Packing for A Week In Greece

Trying to do it properly this time

I’m packing for a week in Greece with my family, and this time I decided to do it properly – trying on every item and really thinking about what I will and won’t need. The only thing I didn’t do was ironing. Here’s what made it into the suitcase.

Note: I’m editing this post from Greece and decided to add my comments directly while on vacation, while everything is still fresh.

Left on Friday Swimsuits

Streamline Suit, La Crosse Top, Hi Tide Bottom

We’ll be spending a lot of time by the pool and on the beach, so swimsuits are essential. I discovered Left on Friday this year – their cuts are modern, the opposite of the usual “mature” and conservative options – and I now have two that I love. Both are coming with me - I especially love the La Crosse top combined with high waisted Hi Tide bottom, as it looks like a one-piece with a cut in between.

Verdict from Greece: I absolutely loved my La Crosse and Hi Tide combo! It looked so sophisticated and cool that I ended up wearing the red Streamline suit only once.

Linen Pieces

All pieces are old and not available anymore, except Los Angeles Apparel jellies, Flattered Bo Bucket Bag, and Ludmilla Basic Apparel skirt

First stop: linen. In the Greek heat, my white Marc O’Polo linen dress is a no-brainer – airy, breathable, perfect. I’m also bringing an oversized COS linen button-up. It’s not quite as light, but linen is always summer-friendly, and I could wear it as a cover-up or with other bottoms.

Verdict from Greece: The linen dress was a staple - I wore it many times. The button-up never made it out, though; it’s just too hot here for that.

Heat-Friendly Bottoms

Top row from left: 1) Ludmilla skirt from Basic Apparel, Cos relaxed tee, , 2) Cos top, Marc O’Polo pants (both old), 3) Arket skirt, The Curated top (both old). All outfits: Los Angeles Apparel jellies, Flattered Bo Bucket Bag.

Bottom row (old): 1) Tibi skort, Cos top, 2) Arket shorts, Cos button up, Tibi Amari sandals.

My Basic Apparel striped jersey skirt is easy to wear, so I’m packing it. The fit is very slim, which means it needs some styling - mostly with oversized tops.

Marc O’Polo’s greenish lightweight trousers are in too – they’ll double as my travel outfit since it’s cold here.

I also packed several white-ish bottoms: Arket shorts (a summer staple for years) and a shorter Arket skirt (less sure how much I’ll wear it). And then there’s my Tibi skort someone put it in a dryer so it shrunk (a bonus, since it was originally too big), but fell apart a little (not so great), and I stitched back together (we’ll see how it holds). It looks like a skirt, functions like shorts. Theoretically, I could have packed fewer white bottoms, but I want the options.

Verdict from Greece: The Basic Apparel striped skirt was the winner - it turned out to be surprisingly versatile with my oversized tops, and I wore it quite a few times. The other white bottoms only came out a couple of times, and the pants were worn just for travel - it’s simply too hot here for them.

Heat-Friendly Tops

Top row: Tibi T-shirt, Uniqlo satin top (old). Bottom row: The Curated T-shirt, Cos top (all old). All outfits: Arket shorts or skirt (old), Los Angeles Apparel jellies.

The Uniqlo satin top adds a slightly dressier note with its sheen and almost-peplum cut. Black tops from The Curated and COS are light enough for the heat, and I rounded things out with oversized tees: Tibi in orange, COS in gray and dark blue. I’m slightly worried they’ll be too warm, but hopefully not.

Verdict from Greece: The COS relaxed tees and the Tibi T-shirt were favorites to pair with the smaller bottoms. The Curated piece didn’t get much wear because of its very low décolleté - not the most convenient for travel - but I might tailor it a bit once I’m back.

Dinner Options

All pieces old: 1) Cos black dress, L.K. Bennet bag, Tibi Amari sandals. 2) Cos green dress, Cos nylon bag, Aeyde heels, 3) Maxmara blue dress, Tibi Amari sandals.

We’ll be celebrating our wedding anniversary during the holiday, so I added a few dressier pieces. A black COS dress has a good shape but the neckline isn’t perfect. Then I remembered my Max Mara party dress from my 40th – it almost never gets worn, so why not? It’s heavier, so not sure how much use it’ll get.
Finally, a green COS dress I love but that’s definitely on the short side. Resort rules are looser, so it’s coming for at least one dinner.

Verdict from Greece: I wore all of these dresses! There’s something very relaxing about a one-and-done outfit on holiday, and the pieces that sit right between casual and dressy - like the black COS dress - turned out to be the most useful.

Warmer Pieces

All pieces old: 1) Live the Process cardigan, Cos nylon bag, Cos dress. 2) Uniqlo T-shirt, Cos cardigan (sold out), Marc O’Polo Pants, Los Angeles Apparel jellies.

Evenings might get chilly. I packed a COS sweatshirt cardigan (which did not quite meet my expectations as it loses shape too easily, but still), my favorite Uniqlo jacket, and a dark brown Live in Process cardigan I rarely wear. Tried it fastened just at the top button – surprisingly good – so it’s in the mix.

Verdict from Greece: I wore none of these! The Mediterranean island climate is far too hot for any cover-ups.

What I Left Behind

A few pieces didn’t make the cut: off-white COS pants (too small), pink DIY-cut Uniqlo jeans (too garden-y), and the orange Arket tank + swimsuit combo (looked better in my head than in reality) - I did pick the swimsuit for wearing it for swimming.

Shoes & Bags

Tibi sandals, Los Angeles Apparel jellies, Aeyde heels, Hoka sneakers, Flattered Bo Bucket Bag, Cos nylon bag.

For shoes: Transparent jellies are officially my shoe of the summer – in my head they go with everything (although my family members disagree). The bright white ones go with nothing, so they stayed home. Tibi Amari sandals are a statement, though not the most walkable. I also packed sneakers, red Tibi sandals, and Aeyde green sandals for a heel option – a nice tie-in to my slight green theme.
For bags: Flattered’s Bo bucket bag for daytime ease, and a nylon COS bag I’ve never worn so far for evenings. It’s soft and a little formless, but the color works for resort dressing.

Verdict from Greece: Transparent jellies for the win! Easily the most popular shoes of the trip - I barely wore anything else.

Color Scheme

The palette ended up being neutrals + greenish + orange + a touch of blue. Green and orange don’t naturally match, but both will play the role of an accent against a neutral base. Overall, I love these colors and am quite happy with them, especially the greenish and brown tones.

Notes for Next Year

A few things I wished for while packing:

• Relaxed wide-leg summer trousers (cropped or full-length, like Tibi’s Biotwill Pant or one of Donni’s many versions).

• A breathable slip dress that can go day-to-night.

• More interesting dress-up tops – like my delayed the Curated order, or options from Rohe/Awake Mode. Tailored summer vests could also be useful.

• Neutral bike shorts to layer under dresses if I’m feeling fashion-forward.

• More statement bottoms that handle heat – something Toteme-like to break up the plainness.

Verdict from Greece: Overall, I have plenty of options, and the pieces work well together. Still, because many of them are quite simple - and I am not in the mood to accessorize heavily - a bit more edge in the mix would have helped. That said, I feel great, and most importantly, I’m having a wonderful holiday.