Travel // Packing for a city break to New York

If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll have noticed I was in New York with Al a couple of weeks ago.  Al had a meeting there on the Monday, so we took Friday off and headed over for a long weekend.  We arrived on Thursday evening, and left Tuesday morning so had plenty of time to explore the city.  We’d both been to New York before but it was a long time ago and we didn’t go together, so we really enjoyed hanging out in NYC together!

Deciding what to pack for a mini break is often tricky.  I wanted to pack as light as I could as we were travelling by train and I didn’t want to have to lug a heavy suitcase around.  As I always do, I laid my outfits out on the bed, and made sure everything mixed and matched really well.  It didn’t look like I was packing nearly enough clothes, but I decided to trust myself and stick with it.  Normally I’d cave in and throw in a couple more items - just to be safe, but I'm glad I didn't; nothing was left unworn and my suitcase was pretty light!

The secret to packing for a long weekend away, is to make sure you pack great staples.  In my case it was a pair of skinnies, a leather skirt, one dress, and a selection of tops that I could interchange.  I added to this: a parka for the rain, a leather jacket for the cold and a giant scarf in case it got really cold.   A pair of heels, flats and boots took me effortlessly from day to night, and my favourite accessories helped me style up my different looks.

I always roll my clothes as it reduces the creases, and if I pack anything delicate (like my leather skirt) I'll roll it in tissue paper.  It sounds like a faff but I’d hate for it to get ruined because I couldn’t be bothered to look after it, and what a waste of money it’d be too!

So, with only those 9 items to choose from, I pulled together these 6 outfits.  I saved time not having to decide what to wear, and then iron it; meaning that we had extra time to explore NYC.  It also meant that I had a happy husband who hadn’t had to wait too long for me to get ready :)

  It was reassuring to find out that I really could pack light for a 5 day holiday!  Next time I’ll know to trust myself and resist chucking in a couple of extra items ‘just in case'.

To see more on our trip to New York, head over to the new lifestyle blog that I share with Nic in Chicago.  I'm taking Style Studs and Lace back to its roots so will concentrate on sharing styling, shopping and wardrobe advice as well as style inspiration that I’ve learnt through my travels and career as a Personal Stylist.

From now on,  travel and other lifestyle bits and bobs will be over on I Love You're Accent.  We hope you like it…and if you live in Pennsylvania or Illinois, then get in touch and share with us, your favourite things to do!  Nic and I are always on the lookout for new things to explore!!

Oh, and if you have any tips on what and how to pack for a short city break, then join in and comment below!