I’m pretty sure Matt’s draw dropped when I entered the restaurant yesterday. Maybe that sounds cocky, but I’m confident in saying this, because my outfit was AMAZING. I channeled that confidence when I packed my outfits for Italy today. 
 
It’s only 2 days until I leave for Italy!

I packed this morning and that is never easy for a fashionista. With all of the limits that the airliners have now put on us poor fashionable travelers, it’s harder to take our dream wardrobes with us. So I did a very good thing. I bought one suitcase. One medium-big suitcase. I’m taking one carry-on; a beautiful tan leather duffle bag. Then, I’ve got my great leather laptop shoulder bag. Ok, maybe it still sounds like a lot, and even if I say I’m going for an entire month, people always tell me, “That’s not very long!” 
YES IT IS. DON’T STOMP ON MY DREAMS.

I packed a million dresses, because they are an entire outfit on their own. I just bought this new navy blue dress by Marc Jacobs and it’ll be perfect for a night out in Italy. Plus, most of them can be dressed either up or down depending on the right accessories. A few belts, scarves, and statement earrings/necklaces, are all you really need to make the same dress look completely different. Since I’m staying at a beach town this time around, I’m bringing a few swim suits. I always take a solid colored bikini-bottom (such as one in black) that can be worn with any of the other tops to make a new look. I’m essentially taking five swim suits because I’m practically going to be living on the beach. I also packed a big floppy hat that, when paired with my vintage sunglasses and black and white polka dot bikini, make me feel like an old-fashioned movie star.

Get this, girls. I’m taking three—COUNT THEM—pairs of shoes. My gladiator sandals, flip-flops for the beach, and one pair of black gladiator sandal heels. That’s it. For those of you with shoe and purse fetishes, this will also astound you. One purse. ONE. My black vintage Fendi purse (that I got off Ebay for 20 bucks). I am taking a really tiny clutch, however, in brown, in case the black doesn’t work with my outfit.

The weird thing is that 30 pounds of my suitcase is:

a) the weight of the suitcase itself (a wardrobe damaging 13 pounds);

b) filled with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups that I always bring for the Italians that love them so, and;

c) toiletries, because sunscreen and creams are ridiculously expensive there.

The positive is that I can leave all those toiletries behind, and because they take up both space and weight in my suitcase there’s more ROOM FOR THINGS TO BRING HOME!

My mind is already wandering to those open-air markets. The one in Florence has amazing leather wallets and, well, I could really use a new wallet…