s just a given that you’ll look great. And a lot of times, you can wear the pieces individually and mix and match them with different things.
I can wear my top with the same green pants as before, plus new accessories. I can wear the bottoms with this cute little cropped tank top. I get tons of wear out of these pieces, but with a few little tweaks, it always feels fresh and new.
The one place I go boring? The third piece.
If every piece I’m bringing has all this pattern or personality, and it might get a bit chilly here or there (think airport, at night), I give myself permission to bring one neutral-coloured, goes-with-anything third piece—whether it’s a zip-up, a little blazer, or a cardigan.
But y’all, I’m still a maximalist, so of course mine has lace and details on it. 😆
Don’t sleep on cute pajamas
I know you think you’re going to go on vacation and instantly change into a fabulous look first thing, but let’s be real: A good amount of your trip will probably be spent up late at night talking with everyone and easing into the day at breakfast. You might have family around, your partner, etc. That’s why I early on invested in really beautiful silk pajamas. They pack small. I got mine in one of my best colors. And now? My pajamas are something I’d feel confident in if somebody snapped a picture of everybody hanging out in the morning before putting on my whole look for the day.
I’ve been so happy about this purchase—it was a splurge but I have not regretted it for one second because I get so much use.
You get ONE tried-and-true night-out dress
Choose a night-out outfit next. This is likely one of your biggest items space-wise, so unless you’re going on a fancy cruise or to a multi-event wedding, you’re allowed ONE. (I promise you won’t magically turn into someone who wears fancy dresses every day while you’re gone!)
I’m always comfortable bringing just one nicer dress because I make sure my everyday stuff is cute enough to wear out if I need to. Plus, if I want to bring more than one pair of shoes, this is where I sometimes sneak that second pair in.
And look, of course you can take more! I’m not about to police your packing. Get it! But remember: This isn’t the time to wear anything for the first time. If you don’t know if you love the dress, how it moves on you, or how it looks in photos, leave it and pack something you already have a positive experience of loving yourself in.
Pack. Those. Accessories.
Accessories are awesome because they’re usually not that big, but they make a big impact. I always save space for bangles, statement earrings, and one pair of everyday earrings. (But I usually wear these on the plane.)
I’ve recently gotten into bangles. I love that when it’s hot in the summer and I’m not wearing as many layers to add intrigue to my outfit, they pack a big punch! Get a few in solid colors, and you’ll be able to wear them with tons of different outfits.
Oh, and make sure you bring a few lipsticks too if you’re a makeup girl! A new lip color can make an instant change in the vibe an outfit gives off, but it takes up such a minimal amount of space.
Feeling confident on vacation is worth it!
With all of this in your suitcase, I’m confident you won’t be distracted from your vacation by feeling insecure in what you’re wearing and how you look. If there were a formula to help you experience that 👆🏼the least possible, this would be it.
Remember that I think you are worth it. You’re worth the energy and the time it takes to actually try on these things, take pictures, and think through them.
And if you’re a mom, pack your clothes first. The kids are adorable already, and they’re probably not short on confidence! You can always throw crap in there for them to wear later. Pack the essentials for them, yes! But pack your own clothes first! You can always grab toiletries at the airport, but you can’t go back in time and make yourself pack more beautiful outfits.
And trust me—no, like, really trust me: You won’t regret it.
