Hello! + What To Pack For a Summer Holiday

Jan 16

Happy new year! It’s been a minute between proper edits. While I have been updating the site here and there since Christmas, I haven’t wanted to fully commit to a new year editorial schedule without putting a lot of time and thought into how I wanted to proceed for the year. Do I continue as I have been going? Focus less on trends and more on a simple weekly edit? Do I incorporate more home, teens, lifestyle products? If you have an opinion on any of the above, I’d love to hear from you. Please drop me an email at marisa@marisaremond.com to give feedback, suggestions, or to simply say hi!

Now, I’ve just come back from a family holiday which did not go to plan, weather-wise, and taught me some valuable lessons on packing. Our “summer” road-trip was met with torrential rain, storms, freakish cold weather, and did I mention rain? Despite checking the weather forecast and anticipating some wetness, I never imagined we’d experience the amount of bad weather days we did. The stranger thing is, I did not pack appropriately at all, despite being a chronic over-packer and “just in case” type of person. I packed no wet weather gear for myself. No closed-toe shoes apart from old sneakers for walks. I didn’t pack any long sleeve tops, not even short sleeves — I seemed to only consider strappy tops, dresses and sandals for our beachside stay. The real low point was driving to the nearest mall and grabbing the first cosy jumper I could find at Cotton On, which I proceeded to wear every day and even sleep in at times. Not exactly the cute photo moments I envisioned for my lovely dresses and accessories…

Thankfully, the second part of our trip did see better weather and some great outdoor adventures, but again, what I packed was completely inappropriate for the reality of being in the country with kids. The reliable bits I did pack have stayed with me, and they’ve inspired this edit thanks to how much they saved me.

My personal hit-list included:

A grey woollen cardigan I threw in at the last minute which provided warmth and didn’t look out of place over my summer tops and dresses. I rate cardigans over a heavier style of jacket for holidays — they don’t get crushed in your suitcase and provide excellent warmth. This is the exact one I own, you can also get similar here.
A gauzy beach shirt/dress with sleeves that provides sun coverage and looks good no matter how crinkled it may get. Mine is from Faithfull The Brand and quite old, but this one from Witchery looks excellent and is currently on sale.
I’ve owned the Lucy Folk towel pouch for many years, and I can’t sing its praises enough. This is my personal beach clutch I use for keys, lip balm, sunscreen, kindle, phone — separate to the large totes I pack for the rest of my family — and I also often use it as a handbag when away. An unexpected wardrobe hero, the one I own is often out of stock but you can grab similar and more affordable styles here and here.
I’ve packed a foldable mesh bag with us on holidays for as long as the kids have been little. Not exactly the most stylish but super useful, if you don’t have the space for an additional beach tote, these fold-away mesh bags are excellent for holding towels and toys and keeping sand out of the car. This is the one I have had for ages, but this one actually looks much more sleek, or you can get more sturdy and stylish versions now, such as this one and this one.
Small pouches, packing cubes, transparent cases and generally anything reliable for travel storage is my jam. I used clear pouches to house sunscreen, playing cards, drawing supplies and medicine which made it so much easier to know where they were, pack and unpack, and put them away easily. I have an array of old ones but these look very handy, as do these.
I added these Tkees leather thongs to my luggage as a last minute addition and am so glad I did, they’re almost all I wore. Super handy and sleek for the beach, they also served as my wet-weather shoes when it was raining and they didn’t get damaged one bit by water or sand. I’m really impressed with the quality and simplicity of these and am looking to add a metallic pair to my collection soon.
I’m mad for a tinted sunscreen and am currently using this one by Airyday. I’ve wanted a zinc-based sunscreen for a while and this one feels really lovely on, without looking too shiny or covered up.
For the first time ever I didn’t pack a hair straightener with me, nor a blow dryer, just my Shark Smoothstyle gadget, and it was a total game-changer. It dries and smooths and doesn’t leave your hair poker straight, which is kind of the vibe I want when away. A handy all-in one hair tool I can actually use!