Dressing the Part: Vacation

Gone fashion...

I'm going on vacation in three weeks and already plotting what to pack. This is not a long weekend but a real week-at-the-beach to a place we've been visiting over 40 years.

Before you think "Boo-hoo— why not go somewhere new?", this to me is a real vacation. There is no orientation needed. You know what's what and what's where. Besides checking out new restaurants, new shops and the new condos that are wrecking the view, this is a place where we can completely relax. By the end of the week I usually wish I weren't wearing clothes at all.

Nevertheless pack I must. And here's the quandary. Black does not look so good at this quintessential American beach town. Neither does the folkloric/tribal twist in fashion this summer. What looks best against sand, sun, sky and ocean is good-old Gap/Tommy/Ralph/J Crew. This is not my usual a la mode, but I have the prerequisite chambray shirt, some sailor stripe t's, and even a pair of white pants with little embroidered birds. For me dressing this week will be more like dressing a play (thus play dressing).

I'm thinking about using the biggest suitcase I own (millimeters shy of a steamer trunk) and throwing everything in. There's no worse feeling than knowing you have left the Perfect Outfit at home (or your hooded sweatshirt). On the other hand the idea of packing a week-in-a-carry-on is intriguing, but I foresee falling for overpriced apparel in not-so-trendy beach boutiques to stave off wardrobe blahs.

Here's what I'm not packing: anything I brought last year. I don't want to look the same in this year's photos!