My vacation outfits & some tips on how to back for summer holidays
This blogpost contains pr samples (marked with c/o) & affiliate links (marked with *)
Summer vacation always is too short, isn’t it? Mine is already over. What stays, though, are tons of photos and beautiful memories of relaxed beach days, warm summer evenings with lots of wine and delicious food, lovely day trips, as well as sunny days, of course. In contrast to the last years, I decided not to share style diary posts on a regular base. I rather wanted to fully enjoy my vacation and spend less time in the world wide web. After a busy first half of the year, my batteries are fully recharged now. And now, I’m more than ready to share my vacation outfit lookbook with you plus some tips on how to pack for your summer holiday.
What to keep in Mind when putting together your Vacation Outfits
To be honest: I’m absolutely no pro when it comes to packing. I usually plan at least three outfits for every day and every possible weather (you never know if there will be a snow storm in Croatia, do you?), but on the other tend to forget important things like my teethbrush and socks (yes, it maybe won’t be snowing in summer in Croatia, it can be a bit chilly, though). After many private and business travelling in the last few years, though, I learned which things are important while travelling, and which not really.
My best Advice on how to pack Vacation Outfits
As always, there are definitely clothes that make sense to back for vacation, ther are also things we absoutely can leave at home. Here are some tips:
- Wrinkle-free fabrics like jersey are perfect for travelling, as you maybe won’t have an iron with you, and who wants to wear wrinkly clothes? As I had enough space in my suitcas (we drove to Croatia by car, so no weight limitations ;-)), I took a small steamer with me and therefore also packed some leight-weight garments made of crepe fabrics.
- Of course I love to wear all my favourite summer dresses in my holidays. Skirts, tops, blouses, and trousers, though, can be teamed in many different ways and therefore add more variety to your vacation wardrobe. While my tops usually have plain colours like black or cream, I love to pack fancy trousers and skirts. So I can team different top with one skirt/one pair of trousers and don’t have to put together a complete new outfit every day. This saves space and time. 😉
- I love to have options an be steeled for all eventualities. A winter coat, and warm gloves, though, definitely make no sense during your summer vaction, despite you want to go on an excursion to the antarctica. I rather pack a cozy knitted cardigan (one of my favourites is the Jenny Cardigan by Vivien of Holloway) as well as one weatherproof jacket. I usually choose the cardigan and jacket in a neutral colour like black, for example, so I can team those easily with many different outfits.
- Beautiful summer dresses usually work by day and night, so you don’t have to pack two different outfits for every single day.
- I normally take three different beach outfits with me. If needed, I wash the clothes on-site:
- a beautiful dress for the beach club
- a long relaxed dress for the beach
- and a maxi skirt which I can easily wear on top of a bathing suit.
- Petticoats look great with circle skirts, need a lot of space, though. So if I pack one, I choose one in black or white which, again, I can team with different outfits. Tip: Use a vacuum bag, if you don’t have a lot of space in your suitcase.
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Tips on how to pack your Vacation Accessories & Shoes
No outfit is perfect without accessories, summer vacation is exception. The problem is, though, that accessories and shoes need a lot of space, or, on the other side, are so tiny that they easily can get lost. So here are some tips:
- Shoes need a particularly high amount of space, so it is best to only pack a few pairs that can be teamed with different outfits. This is what I always have with me during summer vacation: One pair of
- pretty wedges that work for day and night
- comfortable ballet flats or flats for smaller day trips
- elegant black pumps for the evening
- flip flops for the beach
- and, if I still have some space left, beautiful sandals.
- Handbags can be bulky as well. So again: rather choose only two to three different ones that can easily be teamed with different looks. This is what I pack:
- A summery basket bag, as this looks good with almost every summer outfit.
- A practical shoulder bag, in my case, made of straw, but leather bags in neutral colours like black work as well.
- Maybe a pretty clutch/evening bag.
- Beautiful summer hats are perfect for vacations, need a lot of space, though. I recommend to pack a hat that wasn’t too expensive if you don’t have much space left. In this case, it is not a drama if your hat gets deformed a bit. If you take a more expensive hat with you, make sure to pack it into a proper hat bag. A space-saving alternative to hats are pretty hairflowers, by the way. 😉
- Sunglasses, of course, are a must for summer vacation. I usually take two different ones with me:
- Less expensive sunnies for the beach.
- Gorgeous desinger glasses for every other occasion.
- Jewellery makes every outfit look more glamorous and stylish. Of course, I try to pack only things that match my outfits and store them in a small box, so they don’t get lost in my suitcase. I especially love the earrings I introduced in this blogpost, by the way.
*Affiliate links
From girly to elegant: My Vacation Outfits
Summer vacation is always the time to re-wear all my favourite summer outfits. I don’t care if I wore the exact same look many times before, but also love to team them in different ways. So don’t wonder if you are going to see some outfits you already know from the blog. 😉
Vacation Outfit No. 1: The Pinacolada Dress – my Holiday Classic
When I published my very first blogpost on RetroCat.de, I wore exactly this dress: The This Love Halter Dress by Banned. My styled has changed ab it since then and got, exactly like me, a bit more grown-up. I still love to wear this dress every now and then, though, especially on vacation. This dress, by the ways, is not the first time in Croatie with me (just have a look here), and therefore, I immediately get into a holiday mood when wearing it. So I guess it is no wonder that I wore it on our very first vacation day. While we were still very tired from the long car drive, we also were full of excitment about our upcoming holiday and enjoyed the beautiful sunset after a walk by the sea.
Outfit Details:
Dress: Banned*
Petticoat: similar here*
Earrings: Glitter Paradise*
Shoes: Petite Jolie, similar here*
Basket bag: Vintage, similar here*
Hairflower: Sophisticated Lady Hairflowers*, similar here*
Vacation Outfit No. 2: The Palm Dress by Grünten Mode
Palms belong to summer vacations like a Christmas tree belongs to Christmas. So of course another favourite was allowed to come with me to the south: The Palm Dress by Grünten Mode. The floating, light fabric is absolutely perfect for warm summer days and nights, while the lovely print immediately puts me into good mood – perfect for a relaxed vacation day, and you don’t even have to change outfit in the evening. 😉
Outfit Details:
Palm Dress: Grünten Mode (sold out)
Earrings: Glitter Paradise*
Shoes: Miss L-Fire, similar here*
Hairflower: similar here*
Vacation Outfit No. 3: Shorts & Blouse from Mondo Kaos
You maybe already know this cheeky outfit consisting of shorts and a blouse from my blogpost about Mondo Kaos. In combination with cool sunglasses, and a straw bag, this is a perfect look for the beach. In the evening, I would wear it with more elegant accessories and pretty sandals.
Outfit Details:
Shorts: The House of Foxy c/o Mondo Kaos
Blouse: The House of Foxy c/o Mondo Kaos
Ballet flats: Melissa, similar here*
Sunglasses: no name, similar here*
Straw bag: no name, similar here*
Parasol: available here*
Vacation Outfit No. 4: A yellow Summer Dress from Mondo Kaos
This is another dress I already showed you in my Mondo Kaos blogpost. The yellow colour goes absolutely perfect with a sunkissed skin and the lovely cut makes it a wonderful companion for summer days and evenings. For a colour contrast, I wore the dress together with green sandals.
Outfit-Details:
Dress: The House of Foxy c/o Mondo Kaos
Sandals: Miss L-Fire c/o Mondo Kaos
Basket bag: Vintage, similar here*
Earrings: similar here*
Vacation Outfit No. 5: A cheeky 60s Ensemble by Grünten Mode
For a trip to Zadar, I went for a fancy 60s outfit. The colourful ensemble is by Grünten Mode and a real head-turner. For even more holiday vibes, I teamed it with shell earrings, and a basket bag.
Outfit Details:
60s Ensemble: c/o Grünten Mode (sold out, but I also like this one)
Earrings: similar here*
Shoes: Miss L-Fire, similar here*
Basket bag: Vintage, similar here*
Hairflower: Sophisticated Lady Hairflowers*, similar here*
Vacation Outfit No. 6: A nautical Outfit by Grünten Mode
Of course I had to take at least one nautical outfit with me. This time, I styled the Sailor Girl Outfit a bit more modern. I’m wearing my hair down in a natural way (the waves are from the salty water and air ;-)), my makeup is, despite the red lipstick, quite natural, and the earrings are modern. I acutally even think this is my favourite look so far. The light striped jersey top protects you from the cool seaside breeze and reminds of the traditional fisher shirts, that one were the inspiration for Coco Chanels own striped shirts. The red skirt with an anchor prints is so fun and due to the red heart at the top, the full outfit looks harmoniously.
Outfit Details:
Sailor Girl Outfit: c/o Grünten Mode
Earrings: Stelle & Dot, similar here*
Shoes: Miss L-Fire, similar here*
Vacation Outfit No. 7: A yellow Lemon Dress
Prints always make me happy and especially during holidays, I can’t get enough of them. I received so many compliments for this dreamy lemon dress by Lindy Bop and most of the people think, it is pretty expensive. Spoiler alert: it’s not! For a trip to Biograd na Moru, I teamed the dress with bamboo earrings, wedges, as well as a hairflower.
Outfit Details:
Dress: c/o Lindy Bop
Earrings: Glitter Paradise*
Basket bag: Vintage, similar here*
Hairflower: Sophisticated Lady Hairflowers*, similar here*
Shoes: Miss L-Fire, similar here*
Vacation Outfit No. 8: Blouse & Skirt for a visit at the Donkey Ranch
This year, we visited the donkey ranch dar mar again. Oh what a fun day! My outfit for this trip was a simple as stylish: a red swing skirt, the blouse from vacation outifit no. 3, ballet flats, and round sunglasses.
Outfit Details:
Skirt: c/o The Seamstress of Bloomsbury*
Blouse: The House of Foxy c/o Mondo Kaos
Sunglasses: no name, similar here*
Ballet flats: Melissa, similar here*
Straw bag: no name, similar here*
*Affiliate links
Vacation Outfit No. 9: Capri Pants & Lace Top
Yes, sometimes I also wear trousers. 😉 Especially when they are as beautiful als these capri pants by King Louie. I teamed the outfit with a black lace top, the bra underneath is by Secrets in Lace. Sparkly earrings, a basket bag, and huge sunglasses finish this stylish vacation outfit.
Outfit-Details:
Top: Lena Hoschek
Capri pants: c/o King Louie, similar here*
Bra: c/o Secrets in Lace
Sunglasses: Miu Miu
Earrings: Stella & Dot, similar here*
Basket bag: Vintage, similar here*
Vacation Outfit No. 10: A romantic Maxi Dress
Maxi dresses are perfect for warm summer days and evenings. They feel great, look romantic, and I always feel like a princess when wearing one. My dress is by Lena Hoschek and a dream! I temed it with wedges as well as huge earrings – that’s it. Literally, as this marks the last outfit of this lookbook and also the end of my summer vacation… Opet sreti Hrvatska! Bye bye Croatia, see you next year!
Outfit Details:
Maxi dress: Lena Hoschek, similar here*
Wedges: Miss L-Fire, similar here*
Earrings: no name, similar here*
*Affiliate links
What is your favourite outfit?
