As I mentioned last week, I spent the weekend in Phoenix, Arizona and it was glorious! I was visiting one of my best friends from high school, and our goal was to relax as much as possible… which translated to pool time, eating, pedicures, and more eating.
It was just what I needed, and it was so nice to catch up.
I flew in around noon on Friday, and flew out same time on Sunday so it was a quick visit, but it ended up being the perfect amount of time to catch a little break.
I wanted to pack as light as possible, and I knew it was going to be HOT (it was 115 on Saturday, which for a pregnant lady like myself was a struggle ha!) so I challenged myself to the most minimal packing list possible… and I’m proud of what I came up with!
So here’s my Phoenix, Arizona Travel Capsule:
My cotton t-shirt dress (i.e. comfy and long enough for plane travel) from Everlane (gifted, and I have a review of it here) for Friday and Sunday.
My white linen dress from Sugar Candy Mountain for Saturday because it’s easy to dress up and down (it’s sold out in white, but still available in Rose). I did end up having to wash it Saturday afternoon because I spilled avocado toast and In-N-Out sauce on it (judge away ha!), but it was the perfect piece to have for travel. It’s opaque enough that I didn’t have to wear anything special underneath it so it was really cool and airy for the hot weather.
My slide sandals from Everlane (gifted, and I have a review of them here). I debated packing an extra pair of flip flops for the pool, and they actually would have been really nice to have but I don’t regret my decision either. These sandals were really versatile, and worked for every outfit I put together.
I packed everything in my linen bag from shin+na (gifted, and I have a discount code: use TRUNCATION15 to get 15% off. You can see my review here). This bag was PERFECT. It’s so lightweight, but it fits so much so it was super easy to carry around the airport.
I paired it with a small straw handbag as my other bag, and between the two of them I had all my bases covered. The straw handbag is an older purchase from World Market, but there is a similar (splurge) option here (currently 25% off!), and a more affordable option here.
For the pool, I just packed a simple black bikini. I had purchased a maternity one piece earlier in the summer, but… I hate it ha! It’s a cute suit, but I think it has a shape wear type fit and it feels so tight on my stomach. The bikini is so much more comfy. This one is old, but here’s a cute option from Madewell’s eco collection: top & bottom. There’s also a really cute one piece option here.
For accessories, I just packed a few pieces of gold jewelry. I packed two gold rings: a chunkier one from aurate (gifted), and this more delicate option from Emily’s. I applied the same formula to my earrings and packed a large pair of statement hoops from Madewell, and a delicate pair of huggie hoops from GLDN.
And last, but not least a hat. I actually did NOT bring a hat because my friend had some baseball hats she said I could borrow, but I wish I would have brought a straw hat because the baseball hat did not keep the sun off my face as much as I needed it to (hello pregnancy melasma!). If I were to pack again, I would have brought this boater hat from Lack of Color. The wide brim keeps the sun completely off my face, and the strap makes the hat super practical.
Other non clothing things I packed were: one set of pajamas, under things, a book (currently reading Crazy Rich Asians… so good!), toiletries, headphones, a pair of sunglasses and a couple of scrunchies. That’s it!
It was really nice to pack exactly what I needed and no more or less. I didn’t feel deprived, and I used everything I brought.
Here are a few photos of the outfits I created with what I brought:
Friday night out for drinks (hot tea for me!) and food 
Saturday morning brunch then pedicures 
Saturday night dinner/comedy club 
Sunday morning breakfast/travel 
a shot of everything packed in the linen tote
I hope this is helpful for anyone else who’s wanting ideas on packing light. In my experience, the simpler the base of your outfit is the more versatile it will be. Chunky jewelry, a red lip, and slicked back hair can turn any outfit into a dressier option… and vice versa a fresh face, and minimal jewelry can dress down any outfit.
What’s your go-to formula for dressing light? Let me know in the comments because I’m always looking for tips!
Oh and if anyone is interested, here’s my little phoenix, arizona travel (i.e. eating) guide:
Friday:
Lunch: nothing crazy here… Shake Shack. 🙂
Dinner: Isabella’s Kitchen. This restaurant had such a beautiful view of the mountains, and was a really fun atmosphere. To be honest, I didn’t love the food, but I think it’s just because I ordered something that was super spicy and gave me heartburn ha!
After Dinner: we went to the Marriot Desert Ridge Resort (her boyfriend works there, so we wanted to stop in and say hi to him) in their Twenty6 lounge. It was super good food though! We got a hummus platter, and did s’mores and they were both delicious. She did wine, and I did a pot of tea and it was a really relaxing, and chill environment.
Saturday:
Breakfast: We went to Wow Wow for acai bowls and toast, and OH MY GOODNESS was it good. This was probably my favorite food that we ate all weekend. I just got the small bites bowl, and then we both shared a flavor of toast. I got the Micro Greens Avocado Toast, and she got the Lilokoi (passion fruit) Toast. YUM.
Lunch: I was craving burgers so we did In-N-Out. Nothing crazy, but it was delicious!
Dinner: This dinner was unbelievably good. We were craving Thai food, so we went downtown to Thai Basil. We each got a dish to share, but the winner hands down was the coconut soup. I’ve literally been dreaming about it since then. SOOOO good.
Sunday:
Breakfast: our last meal in Phoenix was at the Thumb for breakfast (it’s been featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives). It’s a funny little restaurant because it’s in a gas station, but the food was really good! I was limited to what I could order because everything was loaded with cheese, but I ended up with a Egg BLT that was super yummy.
And that’s it! It was airport food from there on out, and it was nothing worth mentioning. 🙂
And for those following along with my 30 Days of Style, this counts as outfits 18-20 and we’ll resume with outfit 21 tomorrow!
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