Monday night I had my first styling session with Kimberly Adams who is leaving Monday for France! She and her fiance are heading to the Cannes Film Festival and will then head to Paris for two days before heading home. She reached out to me regarding my thoughts on what she might pack so I suggested a closet consult to get her started. What took place was a fun evening of girl time, fashion, and talking about the trip of a lifetime!
Kimberly will be gone for roughly nine days, and during her time in Cannes, she will be attending movie premiers, red carpet events, parties, and networking with other actors, directors, and producers. She needed/wanted a wardrobe that could take her from day to night, looks that were professional, party attire that worked for red carpet and possible dinners in Paris, and plenty of casual looks for travel and exploration. By the end of the night, we had so many looks that Kimberly wanted more time in France to wear them all!
We started with this dress, my personal favorite, and styled it for her first full day at the festival. It's a day of meetings and touring the area, which means lots of walking and standing. This dress is a knit which screams comfort. It has a self-tie, but a thin, black belt would look great too. We paired it with a black cardigan in case the evenings are cold and I suggested flats for all the possible walking. Turns out Kimberly doesn't own flats and she seemed a little excited to shop for the trip! (I mean who isn't excited to shop anytime.) I suggested these and these. Super cute and extremely versatile.
To take this dress into a more casual/sight-seeing look, I paired it with my ever favorite item, the denim jacket! Also, I suggested leaving it un-belted for an even more casual feel. Because of the halter neckline, accessories are hard to style, so I found this awesome red scarf which just made the whole look! Again, darling with flats, but Kimberly just purchased a fabulous pair of Gladiator sandals that would look great!
During the week of the festival, there will be parties, viewings, and tons of networking opportunities. I didn't necessarily plan every look per day, but instead gave Kimberly options for each day but always allowing for day to night. The thing about traveling abroad, in my opinion, is to keep the packing light. Take neutral pieces that can be worn several different ways. Take accessories that will make each outfit look as though you've never repeated! Let's take a peek....
The pants are such a great travel piece! They are light weight, wrinkle free (basically), and can be worn dressy or casual. And the top! So cute in the black/white tribal print. I thought during the day, this would be great just like this. Flats or wedges, which she already owned, would be perfect.
For later in the evening, I paired a thin scarf, with a black burnout floral motif, to keep off the chill. And, it adds a dressier element. I suggested black pumps, again a pair she owned, to amp up the dressier side. However, when paired with the denim jacket, Kimberly has a great casual day look for travel or play!
This is just another example of a look for a day of networking. I'm tellin' ya, these pants are amazing!! A styling dream.
Then there is this little black dress. Actually, the most darling little, knit, black dress from Old Navy! I would never have thought Old Navy when I saw it. So versatile and a total must-take item. I threw on that great black scarf seen above and added this Forever 21 pendant. Instead of wearing it long, I suggested doubling it. I love the idea of it lying flat on the chest, but she can totally wear it long. Her wedges or pumps are the perfect shoe.
This is
for a more casual day of meetings and networking. And, it can be worn
while touring Paris later in the week. And let's be honest, it's perfect
for work days when she gets home. The Gladiator sandal I mentioned
earlier would be darling!!
When I saw these reptile printed pants, I couldn't wait to style them! I could go on and on about how I would style them differently, but won't because this one is a winner! But since you asked, I would also style them with a white tee and black blazer, a denim shirt and basic black tank, and lastly a black t-neck sweater for the winter and I would sport this denim jacket over it!
Kimberly has two very different navy blue dresses and they are both perfect for the trip. This one is a tiered, sleeveless knit dress that can be worn with just the scarf during the day. For chilly nights, throw on the denim jacket. Have I convinced you to run out and purchase that denim jacket yet? Also, this would be great with nude pumps for evening and flats during the day.
This is a long sleeved, navy knit dress that I paired with the same scarf from above and the ever other popular jacket, the field/military jacket. This is perfect for day travel and sight-seeing. Again, flats would be great for all that walking, but Kimberly also has a pair of ankle length combat boots that would be très chic!
So far we have eleven looks for a nine day trip, but it doesn't stop there! We have two red carpet looks that I didn't photograph. They are evening dresses, one of gray rosettes and one that's blush pink with a sheer black over-lay and tiny black beads. I paired the rosette dress with the black, burnout scarf seen above and the blush/black dress with the black cardigan paired with the maxi dress. I suggested black pumps with both and these pieces of jewelry for inspiration 1/2.
Kimberly is taking several pairs of jeans; one dark skinny, the other a light crop denim. She is packing a super cute black sweater, with a metallic design, that I thought would pair well with the military jacket and printed scarf I paired with the Old Navy black dress. She's considering packing a pair of cropped tuxedo pants in black with a cream stripe. For a casual look, she is going to pair them with a cream tee, and you guessed it, her denim jacket. For evening, I suggested a cream cami and the black cardigan from above. And, she can wear flats, wedges or pumps for any and all events.
In total, I styled 14 looks with 13 pieces and six accessories. That's more looks than needed and every one of them is perfect for any activity she engages in during her nine day stay. I can't wait to see her outfit photos as worn on the streets of Cannes and Paris. A trip of a lifetime that's styled to the max!
