My 4 day trip to London was seriously a whirlwind – We arrived Thursday around noon and by Monday afternoon we were already back on the plane headed home. As with most trips I take I did excessive planning on what to do while we were there (more on this to come in my London Travel Guide), but up until a few days before we left I had no idea what I was packing. So of course in the 48-hours before I left I did a lot of checking on weather.com and a bit of last minute shopping… That all being said, I 100% overpacked for my trip and probably only wore about 70% of what I brought with me. So to help you all for your next trip I’ve put together my packing guide with what I actually wore and how I wore it!
Ok, so packing by the numbers… 3 outerwear, 2 sweaters (plus I bought a 3rd one there!), 1 silk cami, 2 dresses, 2 pairs of pants, 1 skirt, 2 handbags, and oh 5 pairs of shoes. The key here was basically bringing mostly neutrals with a few fun pieces like my houndstooth skirt and dark floral dress so that I had a few fun outfits. Plus, I count my plaid blazer as essentially neutral since it goes with everything! I definitely could have eliminated 1 or 2 pairs of shoes, but since shoes are my favorite accessory I always like to be able to switch them out 🙂
My most worn items were definitely my plaid blazer, black loafers, and lighter weight cream sweater. While I definitely didn’t need to have black and blue jeans, I find the easiest pairing for going out at night is black jeans and a black silk cami (and I’ve worn this combo about 12 million times), so I didn’t want to chance regretting leaving my black jeans at home.
SHOP THE FULL PACKING LIST:
Dark Floral Dress & White Shirt Dress
To show how this packing list came to life I’m showing a few of my outfits from the trip below! I didn’t take pictures of most of my dinner or nighttime outfits which is where I pulled out my silk cami and floral dress as well as my smaller black bag since I wasn’t bringing my camera along.
DAY 1
After a rough red-eye we lucked out being able to check into my room early so I switched into the easiest combo for exploring – My white shirt dress, loafers, and a leather jacket. Then to dress it up for dinner a bit later I switched by leather jacket for my plaid blazer!
DAY 2
Our first full-day in the city was hands down the nicest so I broke out my favorite planned outfit! I found the key in London, similarly to in the Northeast, is just effective layering! Tall boots and a sweater kept me warm enough in my skirt for most of the day, but the long trench coat was perfect for the chillier mornings. Also, I know I’ve said it before, but these boots are the best! I was able to wear them walking all day long with no problem.
DAY 3
Saturday was rainy and freezing, so I wore all the warmest pieces I’d brought. You can’t see it, but I have a thin nude colored cami underneath my chunky sweater. I probably could have used a scarf and then I would have been fully warm, but I will say this was the perfect about of layers to go in and out of museums and stores (the perfect rainy day activity)without getting too hot!
DAY 4
On Sunday I had planned to re-wear my thinner white sweater with this outfit, but after some rainy day shopping left me with a new sweater I decided it would be perfect for our last day.