Happy October, friends! And happy Wednesday! That means it’s time for another What I Wore Lately, my every-other-week roundup of daily outfits. This one is all about what I wore during our trip to Iceland, Scotland, and London last month. (And I promise—this will be the last post about that trip!)
We were gone for over two weeks, so this one’s a doozie, but I think it’s fun (and hopefully helpful!) to see how my travel capsule wardrobes actually worked out in real life.
If you missed them, I already shared our His and Hers Iceland Packing List and What I Packed for Scotland/London, so you can see everything that went into my {very large} suitcase. Today’s post is all about how those pieces came together in actual outfits, what we did each day, and how well it held up throughout the trip.
Travel Outfit
For our travel day, I wore the Blondo Chelsea boots because they were the heaviest, bulkiest pair of shoes I was bringing. I paired them with my grey jeans and my favorite black travel cardigan, layered over a striped tank in case I got warm and wanted to remove the sweater.
Packing tip: Wear your heaviest or bulkiest shoes (and coat) on the plane to save space in your luggage. I did pack my coat this time, but I sandwiched it between the two sides of my suitcase so I could easily grab it when we landed in Iceland.
J.Crew cashmere cardigan (S) // Z Supply stripe tank (M) // MOTHER Outsider Flood (30) // Blondo Cammie (8.5) // similar CALPAK large suitcase // AWAY Featherlight Backpack
This ridiculously large CALPAK suitcase wasn’t completely full at the start, but I definitely couldn’t fit everything I wanted to bring into my usual AWAY The Medium, so it was necessary. (By the end of the trip, I had expanded it and still had to sit on it to get it closed—so bringing it was definitely the right decision!)
🇮🇸 What I Wore in Iceland
Once we got settled into our hotel in Reykjavik, I changed back into my grey jeans and we headed out to explore the city, including a food tour later that afternoon. I picked up a grey cashmere headband at a local shop—it was windy and my ears were cold, so it was the perfect solution.
lululemon Rain Rebel Jacket (10) // J.Crew cardigan (S) // MOTHER Outsider Flood (30) // Blondo Cammie (8.5) // similar black crossbody
We went back to the hotel for a bit to relax after the food tour, and then we headed back out again to catch some live music (and to try to stay awake a few more hours). I changed into my new Icelandic sweater, which I had purchased earlier that day.
And I swapped the boots for my VEJA sneakers to give my feet a break. They have black accents, which work really well with the black coat and bag.
sweater (purchased in Iceland) // MOTHER Outsider Flood (30) // VEJA Esplar (39) // lululemon Rain Rebel Jacket (10) // similar black crossbody
I changed into my new Icelandic sweater with jeans and sneakers for dinner at our hotel that night.
Icewear sweater (purchased in Reykjaviik) // MOTHER Dazzler (30) // VEJA Esplar (39) // LAGOS earrings
The next day, this kind gentleman at The Balmoral agreed to a photo as we said our good-byes. (I’m sure it wasn’t the first time… lol!).
I wore a similar look for traveling to our next destination, but with a short-sleeve grey sweater underneath. It was sunny, and by then I was getting a little tired of my long-sleeved sweaters. Fortunately, we were in and out of the car most of the day, and I stayed warm enough with my coat on.
After checking into our new hotel that evening, I just kept the same outfit on for dinner.
PAIGE Nepheli in Grey (S) // MOTHER Dazzler (30) // Blondo Cammie (8.5) // Jenny Bird earrings
We packed up the next morning to head back to Glasgow. Since I knew we’d be spending the afternoon in the city, I wore my VEJA sneakers and pulled out my blue jeans for the first time on the trip. It felt so good to wear something other than grey or black!
Rails Geneva (S) // PAIGE Anessa (29) // VEJA Esplar (39) // London Fog Hooded Raincoat (S)
After exploring the city, we checked into our hotel for the night. We had dinner reservations at an upscale Indian restaurant, so after a short rest, I swapped the blue jeans and sneakers for black jeans and we set out again. Since we wanted to walk and see more of the city, I chose my black boots over the ballet flats and just hoped the restaurant wasn’t too dressy.
I also forgot to tell Paul to put on a nicer shirt, so we both felt a little underdressed. Glasgow definitely has a different vibe than Oban, but it is what it is… you do the best you can when you’re traveling!
Rails Geneva (S) // MOTHER Dazzler (30) // Blondo Cammie (8.5) // London Fog Hooded Raincoat (S) // similar black crossbody
🇬🇧 What I Wore in London
Arriving in London felt a bit like coming “home.” I was so happy to be in a familiar place, and to be staying put for the entire trip. After checking into our hotel for the next four nights, I changed and then we set out to explore the neighborhood.
I didn’t really need to change, since I basically ended up in a similar outfit formula—short-sleeve cashmere sweater and jeans—but I was so excited to get out of those boots and into some fun shoes. It was a bit of a risk wearing ballet flats, since we didn’t know how long we’d be out, but as it turns out, my feet were very happy. It’s good to know I have a pair of cute shoes I can walk miles in!
London Fog Hooded Raincoat (S) // cashmere sweater vest (S) // PAIGE Anessa (29) // Dolce Vita Roslyn (8.5) // Nili Lotan belt (M) (option) // Clare V. crossbody in Black/Chocolate (option) // Anna Beck necklace
I also pulled out my Clare V. crossbody for the first time. I’d packed it specifically to bring in some brown tones, but it also has black in it, so it works with both.
The next day was another full one with lots of walking—touring the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. With sunny skies and mild temperatures, I took the opportunity to wear one of the short-sleeve tops I’d packed. (I definitely brought more than I needed, as it turned out.)
I actually prefer this green top with the black jeans, but I’d worn them so much, I opted for the grey instead. And sadly, the green is sold out (it’s from last fall), but they just brought it out in this gorgeous shade of blue! (I bought that one last night at EVEREVE.)
Michael Stars Nara Mock Neck Top (M) // MOTHER Outsider (30) // Blondo Cammie (8.5) // lululemon Rain Rebel (10) // similar black crossbody
To travel home, I went back to my original travel outfit, but swapped the boots for sneakers. Once again, I’m surprised how little this sweater showed up in photos, because I felt like I wore it so much. I guess it was mostly around the hotels in the mornings or when we were relaxing between events.
It’s so comfy and works with all my denim options, as well as my SPANX wide-leg pants. It can be dressed up for an evening at the theater or tossed on with lounge pants or pajamas—definitely a true MVP, even if it didn’t make many appearances in the pictures.
J.Crew cashmere cardigan (S) // Z Supply stripe tank (M) // MOTHER Outsider Flood (30) // VEJA Esplar (39) // similar CALPAK large suitcase // AWAY Featherlight Backpack
Looking back, I probably could’ve packed fewer pieces, but hey—live and learn! I really ended up with three mini capsule wardrobes for this trip. There was some overlap, especially in outerwear and footwear, but I still had to think in terms of three different wardrobes, which made packing minimally almost impossible. Given that, I feel like my travel capsule worked out really well overall. I never felt like I was missing anything, and I was glad to have plenty of options that felt both practical and polished.
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