Summer Holiday Capsule Wardrobe for Short Breaks: Carry On Covered

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. For every purchase made through one of these links, I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Thank you!

Picking the perfect capsule wardrobe to pack can be a nightmare! Especially if you’re carry on only and you’re planning on doing more than just lazing by the pool! Here are my ultimate go-to hot holiday wardrobe essentials! The perfect combination of outfits for a short, hot holiday break where you need a bit of everything!

Disclaimer: I’m not paid or sponsored by any of the brands mentioned I just love ‘em!

Need more packing tips? How to Pack Light When You’re the Girl Who Needs Everything

Daytime

The Throw on Sun Dress

Strappy, cute and so wearable. Perfect to maximise tannage but still look fabulous! My favourite is from Superdry, which I loved so much I got it in two colours: red and blue and white stripes. These are so pretty, fitted in the right places and, bonus points – they have pockets! They’re also lined so they won’t flash your knickers at the slightest breeze like so many summer dresses! You know it’s a good buy when you wear them over and over again!

Sadly mine are no longer available but I’ve picked a few of my favourite cami dresses for alternatives!

Beach Day: Bikini and Beach Dress

Favourite Brand: Swimwear 365 is a godsend if you’re holidaying outside the summer months. They have a gorgeous selection of bikinis that aren’t too revealing or out there! A sort of you’re not 18 anymore (or super confident) but you’re not dead look!

My Pick: My latest pick is a pink zig zag beauty. The gaudier the better when it comes to bikinis I say!

Top Tips: Always always choose swimwear that makes you feel fabulous and confident! There’s no point wearing something too out of your comfort zone and feeling anxious about it! And never worry about following trends or colours that might not suit you, stick to the classics! Another reason why I love Swimwear 365 – a lot of high street shops seem to follow the trends much more closely.

Throw on a floaty beach dress from Asos over the top to feel like a beach goddess! I’d go for black with a pink bikini.

Day Trippin’: The Midi Skirt

Wear When: You’re soaking up culture rather than rays – a great chance to pull out a swishy midi skirt and a cute crop or t-shirt to feel cute and comfortable for long days sightseeing.

My Pick: The newest addition to my holiday wardrobe is an adorable green midi with white polka dots. (Polka dots have me weak at the knees!) Perfect to team with a white top for a really simple but cute look.

My previous incarnation was a slinkier maxi skirt with slits (also green not sure why I always go for green!) but I think this new upgrade will be much comfier and classier! (Anyone else find you have to update your wardrobe every other year because you get classier all the time?!)

Top Tips: The rule is to always keep it as simple as possible. If the skirt is patterned or bright then keep the top plain and neutral. And always go for a loose skirt + fitted top and vice versa. Simple crops and tees make fantastic packing choices because you can mix and match them with so many things!

Evening

The Princess Maxi Skirt

Wear When: Admittedly I often mix things up and wear this in the daytime (especially if I’m after fabulous pictures!) but it’s traditionally a great evening look. Made for strolling down promenades and sipping cocktails on rooftop bars.

My Pick: I’ve worn my Asos maxi skirt a million times. Okay that’s not possible but it’s probably my most worn glam summer item! It’s one of those things you buy and just becomes your go to piece! It’s flowery and light (incredibly easy to pack!), doesn’t crease, in fact, saying all this it’s probably the perfect holiday wardrobe piece!

It’s floaty and swishy and it’s my princess skirt and no-one can tell me otherwise!

Wear With: I team it with a incy cropped pink cami in the day and a light, longer sleeved white crop at night.

It’s the perfect capsule wardrobe piece because you can easily wear it several times on one trip – day and night!

Of course the fact that I’ve had chance to wear this skirt to death means it isn’t available anymore 🙁 but I’ve picked out a few alternatives with the same princess flower power vibes.

My long-sleeved top for evenings is still available (just) from Miss Selfridge! It’s on sale so grab one if your size is still there!

The Day or Night Maxi

Great for keeping your options open – grab yourself a maxi dress that works both ways. Mines another Asos one and it’s sunny yellow and light and comfy enough for daywear but just figure hugging and pretty enough for evenings too. It’s strappy so still good for working on the tan up top.

Footwear

Finding the perfect footwear is a big challenge! Especially if you like to be active and explore on your holidays. I’m slowly coming to terms with the fact that comfort must take precedence over style. I’ve had way too many blisters over the past year to ignore that!

Ideally you need a maximum of three pairs of shoes:

• Comfy trainers/slip ons
• Lighter sandals
• Nicer sandals for the evening

Pick the right sandals and you could make them work for day and night but if you have room (and weight to spare) then an extra nice pair is no bad thing! (I recently splashed out on a bejewelled pair from Dune so this is just my excuse to take them!)

Top Tips

• Make sure they are all flat! (unless it’s a lazy beach holiday)
• Wear them in well
• Invest in more expensive pairs if you are able (make sure you do your research first though!)
• Be willing to try on lots of different shoes/order and send back lots of shoes to find the right ones! Don’t settle for those ones that might kinda hurt your feet after a while!

I have recently updated my holiday shoe collection so I will update this with my findings shortly! Reviews will include Superga trainers (so far so comfy, will go with everything), Bench sandals (hopefully a nice mixture of comfy and cute!) and my flashy Dune sandals (better be fab because of all the £££)

What’s your go to packing essentials? Share your style tips in the comments!

Need more packing tips?

How to Pack Light When You’re the Girl Who Needs Everything