October 9, 2019
I’m back from Ireland (and 1 night in England…)!
When we stopped at Kells Priory, there was not ONE SINGLE SOLITARY person there. It was an amazing experience! This is one of the best parts of traveling in the off-season – fewer crowds, and some completely deserted delights…
Of course I packed black! The first 24 hours of our vacation, I was wearing my denim shirt, black corduroy pants, and my great marled cardigan from L.L.Bean. I can’t stress often enough how your choice of travel outfit is really important; you have no idea, when you’re traveling long distances, how long you will have to wear that same outfit! You don’t want to be unable to get into your hotel room in some lovely city for 3 or 4 hours, and be wearing pajama pants…
cardigan – L.L.Bean; striped tee – Majestic Filatures; chambray shirt – J.Crew; corduroy pants – L.L.Bean; striped shirt – J.Crew
In these images, all 3 pairs of pants look almost exactly alike, but they were really quite different in feel! I traveled in corduroy, mostly wore my regular jeans, and wore my velvet jeans when I wanted to look just that little bit nicer. (dinner, anyone?)
cashmere cardigan – Lands’ End; striped tee shirt – Lands’ End; gingham shirt – Orvis; velvet jeans – Lands’ End; striped cotton turtleneck – Banana Republic
I suspect that many people would be bored wearing black and white for 10 days, but I wear almost nothing else ALL THE TIME so this is pretty typical for me! Maybe it’s because I spend so much time looking at colors for The Vivienne Files, but I’m finding the simplicity of my achromatic wardrobe comforting. And mixing patterns makes me so happy…
striped sweater – Madewell; plaid flannel shirt – Lands’ End; windowpane flannel shirt – Banana Republic; cotton turtleneck – Lands’ End; jeans – Lands’ End
This is what the 15 garments look like, all together. Any time I had to put things in the suitcase (flying back from England to Ireland, changing bases in Ireland, and flying back to Chicago) I wore 3 garments, so I only had to pack 12. The great joy of having all of these button-front shirts and cotton turtlenecks with me is that I could fold all of them into a nifty packing envelope, flatten them down to the dimensions of a large hard-cover book, and pack them!
But of course, I needed shoes! And something to keep me warm… I wore relatively little jewelry while we were there; I think I only changed earrings once…
down vest – Patagonia; rain shell – Patagonia; shamrock earrings – Mini Mini Jewels; silver ball earrings – Lord & Taylor; silver star earrings – Bree Jewelery; onyx and pearl bracelet – Narayani; leather & pearl bracelet – Majorica; earth & plane coin purse – Tumi; waterproof boots – Blondo; loafers – Aerosoles; shopping tote – Wit!
I finally got smart enough to get a coin purse to keep Euro coins; I usually just toss coins into my pocket, but Euro coins can be quite a bit more valuable than any coin in the US that’s in normal circulation. And I had to purchase a reusable tote bag in Dublin because we bought so many books! The bookstores in Dublin are about a billion times better than those in Chicago…
Outerwear was the most important thing, of course. It rained EVERY DAY that we were in Ireland, which is not surprising… The down vest was great when it was cool but dry, and the Patagonia jacket is roomy enough that I could wear it over layers and layers of clothing.
One warning though – wearing a really great waterproof jacket just means that your legs will get MORE wet when it rains! All that water sluicing off of your jacket has to go somewhere, right? But I decided not to pack my rain pants; we didn’t do anything that qualified as legitimate hiking, so the occasional wet thighs weren’t terrible. (A good excuse to dart into a pub and warm up, right?)
And the Blondo boots are indeed waterproof! I wouldn’t go fly-flishing in them, but I spent a great deal of time in wet grass, or on rainy streets, and my feet were never damp. At all. I was stunned…
Of course, I had plenty of different ways to combine these pieces, from a relatively dressy cardigan sweater and velvet jeans to very serious cold, wet weather layering with jeans and down vest and rain jacket.
What can I recommend after our adventure? Kilkenny is worth a visit if you’re in Ireland; there’s a marvelously restored castle with beautiful grounds, as well as a few lovely churches, and some excellent restaurants and cafes!
The castle and abbey ruins scattered around the country are always fascinating to me – we loved Kells, and also found Jerpoint Abbey to be very beautiful.
In Dublin, don’t miss both The National Gallery and the Hugh Lane Gallery. Both are free – museums and galleries in Ireland tend to be free, which might be the most civilized thing possible to do with art, science and history!
Where are you traveling to next? I’m off to Florida in a few days, and then to Paris in BOTH November and December! I try not to travel too much; I have to be careful of my health…
here’s where I would insert a big sarcastic grin, if I knew how….
love,
Janice
p.s. 2 years ago, I was sharing the shop windows of Paris… Do I ALWAYS travel this time of year? (uh, yes, I do!)
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I’m in Andalucia ATM and traveling to Tenerife in November.
Ireland is indeed awesome. http://schober.smugmug.com/Travel/Ireland-2011/19889018_t6swQK#!i=1564984037&k=5Z64mMk
I love your wardrobe. I spent 2 weeks in Germany & Austria with pretty much the same wardrobe, but it was June and I had B&W tees instead of button ups with a chambray shirt, 2 cardigans and 3 pants. One of my cardigans was beige & I had gold jewelry. I didn’t get bored at all, I found it was so easy to get dressed without all the extra choices of stuff I don’t really love anyway. That is when I found your blog searching for packing posts and you helped me so much! I’ve been to Scotland in September & it was a great time to be there, Ireland is on the top of my list.
Next proper trip is to New Zealand breaking the journey both ways with a couple of nights in Singapore. I am dreading the packing as we will be leaving Ireland in February, so probably cold and wet, returning in April so probably cold and wet. Hot in Singapore and mixed weather in N.Z and it includes a wedding! Eeeeeeek how much to I need to pack?
Next mini trip is 5 days to the u.k so will wear jeans take a spare top and dress in my tote, thanks for teaching me how Janice but N.Z really worries me!
Hi Biddy, New Zealand is fairly casual – t-shirts on their own or with a long sleeve shirt over the top. A lightweight raincoat is good. A lightweight cardigan or similar for cooler evenings is a must – you can layer your raincoat over if you’re doing “activities” in the wind. If really necessary we have a decent range of outdoors wear shops where you can pick something up at a reasonable price. Cheers – Suzanne
Thanks Suzanne, it’s the 2 months bit and varied climates that’s challenging me at the moment. Will just have to get my head round it then take half as much as originally planned
thanks again, Biddy
The secret is layers. We’ve just done a 4 week trip to Europe, temperature range from 4 to 30 degrees celsius, carry on 7kg only. Never felt under or overdressed, wasn’t too hot or cold. Didn’t have a wedding though! If you swapped in lighter weight trousers and short sleeved tees, then the wardrobe here would work well I think. I took a sleeveless dress and wore that in Singapore, and wore a jean jacket over it in Europe, temps early to mid 20SKIN which would be similar to NZ in March.
Thanks Rachel, yes I think layers is the answer, and ignoring the large luggage allowance that comes with my ticket. So tempting to over pack!
When I did a long trip with a wedding at the end, I just mailed my wedding outfit so I didn’t have to carry it the whole time. No sense carrying fancy shoes, jewelry and a formal outfit you’ll only wear once. If I wasn’t difficult to fit and really bad at shopping, I would have just bought something when I got there. For my husband, we just rented his whole outfit there, including shoes. Hope this helps you think of more options. Have fun!
Hi Biddy, this was the first time we’d done carry on only for a mixed weather trip. So much easier on travel days than the large case I had two years ago. And I didn’t miss the extra clothes, thanks to the careful choices I’ve learned to make through reading theviviennefiles! Next trip is 7w, temps below freezing to 30plus (via Singapore again) and we will be doing carry on. Jean jacket will be swapped for my packable puffa, I will probably have two merino tops rather than one and sneakers will be swapped for waterproof boots, otherwise will be fairly similar to the 4w autumn trip.
That is so impressive, I will have to rethink some of my planned packing. It will not be possible to get away with hand luggage only because need to take wedding presents and our son and soon to be D-I-L demand as much Barrys (local Irish) tea as we can possibly manage!!
My little family and I just returned from Ireland at the beginning of September, and we spent a significant amount of time in Kells/Stoneyford/Kilkenny. We feel just as you do – Kilkenny is a fantastic little city (wish we had spent more time there!) Kells Priory is one of the most amazing sites I have ever visited – chills up my spine. We, too, were very much alone there. I am now nostalgic, and it was only two months ago :-(
My wardrobe for Ireland (inspired largely by you, Janice!) at the end of August/beginning of September involved black, grey, navy and pink. I had two pairs of hiking pants that actually doubled as dress pants (prana brianne pants in black and grey), and a pair of dark wash jeans, one button up flannel, t-shirts in my accent colors, and two scarves that dressed up everything. Our trip was not a city trip – lots of physical activity – so I veered toward the more casual. I had a pair of hiking shoes, a light casual sneaker/walking shoe, and a pair of blue suede loafers, and I was happy to have all three because I think it saved my feet to switch up my footwear!
My next big trip is Florida in the spring, which is an easy pack, but then potentially Germany in August – I still have a ton of planning and research to do, which I look forward to!
Just got home from a week’s trip to Niagara Falls – 40th anniversary, not honeymoon – and packed only a small capsule. It was all black, gray and white except for one burgundy sweater and the scarves. It worked fabulously well, except for leaving the top layer on the train! Even so, i was warm enough and had lots of choices and only came home with one unworn thing. Felt like a pro when i packed.
PS: Included my velvet jeans (they are actually cut corduroy in the narrowest wale i’ve ever seen, so they look like velvet, but are as warm as corduroy) and wore them to dinner nearly every night. Perhaps my best choice of all.
Love this post and have saved it as template. We are traveling to Scotland early in November. May be colder then but I know rain will probably be a factor. Those waterproof boots are tempting and that marled cardigan I will order now while it’s still available in navy petite. I always substitute navy for your black which is easy to do and I have many similar items in navy/white. Thank you for this and the simplicity of packing only two colors and this is almost a whatever’s clean wardrobe.
Janice Collins Coyle, Washington, DC
I stopped reading and went shopping right here… Heading to NY in January (eek!) and I don’t have winter gear, living in S. Arizona.
The velvet jeans are back in stock at Lands’ End; I can’t recommend them enough… At this moment, they’re available in dark grey, black, deep mulberry (oooh…), and dark blue teal… (double oooh…)
I own the teal pair and they are LOVELY. I’m sorely tempted by either the black or grey, just because they are so versatile.
I would dearly love the teal pair but they aren’t offered in Tall length!
Check back every week or so; their inventory changes often, and they do replenish items or expand size ranges on popular things. The way these jeans will sell, they very well might add sizes AND colors… sigh…
hugs,
Janice
About packing your tops– the link goes to the Eagle Creek pack it garment sleeve. I watched the video. I have questions. Did you put all your shirts in the 1 ? Or 1 shirt per garment sleeve? Or should the link go to an Eagle Creek packing cube which can compress all the tops? Thanks for the link to the beautiful onyx and pearl bracelet!! Always enjoy reading your posts!!
I use a 15 inch packing envelope and find it comfortably holds up to 8 shirts if you alternate the placement of the shirt collars. It’s amazing how the shirts stay wrinkle free even though they are compressed to save space. What a great invention!
A cube would be MUCH better – you’re entirely right! I can get 6 or 7 shirts into a cube, which is pretty compact. They shirts gets firm fold marks but they stay very neat – they look rather like when you get shirts from the cleaners in a box rather than on hangers…
Thanks for catching that!
hugs,
Janice
I love this cluster template and your holiday capsule looked ideal for Ireland. I am tempted by your waterproof jacket and boots as nothing I currently have comes close to keeping me dry when I’m out and about. Your Kilkenny trip reminded me of my last visit to Ireland where we met up with family in Kilkenny for three nights and then on to Dublin for two nights where we stayed at the Schoolhouse Hotel, which I believe is somewhere you stay. Whilst in Kilkenny, we visited Castlecomer craft yard where I had a Tahitian pearl pendant commissioned by Carl Parker – pictured here: https://www.carlparkerjewels.com/pendants?lightbox=imagem28. I was so taken with it that I purchased several other items from his workshop whilst there.
As for new adventures, in mid October we’re travelling up to a village in the South East of England and staying in an old coaching inn that dates back to 1453 where we plan to meet up with family, but also visit the local heritage sights and attend an Autumn taste festival where people gather to celebrate local produce and artisan food and drink – looking forward to that…
Vivienne, I am leaving for Ireland next week. I would love to order the LL Bean sweater, Lands End velvet pants and striped shirt. I am nervous about sizing. I typically wear 6/8 and S/M but it varies with brands. Do you feel they fit true to size? I don’t have time for returns.?. Thank you!
I think they’re accurate; one thing you could consider is buying a couple of sizes and returning the ones that don’t fit. I know that many people who read The Vivienne Files do this when they’re unsure about size!
Enjoy your trip!!!!!
hugs,
Janice
Richelle, I find the Lands End and LL Bean clothes run a bit big. I think of myself as a 10 but order smaller with those websites. Good luck.
Inspiring as always! While I don’t travel very often, posts like these are so helpful for those times I do!
On another note, have you ever thought of doing a maternity capsule warcrobe? Been looking over my current stash and making a shopping list for neccessities–it’s difficult to find what I like; the styles/colors available are so limited!
Oh Stephanie, I’d love to but I know next to nothing about maternity wardrobes…
love,
Janice
Thank you, Janice, for all the capsule wardrobes and travel tips you share with us. My wardrobe will be more put-together with all your suggestions.
I like the links you share with us. Do you have them all bookmarked on your computer? I enjoyed the links to sites with sterling silver jewelry. I’ve been looking for more silver and white gold jewelry.
Oooh, look at Novica. They’re affiliated with National Geographic, and because so many of the artisans can’t afford to work in gold, they do amazing things with sterling….
hugs,
Janice
Thanks for all the lovely ideas.
We’re travelling to the UK at the end of Dec/Jan and I’m just taking a few necessities. I will have to buy a few things there because sunny South Africa does not have anything remotely suitable. Luckily my sister-in-law will be there to guide me, together with all I learned on your blog.
I almost always pack in black and white – especially for a long trip. We are traveling to Australia in December for 2 weeks! I’m going to try my hardest to not overpack and I plan on doing laundry at some point.
What do you recommend wearing for those really long haul flights?
Love your blog!
Birgit
Pants with a forgiving waist, a tee shirt that’s absorbent and soft, and another soft layer over, like a snuggly cardigan. I travel frequently in corduroy pants that have an elastic waistband – since I don’t tuck anything in, nobody knows! A nice tee shirt, and my cashmere cardigan (which I cherish for moments like this!) and I’m set!
I’ve honestly never flown more than 10 hours at a time, so I really would love it if someone who makes the massive trips would chime in with their thoughts. I know that when one of my closest friends traveled to New Zealand from Chicago, she changed into pajamas for part of the trip and then changed back when they were closer to landing! I love her…
hugs,
Janice
For the very long haul fights, have layers – the air conditioning can vary. A pair of slippers – never go down the aisle or to the bathroom without some form of proper shoe on! And I always make sure I am wearing panties wih very soft, flexible leg openings – if you’re sitting, and moving in your seat, you can end up with feeling that your blood supply might be cut off, or that your legs want to twitch because you have pinched a nerve. If you wear underwired bras, I would recommend buying a comfortable non-wired one for the flight – again, it’s more comfortable when you’re sleeping or sitting for any lenght of time. Also, a nexk pillow and a good eye mask – the moulded sort, so that they it doens’t constantly tickle your eyelashes.
In December most of Australia will be hot and maybe humid depending where you are going.Bring light dresses, pants, tops. One or two cardigans. Unless Tasmania, you will need warmer stuff. Every time I fly to Europe it’s around 26 hours with transit time. I usually wear a comfy knit dress and take leggings and a jumper to layer with. Or knit Palazzo pants are great, feel like pj’s but look much better. Have fun, and remember you can always shop if you need something ?
My husband and I are heading to the UK in late April for a week with friends and then will take trains and ferries (with several-day stop offs) down to Athens to stay another week or so, returning to Chicago mid to late May. So, cool rainy, transitioning to warm sunny. Serious hiking in UK and on day trips out of Athens; the clothing will be fairly “gear-ish.”
So, we’l wear our hiking boots while traveling and pack other shoes. “Dressy” hiking pants, of course. I like the Lands End lightweight layering Ts (cotton/modal/spandex) for pretty much every activity and will take several, along with my own black marled cardi.
Tempted by the Blondo boots for our own hometown of rainy Chicago. When book browsing at home, I tend to go down to Hyde Park–several amazing bookstores there, maybe not up to Dublin standards, but pretty darn good. Powell’s, 57th Street Books, Seminary Co-op (for academic books).
You’re so right about Hyde Park – Seminary Co-op is actually pretty excellent for anything but popular fiction! I need to hop on the train more often. And if you’re downtown, check out Dial Books on the 2nd floor of the Fine Arts Building on South Michigan Avenue. Small, but lots of used books as well as new, and someone with a discerning eye is making their choices…
But Hodges & Figgis in Dublin is the gold standard of bookstores in my world…
hugs,
Janice
Janice, thanks for so many usable ideas, for YEARS! This post especially struck me cuz of the packable shopping tote. Many thanks, my closet & travel are happier with your input. I agree with you about Lands End & LLBean, they are my go to 1st choices.
Enjoyed Ecuador earlier this year, exploring home state of Colorado more this fall. Packing lighter every time. Packing envelopes are the BEST.
Small request: ideas for footwear that are available in Wide sizes, plz?
Happy traveling!!
That is a great cardigan, the black and white one. I have had one for several years. I like the rain jacket–BUT–too expensive for my budget. Can you (or anyone) recommend a breathable rain jacket that will cover my butt? I have a nice one from LL Bean but it is definitely not breathable. Thanks!
Frankly, I don’t think any of them are particularly breathable! Can anybody else offer up ideas? I know that both Lands’ End and L.L.Bean have really good rain wear, but I would assume that they’re all sort of like wearing a garbage bag…
hugs,
Janice
I have an Eddie Bauer raincoat that folds into its own pocket. It looks like a normal coat, so I was surprised to find that feature when I got it home. It looks good, is lined and is not bad for breathability. Their sizing is a bit on the small side, so I sized up to allow for layering when I want to use it for fall-into-winter trips.
Thank you, Janice and Millie! :)
Hi Biddy,
I answered you about wedding outfits, but I just saw your comment about wedding presents, so wanted to add that I just ordered a wedding present online and had them ship it directly to the bride, gift wrapped and card included. You don’t want to be juggling stuff like that while traveling. I did use a small family-owned company who were very kind and excited about it, but I’m sure many larger companies will accommodate you as well.
Traveling to Ireland (1st time!) in early May 2020. The blondo boots tempt me. I will not be doing serious hiking, just walking around towns and hitting the touristy spots. Are the boots comfy for sight seeing? I’m a Clarks and sketchers kind of gal. Thanks for all of your wonderful posts, I have gained such knowledge from you!
I’ve had mine over a year, and they’re broken in to the point that I wear them on the plane, and can walk 4 or 5 miles in them comfortably. I know that I show them here all the time, but I really feel that strongly about them!
hugs,
Janice