JET SET 6 WITH MICHAEL KORS

As I have mentioned before, I am not exactly a light packer. Yes, I 've been getting a bit better lately, yet I still suffer from wardrobe separation anxiety and tend to bring way more than I actually need. Way to many clothes, beauty products, hair styling tools and most importantly, shoes. You see, a lot of my outfits begin with the right shoe. Usually, the right shoe depends on occasion. Sometimes, it's a cute slouchy boot kind of a day and other times, if I happen to feel particularly girly and have a fabulous party to go to, it's the sky-high heel or wedge kind of a day. Hence is my problem! Since my schedule gets a bit crazy and at times unpredictable, I tend to bring nearly everything and unfortunately for me, everything takes a lot of space. I admit, not the most rational way of doing things, but I haven't really found a solution, that is I haven't found one until now!

I am sure you know what a huge Michael Kors fan I am, and can imagine my excitement when I was given the opportunity to bring Michael Kors Jet Set 6 Collection on a recent trip along the West Coast with me. What is the Jet Set 6 Collection you ask? Well, it's 6 spectacular pairs of shoes which fit perfectly into every adventure imaginable whether it's a day at the beach, sightseeing and shopping, or elegant dinner or cocktails. The six pairs come in the cutest travel bag, so packing is literally a breeze!

By the way, in regards to out trip. If you haven't taken a trip along California's West Cost, you definitely should! The scenery is absolutely breathtaking, and I can tell you with absolute certainty, it's going to be one of those adventures you will never forget. Emil and I certainly never will, which is why I decided to take this opportunity to share a few favorite moments and outfits with you:) 

First Look: Taking advantage of the sunny weather by lounging and wine tasting by the pool. I wanted to create a casual yet polished look, so I paired simple sweater and shorts with the Somerly leather espadrille wedge for an instant dose of sophistication. 

Second Look: Exploring the vineries, comfy and casual in white jeans, denim jacket and Irving leather sneaker. 

Third Look: I could spend the rest of my life sipping my morning coffee on this cute swing at Carmel Valley Ranch. Wearing my favorite off-duty uniform, skinny jeans, cozy sweater and chic and casual Walton ankle boots. 

Fourth Look: Enjoying one of the most beautiful sunsets in Big Sur... We spent most of the day exploring and walking around, so I wanted to wear something cute yet comfortable, which is why I paired my denim cut-offs and crochet jacket and top with Walton ankle boots. 

Fifth Look: A day at the beach in San Simeon. We really got so lucky with the weather. San Simeon especially can get pretty cool this time a year. But I guess we got lucky, because it was warm and sunny the entire time we were there. Naturally,  we had to take adventure of the sunny weather by spending most of the day on the beach. This is probably one of my favorite looks, love the way this navy smock dress paired with gold jelly sandals! 

Thank you for reading and hope you guys enjoyed this post! 

MICHAEL MICHAEL KORS Jet Set 6 Collection Somerly leather espadrille wedge, the metallic jelly sandal, Irving leather sneaker, the Walton ankle boot, the Kristen kitten heel, Odessa high heel | MICHAEL MICHAEL KORS leaf-print smock dress, denim cut-off shorts, Brookton chronograph watch & Collection 59mm aviator sunglasses 

DEREK LAM 10 CROSBY open knit sweater & tie-waist stretch cotton cargo shorts | MELISSA ODABASH Jemima hat | LEVI'S denim jacket | J BRAND mid-rise skinny jeans | RAG & BONE T-shirt | MOTHER x Candice Swanepoel the Looker ankle fray jeans | MAJE Louise embroidered top & cropped jacket 

INTO THE BLUE

It's official, I finally found a pair of comfortable platform sandals! It was last Friday, and I was having one of those magical days when everything seems to go your way. As I was mentally going through my Summer must-have yet still don't have in my closet list while lazily browsing a few of my favorite online shopping places, I stumbled across these babies! Now, if you read my blog on regular basis, you know that every year when I talk about Summer must-haves, white sandals make an appearance right at the top of that list! Aside from the fact that they go with everything, something about buying a pair of white sandals signals the begging of Summer and more importantly the end of Winter, the cold and my personal favorite, the gloom:)

Of course the reason I am obsessed with this particular pair of white sandals is the platform! Personally, I think it adds a certain chic element to an otherwise very casual ( and very comfortable might I add ) style. I fully intend to wear them with everything this Summer, from jeans and shorts to dresses and skirts! So, I hope you don't mind seeing them regularly:) 

BAUKJEN Nadia limited tweed top & Ivy tote bag | MOTHER x Candice Swanepoel the Looker ankle fray jeans | EXPRESS light wash denim boyfriend shirt | STEVE MADDEN Peer sandals | LOEFFLER RANDALL clutch | MICHAEL KORS Collection 59mm aviator sunglasses | ELODIE K rose gold chain ring | WANDERLUST & CO rings

JUST JEWELRY

You can blame the nose ring on the Dylanlex necklace because something about it brings out my inner rocker chick... and suddenly, all I want to do is put on my studded leather jacket and boots, layer statement jewelry and wear septum rings :) 

DYLANLEX Falkor necklace | Isabel Marant Aleen Ankle boots { in brown here & here } | FORD + HARRIS The Dee Dee ring, The Vicious upper finger ring, The Charlie slit ring & The Billy septum ring | Sarina Suriano Moonrise white pearl ring | MY JEWEL BAR earrings 

Thank you for reading
& Keep On Smiling,
LOVE,
Annabelle

WEEKEND GETAWAY :: SUNNY SAN FRANCISCO

Though I will freely admit, both Emil and I could happily spend the rest of our lives traveling, most of the time, we find it quite difficult to get away for a proper vocation. After countless cancelled trips, we finally found a way to travel yet still keep up with our increasingly insane schedules. The answer was of course simple, weekend getaways! Though it may seem like 2-3 days can hardly make a difference, in our experience, being away from the madness even for a short periods of time allows for some well-needed down time!

Now, I will once again admit that up until recently I wasn't great at packing for these shorts trips! Since I find it very difficult to be away from my shoes even for short periods of time, I would  almost always overpack yet end up wearing less than 1/5 of what I brought. As a result, my poor boy would get stuck lugging around huge suitcases. Suffice to say, he was not a happy camper:) 

The good news is that I've learned my lesson. Now, I take my time to really plan my outfits, and pack only the absolute necessities, in other words, basically only what I will actually wear:) I've also made a switch from huge suitcases, to much more convenient luggage for short trips, a.k.a. the weekenders.

The one from Lo & Sons I am wearing in today's post is my current favorite! Aside from the fact that I am more than a little obsessed with the fact that it's made from a super lightweight pre-washed canvas, which is machine washable ( I am not exactly very careful with my luggage, so the fact that I can wash it and it looks new again is very much appreciated ), I just love that it's so soft and can be folded for convenient storage. But I think my favorite feature is the bottom zipper pocket! Such a smart design!!! I used to put all of my sunglasses and jewelry cases at the bottom of the bag, which of course made it ridiculously difficult to fish any of them out. Now, I just place them in the bottom pocket and they are always readily accessible! 

What about you guys? How do you pack for weekend getaways?

Lo & Sons The Catalina weekender in Dove Grey | MADEWELL cotton kimono jacket | Chloe The Marcie mini textured leather shoulder bag | Seafarer Lord Jim New capri jeans | Gucci Candy ankle strap sandals 

Lo & Sons The Pearl leather crossbody bag | The Kooples destroyed jean jacket | A.P.C. girl plaid cotton-blend shirt | Zara leather skirt | Kenneth Cole Blaire leather and calf-hair espadrilles 

Thank you for reading

& Keep On Smiling,

LOVE,

Annabelle