Two Weeks, One Carry-On Suitcase

How do you dress for the trip of a lifetime, spanning 16 days, with one carry-on bag, a tote, and thousands of miles between you and your beloved closet? I still don’t know the perfect answer, but for starters, I learned that you heavily rely on a LOT of help from your tried-and-true sartorial friends. In this case, my best friends were Athleta and Columbia, whose garments I wore interchangeably and heavily layered for the brisk spring temperatures in Japan throughout our various adventures.

Our travels took us to seven cities and experienced moments as widespread as attending fashion shows during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Tokyo to hiking through the forest to see wild snow monkeys, assimilating as city slickers while taking in all of the sites and tastes of Japan, and shooting arrows at the target by trying our hand at Japanese archery (kyudo).

If I didn’t have layers that breathed and washed beautifully, repelled the elements with aplomb, and kept me warm, it would have been a different trip altogether. By dressing largely in black with some accent clothes found predominantly in my tops, I was able to mix and match my looks so that each piece reached its ultimate versatile potential.

See below for a walk through of some of my looks that I repeated throughout the trip, with each garment being easily packable and washable, which we stopped to do twice. Hey, we had to; Fashion Pulse Hubby only came equipped with a bookbag for his clothing!

Athleta Remarkawool Turtleneck, Derek Lam 10C Athleta Collaboration Studio Dress (c/o),  Sorrelli Jewelry (c/o), Athleta and Derek Lam 717 Sneaker by New Balance (c/o), Commando fleece tights via Shopbop (c/o)

Athleta Moto Sweater (no longer available), Derek Lam 10C Athleta Collaboration Relax Tunic (c/o), Columbia Down Jacket (c/o; closest match found here), Sorrelli Jewelry (c/o)

Athleta Remarkawool Turtleneck, Columbia Half-Zip Shirt (c/o; no longer available, see similar here), Sorrelli earrings (c/o).

I Heart Ronson Long-Sleeve Roll-Cuff Blouse, Derek Lam 10C Athleta Collaboration Studio Dress (c/o),  Sorrelli Jewelry (c/o), Athleta and Derek Lam 717 Sneaker by New Balance (c/o), Sorrelli earrings (c/o),

Derek Lam 10C Athleta Collaboration Relax Tunic (c/o), Columbia Down Jacket (c/o; closest match found here), Columbia Back Beauty Straight Leg Pant (c/o), Aerosoles Lace-ups (c/o, no longer available).

What an amazing trip we had! Stay tuned for more fashion and beauty notes from Japan!