Packing List

Everything I packed for the lowkeyest, few days away with family friends in Lake Tahoe, because even when outfits aren’t the priority (hi, me most days now), you still have to get dressed.

And maybe this is extremely obvious, but putting this together made me realize that the clothes I wear the most right now all sort of do the same thing: they’re comfortable, easy to layer, and are ideally capable of serving more than one purpose. Nightgowns are dresses, pajamas should survive a morning walk etc etc. My current way of dressing needs to accommodate nursing and my most useful/ worn clothes are the ones that can change jobs depending on the hour.

If I’m being honest, I’m slightly insecure with how casual dressing has become for me, especially because it feels too ordinary to be worthy of sharing, but that’s just the reality of where I’m at right now. Instead of forcing myself to share things that don’t reflect this stage of life, I’m leaning in and sharing anyways. And I have to imagine some of you are in a similar stage too.

So when it came to packing for this past week, I quite literally threw everything into a bag in less than five minutes. I despise packing, always have, and draw a complete blank every time I’m faced with an empty suitcase. Instead of attempting to pack in outfits, which sounds logical, but was simply not within my brain’s current capacity, I grabbed a bunch of things I love and wear constantly and hoped they would figure themselves out once we got there. And they did!

I packed two nightgowns that could double as cover-ups over a swimsuit or work for dinner at home: the Nuisette classic and the Clover. Other than this dress, (which works 10 times out of 10 and has been carrying me for approximately five years now), it’s tricky to find dresses that are nursing friendly. And this dress couldn't be the only dress in the repertoire forever, as dependent on it as I am. Both of these two nightgowns pass the test!

For warm layers, I brought a cashmere cardigan and a vintage zip-up hoodie, similar to this, also good.

I brought two pairs of pajamas, one white and one black, to wear into the late morning and on walks. Both friends I was with are ordering them after the trip, which feels like a fairly strong endorsement. I also packed my recent substitute for athleisure: a coordinating set of tissue cotton pants + henley + sneaker replacement sandals. No leggings here (said with comfort in mind, not judgement).

For swim, two one-pieces: one in this really pretty shade of blue and a classic sporty black that comes in tall. God blessss. For hats, an older Claudent UPF bucket and my favorite, also old, Gap x Dôen baseball hat.

Two pairs of poplin pants, a tried-and-true tan pair and an oversized pair from The Row, plus a handful of white t-shirts, a mix of RE/DONE, worn-in vintage and my very favorite not-vintage-but-feels-vintage, worn-in henley tee. Restocking soon, I think! And although I’m a bit of a shorts hater, I figured if there were ever a place for jean shorts, Lake Tahoe was it.

My two shoes of summer: the beach sandal and the walking sandal, both hard to track down and for good reason. I wish I had gotten my hands on these, and now I’m also considering these. I clearly gravitate toward an easy, open-toe sandal, and know I would get a lot of wear out of a pair that feels slightly more elevated than the two I’ve been relying on.

Perhaps another obvious takeaway, but the best things to pack are the things you already wear constantly. Revolutionary!!! I’ve let go of the idea that a trip is an opportunity to become some better dressed version of myself. Changing locations does not fundamentally change the way I want to dress. Good information to have!