Returning to Capri was such a dream come true. We haven’t been since our honeymoon (almost 10 years ago!) and the island was even better than I remembered. On the topic of vacation dressing, Capri was the dressiest of our three destinations which made people watching so much fun – especially around dinnertime. Grab a table in a piazza after the day trippers have gone home and enjoy watching the stylish crowd.
I’ve been getting a couple questions about how I plan my outfits for trips like this (or if I have a stylist – ha!) and my magic formula (at least for Italy) has been wearing colorful dresses paired with elegant, neutral accessories. Each dress is easy to wear so I can feel comfortable whether I’m shopping, dining out, or climbing 1,000 stairs like we did on the day we visited Lo Scoglio Delle Sirene for lunch. (It was worth it!) Most of the dresses can be styled with either heels or flats, so I chose the footwear that made sense for our activities that day. Mostly I’m in flat sandals for the daytime and put on a fresh dress with heels for dinners out.
Based on the (sometimes hilarious) comments on this packing reel travel footwear (and packing essentials) are hotly debated topics. Many women seem to want to avoid heels on vacation and opt for sensible sneakers instead. While I have worn leather sneakers in cities (for example this outfit in Paris) in fall and winter I never wear gym style sneakers unless I’m at the gym. I don’t find sneakers necessary (or very comfortable) for hot summertime destinations unless we’re doing an actual hike or athletic activity. Sneakers are a modern invention and women have traversed the hills of Italy for thousands of years in leather sandals, so leather sandals are good enough for me. If you need to wear sneakers for health reasons by all means please do, but the modern preference to be casual at all times and wear athletic apparel to maximize comfort in every situation regardless of formality feels a bit like women are giving up on beauty.
On a practical level, I find putting an outfit together so I look my best when interacting with locals and other travelers is much appreciated by others (especially in Europe) and is very helpful if you would like to be treated well on your travels. For example, while many Americans find Parisians to be rude, I have not found that to be the case. Dress like you respect yourself and Parisians are much more likely to show you respect as well. Similarly, ensuring you are appropriately covered in very conservative cultures is another way to show respect and navigate new cultures with ease. I could write volumes on this, but simply put: when you travel, you are an ambassador for your country (whether you want to be or not!) and the way you dress and behave will lead others to create positive or negative impressions of your country – so please take care to leave a positive impression whenever possible!
Outfit Details:
Saint Laurent Flats (size up 1/2 size)
Baroque Pearl Earrings (custom, similar here)
Outfit Details:
Theory Shift Dress (on sale! more sizes here)
Outfit Details:
Tuckernuck Dress c/o (only $158!)
Saint Laurent Flats (size up 1/2 size)
Mark Cross Madeline 21 bag (old, current colors here)
Altuzarra Belt (old, similar here)
Max Mara Sunglasses (old, similar here)
Outfit Details:
Dolce and Gabbana Dress (found on theRealReal (watch this page) or similar here)
Pearl Hoop Earrings (bought in Venice, similar here)
Your comments re how we present ourselves abroad are spot in. I lived in Europe for several years and saw this play out constantly. We would advise our friends who visited from USA to dress up more than they were accustomed to doing at home. Some took our advice and others did not. The latter were refused entrance to restaurants, the opera, and a few bars. We also found Parisians ( and the French in general) to be quite friendly and helpful. We receive in turn what we bring to the table!
I am not a fan of wearing heels during the day but there are so many beautiful options at all price points for flats that are not flip flops or sneakers. Comfort does not have to mean disheveled and sloppy. You are so correct, a little effort and self respect goes a long way! Your style is beautiful and always so elegant! Thank you for all your wonderful posts.
Stacie, I loved your choice of wardrobe for your Italian Amalfi Coast and Capri trip. I totally agree with you about stylish flat sandals. I live in Italy and every year I find the most beautiful Italian summer sandals so why not include purchasing sandals to wear on your summer holiday as part of your itinerary like you did at Anacapri. I also loved that you accessorised your outfits with wicker bags. I managed to find a similar handbag in a small shop in the French Alps.
Love all your pretty dresses and sandals!! I 1000% agree with everything you said about dressing to respect yourself while traveling!! Extremely well said and thank you for sharing!! I also do not enjoy wearing sneakers unless I’m walking outside or doing some form of exercise (and I’m about to be a mom of two). There are so many cute footwear options out there that to me are more comfortable than sneakers.
I hope you plan to put together a travel guide as well with everywhere you guys have stayed and ate. 🙂
I LOVE this advice to travelers. I do believe it makes such a difference in how people interact with you, and I believe it’s also a sign of respect to others to observe how they dress and mimic it accordingly. I’m with you on sneakers, too. I’m constantly looking for the best shoes to walk miles in, and I definitely don’t feel my best in sneakers.
I’m loving your wardrobe on this trip, especially the OdL and D&G dresses!!
Gorgeous outfits and I couldn’t agree more!
Thank you for sharing your outfits and your position on being ambassadors to our home country when we’re traveling abroad. That made me think and rethink how I present myself when traveling and also at home!
C
Love all of your outfits! Just wanted to let you know that the link of the Oscar de la Renta dress is incorrect.
Have a wonderful week.
Author
Thank you for letting me know! Just fixed it. xx Stacie
Brava! You are so appropriate and beautiful all the time. But I think that’s why we’re all here. Thanks for the ongoing inspiration to bring it up a notch or two.
As I’m lacing up my new balances for a full day of visiting chateaus in the Loire Valley, the 30 year old me agrees with you wholeheartedly. The 54 old me of today doesn’t want to be thinking about my feet all day.
I went to a lot of trouble to find “cute” sandals I could pair with dresses and walk miles in, and the Ecco’s I brought almost killed me yesterday. Photos will have to be from the knees up, lol.
You always look like a million bucks, and I love the style ideas.
Love your style and you look fantastic in everything! We are leaving Sorrento today but did visit Capri for the day.
Agree that dressing well and looking good goes a long way in how you are treated.
I absolutley love the white dress! So classic 🙂
What footwear would you recommend for people who need ankle support?
I totally agree with you with regards to appropriate summer footwear. I am Greek and women in Greece have been wearing flat sandals for millennia (as one can easily see in the ancient statues and murals!). Furthermore, wearing closed shoes and socks in the summer heat is generally considered unhygienic (unless you have a specific health or foot anatomy concern that requires you to wear more supportive shoes). Nevertheless, wearing sneakers and trainers year round no matter the occasion is (sadly) becoming a thing worldwide and I do not like that at all! I also totally agree with your argument that travelling abroad makes you an ambassador for your country whether you like it or not. I have been living in London for over a decade now and I see this in action every single day (for myself & others). In any case, thank you for being a wonderful inspiration for both fashion and travel! If you are thinking of popping to Greece at any point along your travels, have a look at my travel blog http://www.apoplous.blog for concise advice for the islands and a lot more! Take care and don’t change a thing about your style!
I couldn’t agree more! At every stage of my life, even as a stay-home mom, I made certain to dress well every day with my hair and makeup done. Now that my daughters are in their late 20’s, they have told me that demonstrated respect for myself which trickled down to them and their friends. As a professor, I am always shocked at what some of my colleagues wear to teach class, and want to have the same effect on my students as on my daughters. If you have clothing that fits beautifully, it will be comfortable.
Incidentally, I’ve found the same to be true about Parisians. On my travels there, I found them to be warm and welcoming, and I enjoyed their company very much. Many of them complicated my outfits, so no one should think clothing won’t be noticed! Hopefully, I helped dispel the myth of the “ugly American” too!
I loved your style in Capri! And agree with your sentiments. I love packing for my location and wearing beautiful clothes during my vacation. It’s like Carrie Bradshaw said, “Some outfits wait a lifetime to be taken somewhere special.”
Oh, how I agree with you! Taking care of your appearance and dressing well, first of all, makes you feel better about yourself, and that shows. As far as shoes, I have found plenty of cute options over the years, that are cute AND comfortable. I do not understand how anyone can wear sneakers in the summer, and for prolonged periods of time — simply put, my feet would be baking in them, and that’s just not comfortable! Don’t get me started on the athleisure…
All this to say, thanks for promoting elegant, classic style in spite of the critics.
xo,
Em @ BloomingMagnoliasBlog.com
Exactly! Thank you for addressing these issues. But please not only when you travel, please show respect for yourself, and others, even here in the States! I could not agree with you more. I have also found that dressing respectfully and tastefully brings about better service, friendlier passer-bys, and a lot more smiles!
Bonjour Stacie,
En tant que française je suis absolument d’accord avec votre point de vue sur les baskets et tennis (sneakers). C’est devenue quelque chose de vraiment affolant. Voir une femme, jeune femme ou fille porter basket et robe ou jupe est d’une inélégance totale. Si je veux marcher (randonnée), je mets mes chaussures de randonnée, un pantalon technique ou un corsaire et je suis prête à arpenter chemin de montagne ou de forêt. Pour arpenter les villes ou villages rien de tel qu’une bonne paire de sandale ou les pieds sont à l’aise et ne chaufferons pas.
D’un point de vue purement français, c’est vrai que les américains n’ont pas la réputation d’être élégant par contre ils sont absolument gentil, font des efforts pour se souvenir des trois mots de français qu’ils ont retenus de leurs années de lycée, même si parfois ils sont un peu pénible à ne pas faire la différence entre le socialisme et le communisme.
Concernant les voyages vous avez absolument raison, nous sommes les ambassadeurs de notre pays à tous les niveaux et lorsque nous nous rendons en Allemagne ou en Suisse (notre région est frontalière de ces deux pays), nous nous efforçons un minimum de parler allemand et de bien nous comporter.
J’aime beaucoup votre élégance, très européenne, mâtiné d’américanisme. Je porterais volontiers vos tenus les plus classiques par contre certaines sont clairement trop excentrique pour la française que je suis. Mais les talons ne sont pas pour moi, déjà parce que je suis très grande (un peu plus que vous), donc je trouve cela inutile et surtout je trouve cela très inconfortable.
I am with you on dressing nicely while abroad! So many people say “it will be obvious you’re a tourist regardless so why bother” but if I’m going to be identified as a tourist I’d rather be identified as an appropriate and respectful one.
That said, the ‘cute white sneaker’ trend – where sneakers are part of an overall styled look – is one I and my feet happily participate in, at home and away!