LesDivaDiaries: A Diva's Guide to Packing

To Pack or Not to Pack?

Listen up...if you are like me then traveling light is an oxymoron and at least 3 strong men are necessary to lug your overweight suitcases through the airport. It is such a disaster and yesterday I went through the ultimate packing predicament. I had 5 hours to completely move out of my dorm room which meant packing the 30 tons of clothing and shoes, books and bedding, and every little extraneous item I own. I spent the first two hours choosing which outfit to wear on the plane and eating chocolate cake so naturally I was left with 3 hours to pack, CLEAN, and get my ass out of my side of the room. It wasn't hard taking down my posters or throwing away anything to do with school work (ughh, vomit) but when it came to the 2 suitcases and my wardrobe of clothes I hit a roadblock as bad as the 405 at 5 pm. This happens every time I am packing to go somewhere- whether it is a weekend trip or moving back to school! I have a serious case of Overpacking-itus and I need some serious medication to get over it. SO if you want to avoid overweight bag fees ( a common event for me) and bringing way too much stuff that you don't even take out of the suitcase...I have devised some guidelines. This is based off all my mistakes and I guarantee if you are a stressed out, running around, crying, last last last minute packer like me then these should help us get out of this rut!

Set yourself a time limit. When it comes down to it, packing should only take about an hour. Most of the time you spend way to much time getting distracted by every source of social media, doing your nails, playing with your dogs, and walking around the house in heels and underwear and eating popcorn. ( I totally don't do any of these things). It turns this task into an all day event which can be fun but so not worth your precious time. So don't have friends over or tell yourself you will "do it later". Lock yourself in your room and set an alarm for an hour and half from when you start and see how far you can get. You will be surprised at how much you get done when you are racing the clock!
Turn on the tunes. I didn't say packing had to boring..just productive. So put on some up beat music like Lady Gaga or Marina and the Diamonds and blast it!
Try stuff on! This is how to avoid the overpacking. If you have an event that you are going to then obviously have that whole ensemble picked down to the shoes and under garments. When it comes to everyday outfits there is an overwhelming task to try and pick out what you are going to where. If you are like me, and most divas, I do not like top pick out my outfits ahead of time. My mood and how good my hair looks on any given day varies and plays the deciding factor to what I am wearing. So to help avoid bringing EVERYTHING...try on a couple outfits you like and bring those. That way you know you at least have some good options. For example pick out one jeans/blazer/pump ensemble, a beachy swimsuit/coverup/wedges outfit, casual leggings/boots/sweater look, ETC
Bring 2 of everything. This pertains to the above problem. Bringing 5 pairs of jeans is just not possible if you have limited room. But to avoid that "Shit I only brought one pair of jeans and they make me look fat today" meltdown bring TWO of everything. Two pairs of jeans, 2 nice dresses, 2 sets of cute lingerie. Whatever it is, and also depending on how long you are going for and how many suitcases you are brining, it is essential to have a back up plan. Because how many times do we make split decisions 5 minutes before a party?? Two is always better than one!
Be picky about shoes. By far my biggest weakness is bringing shoes. They are like my children and I just cannot bear to leave one of my babies behind. But alas they are so darn heavy and really take up a lot of room! Now, again it depends on where you are going and how long you are going for but here is my general guideline for most trips:

One pair of black or nude pumps that go with everything
A cute pair of flats
Your fav pair of booties
If a tropical location: wedges and some flat sandals
If a cold location: one pair of warm boots- they are the heaviest
and leave out the sneakers...seriously when do you ever actually work out on vacation and they are just a waste of space!

My mother's age old trick: Be Basic. She always tells me to pack neutral things- like black pants and solid colored tops and then jazz everything up with accessories. I never follow this trick since my floral skinnies or sequined blazer are usually to hard to resist but I figured I should include this top for her sake.
Hault on the handbags. Pick ONE everyday bag and ONE evening bag- something black or metallic that will go with a lot of things. I assure you that you will not need more than this.
Pack your cosmetics last. There is not much I can say when it comes to absolutely needing that jar of French face whip or 3 different lipsticks...because well those things are necessary! So I always save this task for last and if I am low on space, ditch the shampoos and body washes that you can buy at any drug store and focus on your speciality items. You can't go without Nars "Orgasm" blush or your sea salt face scrub for too long!
Use space saver bags. Yes the infocommericals for the vacummm sealed plastic bags are actually a good investment. You can pack a lot in a small space and its pretty freaking magical!
When in doubt... pack less and BUY MORE. Let's face it you will be doing some serious shopping wherever you go and unless you want to buy another suitcase to take home, save some room for all your new goodies!

I am serious when I say that the biggest problem of being a diva is trying to lug every single thing I own across this planet and try and keep my composure and face free of stress lines. It becomes a tiresome, boring task that turns me into the bad kind of diva bitch that is so not fabulous. I am usually panicked and shoving random things into my purple snakeskin suitcase until it is bulging and unable to stand up. So take a deep breath and try and make packing your friend, not the enemy. Pour a glass of wine and don't do it the night before. Seriously. Bring stuff that is flattering, timeless, and classy. Leave behind the unused work out clothes and try and buy some smaller bottles of your Miss Dior perfume.

Good Luck and Happy Packing Princesses!

xoxo Diva G