The 4 Jackets I Wear Non-Stop Each Fall

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I’m back from London and it’s 65 degrees this morning in Charleston! I’ll be sharing more about our trip soon including what I wore, what we saw & ate and a fun “Get Ready With Me” that I filmed in our rental, but in the meantime I’m so excited for all things fall. The weather was absolutely gorgeous in London and excluding one 75 degree day, it was chilly enough for a light jacket or blazer the entire time. Especially now that it’s cooled down here in Charleston, there is no denying that it’s officially jacket season. Today I’m sharing the 4 styles that I wear non-stop every fall - I also want to mention that since adding a light plaid jacket to my closet this fall it’s quickly becoming a new must-have. Each of these are staples in my wardrobe and are styles that I wear on repeat when the temps drop.

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THE TWEED JACKET

First up is the tweed jacket. I love tweed for so many reasons and actually like to wear it all year, but during the fall I love it in richer colors like black and grey.

Not only are tweed jackets so classic that they do the work for you, but they can also be dressed down like I did recently for our trip to London when I wore my tweed jacket with jeans and sneakers for a day of sight seeing.

When looking for a tweed jacket I like them in either solid colors like this black one you see to the left or in a subtle mix of similar shades like grey, tan and white. Much like my other jackets and blazers, I also like my tweed options to be lined and to have structure to them so they can easily be thrown on top of anything I’m wearing. For me, if the material is too flimsy the jacket seems a little lackluster.

Below, I’ve rounded up a few tweed jackets I found available right now but I always recommend checking thrift stores or eBay, Poshmark, TheRealReal etc because these classic jackets have been around for years and stand the test of time beautifully.

THE HERRINGBONE BLAZER

For me, nothing says fall quite like herringbone. I love it in every color imaginable but my favorites are grey, green and rusty brown for the perfect topper to any fall look. Below, you can see two of my absolute favorite herringbone blazers that I look forward to wearing every year. On the left is a vintage Ralph Lauren blazer that fits like a dream and still looks brand new despite it’s age - one of the many benefits of herringbone. To the right is a J.Crew blazer that I picked up a few years ago before their blazer quality sadly declined rapidly. You may be able to find it on eBay or Poshmark but I also recommend looking at thrift stores and even in the little boys or mens departments.

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THE BARBOUR JACKET

Since I live on the East Coast, fall means rain and nothing is better for keeping me dry and warm than my Barbour Beadnell. I picked this up a few years ago and haven’t looked back since. Not only is in a perfect shade of green with a classic plaid lining, but it is warm enough to get me through most of the fall and winter but still light enough to wear in the spring as well. I am a huge fan and can’t believe it took me so long to finally pick one up. What’s even better is that Barbour offers a lifetime warranty and will happily repair any damage that you experience. I took my Barbour with me to London last week and it was perfect for those misty days that feel so much like New England that you can really see where it gets it’s name. Each day I wore it I was perfectly warm and dry the entire day.

THE CAMEL BLAZER & COAT

Much like herringbone, my fall wardrobe wouldn’t feel complete without a camel coat and blazer. I love this classic color and style so much and I can’t imagine getting dressed in the fall without them. Both my camel coat and camel blazer are by Brooks Brothers but I was able to nab them for a fraction of their regular price by waiting for sales and scouring eBay. I found the blazer brand new, with the tags still on for only $100 on eBay and the coat for under $300 because it was part of a sale in a Brooks Brothers store in Florida where heavy coats are never needed - a great tip if you’re in the market for a coat and will be traveling down south soon. If you are in the market for either a camel blazer or camel coat, know that the real deal can be very pricey and I definitely think it’s worth spending a little more for a beautiful option that you’ll wear and love for years, but also being smart about your purchase and looking for the best deal possible for a wool, lined option.

Out Of Office In London!

image via housebeautiful.com

image via housebeautiful.com

By the time this post goes up, Jason and I will be in London! I’ll be taking a break from posting while I’m away but will be back with some fun London videos and my usual content when I return. Until then, I posted a few more videos than usual leading up to my departure and you can see everything I packed here.

London Itinerary | What We Want To Eat, See & Do

Jason and I are heading to London and I am so excited!! By the time this post goes up, we should already be eating and exploring our way through London and filming some to share on YouTube when we get back. When we travel, we don’t like to have completely packed schedules, but instead prefer to gather some of the top things we’d like to eat, see and do and then plan our days around those once we’ve landed. This gives us the flexibility to sleep in if we want and take time to explore side streets as we happen upon them. For us, this method works really well and it’s resulted in some of my favorite memories while traveling. Below though, I’ve outlined some of the top things we have on our radar (many from your amazing recommendations!).

EAT & DRINK

Photo credit: Fortnum & mason

Photo credit: Fortnum & mason

  • Padella | 6 Southwark St, London SE1 1TQ, UK

photo credit: HOT-DINNERS

photo credit: HOT-DINNERS

  • Borough Market | 8 Southwark Street, London SE1 1TL 

  • Boxpark Shoreditch | 2-10 Bethnal Green Road, London E1 6GY

Boxpark Shoreditch opened in 2011 as the world's first pop-up mall. The concept utilised the modern street food market and placed local and global brands side by side, to create a unique shopping and dining destination. Entirely constructed out of refitted shipping containers, Boxpark showcases a unique position in being able to offer affordable and flexible leases for lifestyle brands, cafes, restaurants and galleries to trade and succeed. In October 2016 the second Boxpark site was launched, south of the river, in Croydon. Version 2 has focussed entirely on the drinks and dining aspect that has made Boxpark so hospitable, as well as delivering some of the biggest events the city has ever seen; including a show-stopping launch event with Eskimo Dance and exclusive performance from Stormzy. Boxpark continues to be innovative in its approach to dining and retail and remains dedicated to working with aspiring and established talent from across the country to deliver unforgettable events. Boxpark is a retail revolution that has spawned many imitators but no equals. 

SEE & DO

  • Postcard Teas | 9 Dering St, London W1S 1AG

  • Columbia Road Flower Market | Columbia Rd, London E2 7RG 

photo credit: Condé Nast Traveler

photo credit: Condé Nast Traveler

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photo credit: visit london for free

photo credit: visit london for free

  • Regent's Park

  • King’s Road

  • Ham House

  • The Portobello Road indoor/outdoor antique markets

  • The Fan Museum - apparently you can even get high tea in their Orangery

  • Kew Gardens

  • Westbourne Grove

  • Hyde Park

  • Regent Street

  • Oxford Street

  • Carnaby Street

  • Harrod’s

  • Charlotte Tilbury

  • Superdrug

  • Boots

  • Ace & Tate

  • Liberty London

  • Bailey Nelson

How To Pack Light & What I'm Packing For A Week In London | VIDEO & Printable PDF

As a lover of capsule wardrobes it should come as no surprise that I never check a bag when traveling. Instead, I prefer to only bring a carry-on. Even when traveling abroad, I find that a little planning and some strategy goes a long way in ensuring I have plenty of outfits to wear and don’t need to sacrifice style. Plus, I’m always amazed by how much I can actually fit into my carry-on - typically way more than I actually need. Today, I’m demonstrating my top tips and the steps I follow every time I pack. I’ve outlined these steps as they apply to real life and take you along with me as I pack for a week in London. I’ve outlined my top line steps below but also go into a lot more detail in the corresponding video that you can watch at the bottom. I’ve also put together a printable PDF of these steps so that you can try it on your own and like always thanks so much for stopping by!

Step 1: Check the weather, Your Activities & the local customs and dress codes

  • The first thing I always check when traveling is the weather. I do this on my weather app, weather.com and by googling average precipitation levels and temps. This helps me eliminate anything inappropriate from my overall wardrobe (i.e. sundresses for an autumn city vacation) and start with less overall.

  • Next I like to do some research about the local dress codes and general attire. Especially when traveling abroad, it’s so important to do your research about a place and try to get a feel for what the locals wear so that you’ll blend in more seamlessly and have a more immersive trip.

Step 2: Pick Your Color Palette

  • Just like a cohesive color palette helps your entire wardrobe go together, a strategic palette for travel does the same. I like to pick at least 2 base colors and 1 accent color for easy mixing and matching but you can do as many or as few as you like. Also, unless I’m heading on a beach vacation I like to air on the side of darker colors because in my experience they’re more travel friendly - they stain less easily and especially if you’re traveling to a city, they look fresher for longer

Step 3: Plan Your Outfits

  • Now for my favorite part! I like to try my clothes on and put together some outfits. This helps me narrow in on what I want to bring and also visualize how many outfits I can create using the same pair of pants for example.

  • When I love an outfit I’ve tried I’ll snap a photo with a phone and save in a folder specifically for that trip. This helps me keep track of what I want to pack but also have some outfit inspiration for when I’m feeling a little jet lagged upon arrival.

  • Also, when in doubt, pack more bottoms than tops. You can easily rewear jeans and pants a few times but tops are harder to do that with (plus, bottoms take up more space) so I recommend going light on the bottoms and heavier on the tops. I personally like to have at least 1 top for every day that I’m away and love to pack t-shirts because they’re so light, take up very little space in your suitcase and can layered up and down effortlessly.

  • Also, I love to bring at least one great jacket or blazer (preferably something that can be dressed up or down) and I like to wear that on the plane so it doesn’t take up valuable space in my suitcase

  • Last but not least, shoes take up a ton of space so I like to stick to only 2 pairs at most and I always wear my bulkier pair on the plane to save space

Step 4: Consider the extras like jewelry, accessories

  • Jewelry takes up so little space and especially when it comes to statement jewelry, it can be thrown on with the same little black dress but make the whole outfit look totally different. Likewise with lightweight scarves

Step 5: Pack Your Toiletries and Personal Bag

  1. I love to have a capsule makeup collection and routine for this that makes it so easy to look and feel pulled together without having to bring your entire makeup collection. Typically when traveling I like to bring a base product that can be sheered out for light daytime coverage or built up for a fuller look at night. Also, a good concealer that can easily cover any pimples for dark circles that arise from traveling. A natural blush that goes with any lip and eye look. A daytime lip color, bolder lip color for night (this is also a great way to change up your look without having to bring more clothes).

  2. For toiletries I like to depot and decant my products into smaller containers that take up less space and then I store all of my liquids in a reusable quart sized plastic bag. I go into a lot more detail on my toiletries and how I pack them all in the video below and also include a general outline of what you may want to bring in the PDF here.

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