What I Packed for a Week in London

My husband is from England, and we fly there once a year to visit family. I lived in London for 8 years, so it’s always a treat to go back and revisit my favourite places – and share them with my children.

bag (large size) / top: (similar) / earrings (similar) /  jeans / c/o shoes

We usually split our trip between two hotels – one in Central London and one closer to family, so we always try to pack light. I find the best way to avoid over-packing is to plan EVERY single outfit I’m going to wear – from clothes to shoes and accessories.

necklace / top 1 (similar) / top 2 (similar) / bag (size large) / blue jeans / black jeans / shoes

This year, I stuck to a blue/black/white colour scheme, and paired each outfit with either black shoes and a black bag or tan shoes and a tan bag.

necklace / shirt 1 (similar) / shirt 2 / blue jeans  / tan shoes (similar) / black shoes / tan bag / black bag (size large)

I chose comfortable non-fussy tops – and paired them with statement accessories – either my sparkly j.crew necklace or my tassel H&M earrings (close-up pic here).

necklace / top 1 (similar) / top 2 / black jeans / shoes / tan bag

As for my airplane/travel days – I continued with my “clothes that feel like pajamas” plan – disguising my leggings under longer tops for a comfortable-but-not-too-casual look.

necklace / top 1 / top 2 / leggings (similar) / bag (size large) / c/o shoes

All in all, I took 3 pants (black jeans, blue jeans & leggings), 3 shoes (black flats, tan flats & sneakers) plus 2 bags (black & tan) and 8 shirts. Pre-planning definitely helped me pack lightly!

I was gifted these Go Step Skechers earlier this year – and they were a welcome addition to my trip. Firstly – they weigh nothing and are super easy to pack. Secondly, they’re made of a special anti-microbial material so you don’t need to wear socks with them. And thirdly, they’re very sleek yet padded with arch support and shock-absorbing soles, so they were life-savers on the days we had to do a lot of walking!

With all that extra space in my luggage, you would think that I would have shopped a lot – I mean, look at these pretty Gucci bags at duty-free – the popular black disco bag was around US$200 cheaper than in stores here!

But the only thing I ended up buying was this Emma Bridgewater Hearts mug (and the black bodysuit from this post). Between jet lag, a high exchange rate, and the fact that Toronto has a lot of similar stores – I wasn’t too tempted by anything. Also…I MAY have been saving up for a different dream bag – can’t wait to share it in a future post!

earrings (similar) / shirt / blue jeans / bag / tan shoes (similar)

What would you buy in London, that you couldn’t buy in the US/Can? Let me know and I’ll take notes for next year!