[ann]Sweater: Topshop | Jeans: Citizens of Humanity | Boots: Stuart Weitzman | Bag: Gucci | Sunglasses: Karen Walker[/ann]

This past weekend Daniel and I got to take a mini weekend trip to San Francisco!  It’s been a few years since we have been up there, and when we found a cheap flight we booked it!  We left Friday afternoon and got home Sunday night.  When I got home, I started looking over the feedback we got on our year-end survey (you can fill it out here!) and a couple people requested a post on how to pack for a weekend getaway.  Whenever we go for longer then a weekend, I have to pack a checked bag, but when we are just getting out of town for a night or two I try my best to cram it all in to a small suitcase.  So today I’m sharing my top two tips on getting everything you need into one carry-on!

Wear your Biggest/Bulkiest Clothing

This tip is essential during Winter months, and especially when flying!  I bring one neutral coat or heavy jacket (see next tip below) and wear that along with a pair of boots.  Generally speaking, those are the two largest items to pack and by wearing them you free up so much room in your suitcase.  Once you’re on the plane, you can take the jacket off and store it in the overhead bin with your suitcase, but didn’t have to use up the room…sneaky 😉.

These over-the-knee boots are the flat version of this pair that I purchased back in December.  They were definitely a splurge for me, but after I pulled the trigger I couldn’t figure out why it took me so long. And I quickly used some Christmas gift cards towards the flat version.  On this trip I only packed these and a pair of booties, so by wearing these I only had to pack the booties (the smaller of the two).

Pack Only Neutral Pieces

This is my biggest tip when packing for any tip, but especially packing for a weekend getaway!  Having the ability to mix and match clothing pieces while traveling is crucial and by packing only neutral pieces, you can pretty much wear any piece with any other.  For example, this ivory Topshop sweater obviously paired well with these jeans, but I could have just as easily worn it with the black jeans I brought.  It also would have totally gone with the tan booties I packed, instead of the black over-the-knee boots.

By bringing neutral pieces like this instead of packing “outfits,” you maximize the amount of outfits you can create.  I always bring one pair of blue denim, one pair of black denim, and a pair of leggings (lately it’s been these faux leather leggings).  With these three pieces, I can create just about any outfit, dressy or casual.  From there, I bring my favorite sweaters, cardigans, and tees that I can mix and match to create tons of outfits.  For this trip I think I packed three bottoms, four tops, and two pairs of shoes and could create 24 outfit combinations out of those 9 pieces!

You already know how much I love Nordstrom, and generally speaking my entire suitcase is usually filled with things I found there!  Here are a bunch of my favorite neutral pieces I found from Nordstrom that would mix and match perfectly when packing for a weekend getaway.

Tops & Dresses

Bottoms

Shoes

Thanks to Nordstrom for sponsoring this post!  As always, all opinions and selections are my own.