Wishing you and your families a very merry Christmas filled with lots of love and laughter! Nick and I are wrapping up a last-minute visit to Europe, and will be spending the holiday in his hometown on the West Coast. After a challenging past few months, I told Nick that few things would lift my spirits like the magic of London around Christmastime. We had visited last year in December, and the twinkling lights, festive streets, and cheery carolers just make me feel like a kid at Disneyland!
While Paris isn’t quite as decked out, it also has its own unique charm during the holidays. And it’s just a train ride away, so who could resist a couple nights in the City of Light before heading home?
Staple Base Layers
This outfit combines a few pieces that were worn on repeat during our trip. The vast majority of my luggage space went to outerwear and boots, which I mixed and matched with a small rotation of clothes. A black turtleneck tee is always a staple – for lightweight cotton ones at a great price, I recommend Madewell whisper turtlenecks (see on me) or J.Crew tissue turtlenecks (see on me), both of which I own in multiple colors and stripes in sz xxs. These two options are extremely similar – the cut of the Madewell one is just slightly more relaxed, which I like. As a thermal base layer, I hid my trusty Uniqlo heattech tees under nearly every outfit!
A Swingy Skirt
I’m on a retro-inspired kick lately so packed this pine green midi skirt (also see it here), which I paired with a long wool coat, tights and flat rain booties (so versatile & sleek!) for exploring and shopping. I swapped in heels just for tea and dressier meals. I love the comfort of an elasticized-back waist and the convenience of pockets on this skirt. The waist runs narrow so an xxs will fit a 23″ to 24″ waist, however the length is a little long, so I plan on eventually getting it hemmed. As a shortcut, I usually fold the waistband down once as shown in the photos here (just be sure to cut the tag off in the back).
Finishing Floral Touches
If you love Chanel’s classic camellia flower brooches, you’ll have to pick up one of these wool ones on sale at Talbots! They come in black, ivory, or this pretty plaid, and look and feel very similar to designer ones over 10 times the price. I’ve been pinning these on my coats, tweed jackets or blazers, and also simply on plain tops like in this look!
Merry Christmas from my family to yours, wherever you might be celebrating! xx
