Everything I wore in New Zealand

four days away - just me & my carry on

One of the first (solo) international trips I ever went on, was in my early teens. A week in Canberra, staying with my dad. I remember bringing a regular sized suitcase, which probably contained close to my entire closet. As back then, even though I wasn’t familiar with the word, a “capsule” pretty accurately described what I had. I remember reflecting as I packed to fly back home, that I’d barely worn a thing. The same handful of items ended up on repeat.

I continued this process of overpacking for the next few trips over. My dad would chastise me. Having long since realised the convenience of taking a carry-on only for his regular (I believe often weekly) trips interstate. The concept of which felt unattainable to me.

I can’t quite recall when I made the transition to carry on only, but at some point, a switch flipped. Waiting at the baggage carousel for a suitcase full of clothing I didn’t really need. And ever since, if it’s feasible, I’ll travel with a carry on only (even going so far as to manage it with two young kids!).

Four days away is a bit of a breeze. If you’re really trying to minimise, you could technically get by with one pair of pants (though I’d recommend at least two - options are good, plus, what if they get grubby…?). I tend to do a bit of outfit planning, creating a cohesive colour palette, selecting versatile items etc. My dedication to the craft unwavering, though these days I’ll usually give myself a little bit of wiggle room, packing a couple of extra options in case I don’t feel like wearing the “looks” I’d earmarked for the trip. You can see my full packing list HERE.

All of this is to say, I just got back from four days in New Zealand. I’d flown over as one of my oldest school friends was getting married, so of course the perfect excuse.

And this is what I wore…

DAY 1

Wearing Ceres Life tee, Minima Esenciales jeans, Andersons belt, COS coat, About Arianne flats, Madewell bag

Travel day, and I was off early in the morning which I was beyond grateful for as it meant it was cool enough in Sydney to warrant a coat as I left the house. Wellington really turned it on as I drove with my Yiayia and uncle up to Makara, and was happy in just my tee and jeans.

DAY 2

Wearing Sezane striped tank (not visible), Goelia red sweater (additional 10% off with JAMIE10), Minima Esenciales jeans, Andersons belt, About Arianne flats, Madewell bag

I packed a little bit of colour in my suitcase which I planned to ground with the neutral pants/skirt options I took with me. Red is one of my all time favourite colours to wear, and just hits different when paired with a richly saturated blue denim. This was my outfit for a lazy morning and drive to Greytown. Perfect amount of layering, no coat necessary (even the knit was cutting it fine!).

Wearing Ellery dress, Gucci shoes (also here), Polene bag (look 1) | Camilla and Marc dress (look 2) | Christopher Esber dress (look 3 - also available here)

About as extra as I’ll get, I decided to pack the three dresses I’d been thinking about wearing for the wedding. Solely as I had the space in my suitcase. Decision fatigue had gotten the better of me ahead of my flight and I justified this as I wasn’t sure what the weather would feel like when I arrived. Turned out to be a stunning afternoon, and in the end I went with the Ellery dress. I’ve worn this a couple times before and I always feel amazing in it. Would you believe that this was a sample I bought for $20?! Crystal, sparkly shoes a must. These were horrendously expensive so I make sure to pull them out at every excuse. Not pictured is the blazer that I decided to take with me in the end. I figured it would get cool at night, and didn’t want to have to rely on my coat. Very glad that I packed it with me!

DAY 3

Wearing Quince sweater, Andersons belt, Minima Esenciales skirt, COS coat, About Arianne ballet flats, Madewell bag

Not visible is the grey tee I also had on, which I stripped down to about 30 mins after taking these pics. It warmed up fast. This outfit had a bit of a monochromatic feeling to it, save for the coat and bag. I wore this for a “recovery” brunch post-wedding, and to drive back down to Wellington.

DAY 4

Wearing Camilla and Marc knit top, Andersons belt, Minima Esenciales skirt, COS coat, Loeffler Randall ballet flats, Madewell bag

Another one of those things I managed to squeeze into my suitcase were these cute woven ballet flats. Mostly to have a secondary option to the About Arianne ones, which can start to pinch my feet if I wear them too many days consecutively. You’ll have to forgive the pics - I didn’t manage to take any yesterday so threw the outfit on again today to share (exposing some of the remaining Reno work we still need to complete, haha!). Aside from red, yellow is one of my happy colours. This vibrant hue plays so wonderfully with grey and indigo. Plus, it’s a thinner knit so I figured I could easily layer this under the charcoal cashmere knit if needed. I did end up changing my top to a simple white tee for the flight, when I checked the forecast for my arrival back into Sydney; a casual 30 deg C.

And that’s everything I wore in New Zealand. I hope this gave you a little bit of inspiration - you can see I leaned heavily on two key style formulas (and completely overlooked wearing my grey trousers!). Thank you so much for reading, and if you haven’t already subscribed, I’d love if you would consider it. See you soon with my April capsule!