packing up what is left of summer

I move into my new apartment at school in a little over a week and the summer will come to an end, but lets have summer end in style. Today I am going to talk about how to pack for your end of summer trip. I concord the beach in June and now it is time for a relaxing trip that consists of me, my mom, breakfast in bed, shopping, lounging by the pool and of course macaroons. I am packing up for my relaxing spa trip and here are a few essentials I think any gal should bring on such a vacation.

what to pack for a girls weekend by sarahlouisezerbe

 

To start off here are a few basics I think are always great to pack :

1. 

 A casual comfy but cute outfit that is great for the day you are driving or flying to your destination. I plan on wearing my Burberry black t-shirt with the signature plaid cuff and my J.Crew shorts - I will probably tuck in the shirt and add a belt, a red one would be adorable. 

2.

There are a lot of questions when it comes to traveling with jewelry, do you bring your favorite expensive pieces? How do you pack it? My suggestion is to pack all of your jewellery in a separate pouch so that it do not get easily lost with everything else. When on a short trip like this I try to just pack a few pieces that I know will go with all of my outfits.

 3.

I love to travel with my big longchamp bag because it fits so much in it, and if it gets dirty its very easy to clean, I have had mine monogrammed which I suggest.

4.

You always need to pack a really cute dress or skirt combo because you might just want to go out to a nice dinner and look fab. I think this dress from ASOS is adorable and since it is black and white you can many any accessories go with it.  Also keep in mind when choosing a dress to pack how easily does the dress wrinkle and if it does make sure you remember to give yourself time to iron it in the room.

5.

Bring a fun shoe it can be a heel it can be a flat but bring a fun shoe that you can wear with one or two outfits but that really add something special to it, I am in love with this Kate Spade pink heel.

6.

If you plan on getting a manicure or pedicure while on your trip I suggest bringing your own favorite polish so that if you get a chip you can always fix it.

7.

Get you tan on in a cute suit, I chose this one from Anthropologie first off because its thinking cute and also because it is strapless so won't give you any weird tan lines. Your at the pool with your girl friends you don't need to try to be sucking it in, in some bikini you arn't there to impress anyone wear what you are comfortable in.

8.

Sleep in style, you might be ordering breakfast in bed or staying up late watching the Bachelor, you might as well pack your cute pajamas. I am favoring this one from adoreme at the moment. 

9.

Pack some comfy shoes to you might be doing a lot of walking after all isn't shopping your cardio?

10.

Pack a cute fun umbrella so even if it rains you have something to brighten up your day.

Now here is the most important thing I can tell you about any shopping vacation: 

MAKE SURE TO LEAVE SPACE FOR EVERYTHING YOUR GOING TO BUY!!

My last tidbit of advice is to PLAN your shopping trip.

Start off with the outlets first because you will likely get the best deal there, and then on your second day of shopping hit up the big mall and also don't forget to ask your hotel if there are any shopping areas with great boutiques those are always the best! Try to look for things you can wear for the up coming season but also keep your eye open for a great deal on the clearance wrack even if you won't be able to wear it for a few months. I am very excited because I will be shopping at the NEW Simon's Premium Outlets that just opened today on the 31st and they have a Kate Spade outlet that I am just DIEING to go to, I will give yall a review of what I think of the new outlet when I return.

I will be off blogging duty for a few a week until I get moved into my apartment but I promise when I finish decorating I will give yall a tour of what I have done with it. BUT I will be posting a lot of pics to my instragram @sarahlouisezerbe of my trip and just my OOTD's so make sure you are following my instagram.

Dressing Room Finds

Sadly I have been busier then I anticipated with unpacking in our new house and have gotten behind on my posts I have one from the parkway taken this weekend coming up soon. But for now I do want to share a few of my fitting room finds from the past week.  

I am on the hunt for a great white skirt I don't know if I have found the winner yet but I found two at Belk that I did like.

Here is a BCBG white skirt it was very comfortable and I liked how it flowed and that it wasn't heavy and was also fully lined which is a must but i wasn't a huge fan on the seem around my hips which are not by best asset. Found here

 

This was another white skirt I found it is French Connection it has pockets and it a cute A-line shape and also is fully lined but I did not like the stiffness at the waist band it was not very comfortable to sit in. Found here

 

So this is a interesting dress/romper from French Connection, when I originally picked it up I thought it was a dress and not until I was trying it on did I realize it was actually a romper. I am not usually a romper kinda gal but I did like it and it was very comfortable and feminine looking would be great for the beach or a windy place because you wouldn't have to worry about your dress flying up. Found here

 

So here are a few finds from Nordstrom Rack, sadly I can not guarantee that they will have these exact items at the Nordstrom Rack nearest to you but they did recently start a website but it does not have everything on it, I have found that mostly it is the designer brands that I do not see as much on it.

Here are some adorable and very comfortable Tory Burch flats I would definitely recommend here is a similar pair: shoes

 

I found this Kate Spade dress on the clearance rack but sadly it wasn't marked down and more then the other Kate Spade dress I found in the front of the store (60%).  The dress is very cute and I am generally a fan of sheath dresses but this dress had no darting in the back at all so it didn't give me the little hint of a shape I like to see.

I absolutely loved this dress and wished I had purchased it. It fit very well and I like the length a little bellow the knee so you can wear a fun heel with it. definitely lived up to the standard at which I have set Kate Spade dresses upon.

While it Rains, I Shop

Sadly it was a rainy day at the beach so we decided to go into Charleston and catch up on some much needed shopping. 

Here is one if the cutest skirts I have seen in a while from H&M for only $15 !! It is hot pink and a great length just a few inches above the knee. It is supper full and fun to wear the pleats stay put well because the fabric is a heavy enough weight. I would definitely recommend. You can buy  here and in black here.
 
I also got this skirt from J.Crew it is a bit more pastel lime yellow then it looks in the picture. I absolutely love it once again a great length just a few inches above the knee and a great color for summer. You can buy it here I would recommend looking in store it was marked down in the clearance section and a addition 40% off of that so I only paid $35 for it.
 
 
At the J.Crew outlet I found the perfect bracelet to go with my skirt.  I am currently on a mission to expand my accessories collection I feel I need a larger variety to add more depth to my outfits. You can buy it here it is also a better deal in store all of their jewelry was 50% off and then an addition 15% if you are a student. I would definitely recommend checking out their entire jewelry collection I had a hard time not letting myself buy several pieces. 

This is the other piece of jewelry I got from the J.Crew outlet that I am in love with first off I am obsessed with tortoise shell and this necklace is a great length it kind of hits mid chest I have a lot of shorter and longer statement necklaces but this one will add something new to my collection. They do not have this exact necklace on their website but they have one very similar that I also like a lot here.

I am always on the lookout for a great deal on a bag and I ran across this one in the clearance section at Off Saks Fifth. It is a Marc by Marc Jacobs bag that is perfect for the summer and the beach.  It was a steal at only $70. I had been eyeing some of the Kate Spade straw bags she put out this summer here, here, and these are now on sale here, here, and here.

This adorable Kate Spade poncho I sadly did not buy because it is $100 but I do love it. It even folds up into the bow for easy storage in your bag. You can buy it here, I would recommend but not for the price.