How I packed for a 2-month eurotrip in a Ryanair-approved carry-on

Did I do a good job? Only time will tell.

It’s rainy in New York, my flight to Chicago was delayed 4 hours, and I’m drinking a glass of LaGuardia airport Merlot that cost $12 and came with a “We Value You” sticker on the menu in recognition of what an unbelievably generous deal this is. The glass is ice cold, but the wine is somehow warm.

I’ll spend a week in Chicago, a week as the writer-in-residence at my parents’ house, a week in Cape Cod, and then it’s off to Italy. I’m subletting my room in New York, so I can’t pop in and out. I’m gone, and I’m gone for good! Until I start the second year of my MFA in September (should I write about MFAs? Everyone else is.)

Anyway, I’d been thinking about doing a “how I packed” post because I’m always looking for “how I packed” content that exists at the exact midpoint of r/OneBag male-brained practicality obsession and, like, the Kaitlin Phillips of it all. How do you pack for two whole months across multiple climates if you absolutely refuse to check a bag but also need to signal your in-group status to other New York expats? I’m endeavoring to find out.

(Sidebar: It often seems like the point of Substack is to preach and eventually monetize taste. That’s the ethos of so many popular blogs, from Gift Guide to Feed Me to Blackbird Spyplane right on down to the people who are trying to do that, but failing. Luckily for you, my taste isn’t good enough to monetize. But I actually think certain failures of taste are important? Having the BEST taste in EVERYTHING ALL THE TIME seems both exhausting and kind of boring. I suspect (hope?) true artistry requires you to be just uncool/indifferent enough to occasionally shop at Old Navy. Sidebar sidebar: I do actually love Old Navy. Also, I started reading Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico on the train to the airport so of course I’m thinking about these things.

Let’s start with the inspiration. I recently rewatched Jamón jamón (1992) and remembered that that film is the fucking blueprint for my “summer” “style.” What this means is I want to wear slutty sundresses and big earrings and dress only in the colors red, white, and black. Obviously Penelope Cruz is the headliner but let’s not forget about her fabulous mother, played by Ana Galiena, whose polka dot deep V might be the origin of a polka dot deep V I wore to every college party and only recently got rid of, which I now sort of regret, since polka dots are “back.” (To me they never left.)

The other once-and-forever inspiration is Eric Rohmer, but I don’t need to tell you about Rohmer Summer, do I?

(None of this is original, by the way. While Googling for images I found an article called “Jamón jamón is the perfect summer 2018 fashion inspiration.” But that’s the point! This is just what every Reformation/Rouje/etc summer collection looks like. And I’m here to tell you: you can get the look at Old Navy.)

Anyway, here’s what I packed:

You’re looking at:

7 “bottoms,” i.e.:

-A pair of vintage Levi’s 550s, purchased for $10 at L Train

-An acid wash denim cutoff skirt, sexy and tacky, purchased for $5 at a flea market in college

-A Miaou blue-and-white toile print low rise midi skirt, purchased on sale at SSENSE for, God, who knows ($75?)

-An extravagant ruffled black cotton skirt from a brand called Dosa that I’d never heard of, but is apparently carried at The Row store in Amagansett? It was $44.95 at Beacons Closet. They retail for around $500-$600 and a friend asked me if it was Comme the other day, so I’m happy with my purchase.

-A white midi skirt with an intriguingly stiff, puffed shape, bought at a closet sale for $15

-Bike shorts

-Two pairs of Nike shorts, only one of which I actually brought

8 “tops,” i.e.:

-A fitted, slightly cropped black t-shirt from Uniqlo

-Two Skims tank tops, one black and one light blue, purchased full price and worn constantly (they really are that good)

-Two oversized graphic t-shirts, both neutral. One is black and was purchased at a reunion show for the forgotten 80s college rock band Miracle Legion. The other is beige/cream and was purchased at the outdoor Arverne Cinema in Rockaway at a Hell Gate screening of Network (1976). The movie, the theater, the publication: all are excellent!

-A Simone Rocha black cotton tank blouse, asymmetrical and heavily adorned with cutouts, ribbons, and ruffles. Purchased from The Real Real with sales credit for, I think, $130

-A super distressed vintage Ralph Lauren men’s button down, striped light blue, that I was given—no joke—by a man I went on two Tinder dates with

-A cream linen short sleeve button down from Uniqlo

2 dresses, i.e.:

-A boxy cotton shift, black with polka dots, from the H&M sale section

-A black linen-blend fitted dress, low-cut and sultry, from the Old Navy sale section. No one believes me when I tell them Old Navy makes genuinely good summer dresses. But they fit great, and I like cheap clothes for summer anyway.

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN: The Mara Hoffman red gingham dress I sadly had to jettison because it took up too much space and didn’t quite go with either of the bras I packed. I bought it at the Paloma Elsesser closet sale. She will be missed :(

-2 swimsuits, a red bikini and a black one piece, because if you’re going to the beach you NEED two swimsuits because inevitably you will want to swim again before one is dry and you cannot be hanging out in wet swimsuits, that is a RECIPE for a yeast infection (I initially typed “yeats infection.” Can you imagine?)

-9 pairs of underwear in all formats (from white cotton brief to black lace thong)

-2 bras, one black underwire and one white, for sports

Accessories, i.e.:

Lots of jewelry (should I make a separate post about that?)

3 pairs of shoes, i.e.

-Black Camper sandals that are beat to shit because I literally wear them every day in the summer and I keep trying to buy a replacement but nothing is quite as perfect as these shoes which are both ridiculously comfortable and also elongating on the leg because they lack an ankle strap and also they work as semi-formal

-White Reebok “vintage-look” sneakers, SSENSE sale purchase, I’m not even a sneakers person but when I tried to bring black leather knee high boots my friends all yelled at me

-Red Rothy’s ballet flats, which are a perfect accent shoe and so fucking comfortable. Look, a Rothy’s is a utilitarian shoe. It’s not Repetto, it’s not Carel, it’s not even Steve Madden. But you can actually walk all day in these. That’s worth the faint Cool Brooklyn Mom effect. I think literally every other shoe they sell is hideous, though. Although didn’t Emily Sundberg just do some spon for them? What do we make of that?

2 bags, i.e.:

-A Mast Books tote for daytime

-A Collina Strada x Baggu purse for evening

The ethos here was comfort, ease, practicality, and cohesion (yes you can call it a capsule wardrobe) while preserving the possibility of juxtaposition and contrast and surprise—that’s why I focused on separates rather than dresses, because being able to wear a Simone Rocha blouse with Nike shorts, or a midi skirt with a big ass t-shirt, or ballet flats with Nike shorts and a big ass t-shirt, is the only styling principle I can claim to understand.

(And what about it, I say?)

Was this fun??? I hope this was fun!!! I’m typing this on the iPad and keyboard set I bought to avoid lugging my laptop. It’s good practice for when I have to #type #my #novel. I hope I don’t die on my flight to Chicago because I would be devastated if this were the last thing I ever wrote. Just kidding! I’m never going to die.

Love,

Mariah