Fashion Diary: Summer Road Trip 2011

     One of the many great things about the United State is the open road. There is nothing like the freedom of being able to get in your car with a small duffle filled with clothes, a good camera, a cooler filled with food and drinks, and the promise of an amazing adventure ahead. This summer my family and I decided to take an east coast / northeast vacation. But instead of flying to our final destination, New York City, we decided to make a week long road trip out of it and visit all of the sights that this region had to offer. 

Florida > Georgia > South Carolina > North Carolina > Virginia 

     The trip began in Jacksonville, Florida with the first stop being the Washington DC area in Virginia. Along the way, we passed the States of Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and finally spent the night in a hotel in Virginia. The rest stops during that first day included tourist stops (traps) like South of the Border which is a little area in the South/North Carolina border, a small Dairy Queen, countless bathroom and gas station stops, and a poor imitation of KFC called Roy Rogers. So for this first day of travel I've decided to opt for something comfortable and will allow me to get in and out of those poorly kept up bathrooms quickly without the binding commitment of a dress. Therefore, I decided to go for an A-line skirt and a nautical 3/4 sleeved shirt for the varying temperatures of the car and the transition from day to night. As for footwear, I've decided to go for strapless sandals so I can easily slip them on and off during the car ride. 

Day 1: 

(1) nautical striped shirt by BDG 

(2) floral skirt by Forever 21

(3) skinny belt by J. Crew 

(4) sandals by Gap 

Virginia > Maryland > New Jersey > Pennsylvania > New York 

     

     The second day of the trip involved leaving the Virginia/DC area and finally making it to New York City by the end of the day. But before going to the Big Apple, we've decided, at the very last minute, to stop by Philadelphia and visit all of its historic landmarks like Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776, and the Liberty Bell. Philadelphia completely surprised me and I fell in love with the city and the very historic feel to the entire place. Knowing that the weather during that day was going to a complete toss up (rain/shine/hot/windy), I've decided to go for a dress with sleeves, comfortable walking shoes, and a bag that will allow me to carry vacation essentials like a bottle of water and cameras. Yes, I had about four cameras with me (maximum) during this entire trip. And of course, to make the entire ensemble my own, I've added a statement necklace for added interest and pizzaz. 

Day 2 (daytime):

(1) floral dress by Everly 

(2) seer-sucker shoes by Steve Madden 

(3) vintage necklace 

(4) back pack by Vera Bradley 

New York City 

     After leaving Philadelphia, we went straight to New York City. Not wanting to waste a perfectly good night and an amazing opportunity to see Times Square at night, we got on the subway two blocks away from our hotel to witness the magic of Times Square at its finest. By the time we left the hotel, it was already 9 p.m. and the temperature of the city that night was going to get down to the low 70s high 60s, so I knew long sleeves or some time of jacket had to be integrated to my ensemble for that night. After going through several options and already making a mess of my duffle, I've decided to go for a long-sleeve denim shirt layered on top of a red gingham shirt with the sleeves rolled up. I figured jeans were going to be too warm especially with all of the walking, so I went for my coral colored chinos and cross over leather bag and leaving the nice Nikon camera at the hotel, but packing the Instax camera instead. 

Day 2 (nighttime):

(1) denim shirt by Banana Republic

(2) red gingham shirt by Heritage 1981

(3) coral chinos shorts by J. Crew 

(4) leather bag by MNG by Mango 

(5) shoes by Vans 

New York City 

     The agenda for our first full day in NYC was the usual and must-see tourist stops of the city -- Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, New York City Public Library,  NBC Studios, FAO Schwarz, Serendipity, The Plaza Hotel, Dylan's Candy Bar, and Central Park. There was a good percent chance of rain that day but with hot temperatures that were going to be in the high 80s. So to accommodate this uncertainty and dressing challenge, I just wore a strapless floral romper (in disguise), a light cardigan, and comfortable walking shoes, which is an absolute must, especially if you're going to be on your feet for over 12 hours (yikes.) 

Day 3 (daytime):

(1) floral romper by Pins and Needles

(2) white cardigan by J. Crew 

(3) vintage pearl necklace 

(4) shoes by Vans

(5) backpack by Vera Bradley 

New York City 

     At the end of our first full day in the city everyone was exhausted except for me, because my body was running on pure adrenaline from being in a place that I'm soon going to be calling home. So I've accepted an invite from a cousin of mine who lives in Yonkers, NY to see the city at night. This was my opportunity to go into the city and explore it on my own and I was surprisingly calm and excited about it, considering that I have yet to figure out the correct subways to take around the city. But I knew enough to get myself from our hotel to Midtown. For that night I wore a opened-back dress with black tights, my seer-sucker shoes, and small floral chain bag. I didn't want to attract the wrong kind of attention, especially given the fact that I was not from around the area, so I figured some good get-away running shoes and a small bag to hold my essentials -- money, Metro Card, phone, hotel key, and a small point and shoot camera -- will suffice. 

Day 3 (nighttime): 

(1) dress by Reformed 

(2) tights by Express

(3) seer sucker shoes by Steve Madden 

(4) red floral chain bag by Antonio Melani 

New York City 

     

     If you are planning to see the magical to see the magical place that is NYC, I'll tell you now that you need more than four days to see and do everything the city has to offer. I say give yourself 7 days minimum. On our last full day in the city, we had a 14 hour day to see everything else that we've missed so the day's agenda included riding a double decker tour bus complete with a fabulous tour guide which took us around Midtown and Downtown, seeing the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island, Ellis Island, Waldorf Astoria, Parsons, Chrysler Building, Grand Central Station, September 11 Memorial, and everything else along the way. The tour bus allowed us to see a great deal of Downtown New York which included the Financial District, SoHo, Greenwich Village, and a wicked view of the Brooklyn Bridge. This day's dressing choices was completely determined more by comfort and less influenced by the weather. I woke up that morning and really wanting to wear something that's not very fussy and super casual. So I opted for my new sea foam green chinos, a white oxford shirt, and my seer-sucker shoes. 

Day 4: 

(1) white oxford shirt by Ralph Lauren

(2) sea foam chinos by J. Crew

(3) skinny belt by J. Crew 

(4) seer-sucker shoes by Steve Madden

(5) back pack by Vera Bradley 

New York City > Coney Island > Jersey Shore > Atlantic City > Washington DC

     With a hotel reservation waiting for us in Crystal City (just right outside Washington DC in Virginia) spending another day in the city had to be limited. So on our way out of the city we decided to visit the famous Coney Island just outside Brooklyn and stay along the coast visiting places like the infamous Jersey Shore and Atlantic City as we drove through New Jersey. The morning of our departure from NYC the skies was gloomy, there was a strong wind gust, and it was a bit rainy -- which perfectly matched my sad mood because I didn't want to leave. But with the promise of returning soon, I've decided to put on a very colorful outfit and achieving this by mixing colorful prints and layers, which are two of my favorite things. So I went for a paisley A-line skirt with a brown skinny belt, a colorful blouse, a knit vest, and jean jacket for the cool temperature. 

Day 5: 

(1) blouse by Heritage 1981 

(2) skirt & skinny belt by Heritage 1981 

(3) knit vest by Forever 21 

(4) jean jacket by Hollister 

(5) sandals by Gap 

Washington DC

     Touring the nation's capital means only two things on the agenda: the national monuments like the U.S. Capitol, the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the White House and the National Mall, which is simply a collection of national museums stationed in between these famous landmarks. The weather during the morning of our Washington DC adventure was blue skies and sunny. But the challenge of the beautiful but warm day also involved being constantly inside well air conditioned places and the walking around in the heat and humidity outside. So in light of this beautiful day, I decided to go for an effortless little white dress and a colorful cardigan to accommodate the cold temperatures inside the museums. 

Day 6: 

(1) white dress by American Eagle 

(2) skinny belt by J. Crew

(3) cardigan by J. Crew

(4) seer-sucker shoes by Steve Madden 

(5) backpack by Vera Bradley 

Love, KB