Happy Thursday! If you’ve been following along with Beth’s Instagram this week, you no doubt know that she and I are aboard the American Queen, a stately steamboat, she is part of the American Queen Voyages fleet. Packing for this trip stumped me a bit, I will admit. While the trip is taking place from New Orleans to Memphis, and generally has similar weather to Athens, that actually was the issue for me – the weather in Athens has been all over the place!
The good news is, since it’s a cruise, I don’t really have to worry about overpacking. I can get away with a little overpacking since I am not moving my suitcases from place to place.
I thought about things the way I always do for a trip: activities and weather scenarios. Along with packing for daytime excursions and accounting for the weather; I do want to bring a selection of clothes for dinner on the steamboat. This particular cruise is “country club” casual for dinner, but I enjoy the opportunity to dress up a little for dinner, so I am keeping dinner outfits in mind too!
The Summary
Kelly shares what she packed for a river cruise on the Mississippi
Capsule wardrobe ideas, including “country club” casual wear for dinner
Plus a couple dresses for special dinners
The Capsule is shoppable via text and image widgets
What I Packed for a River Cruise
Capsule Wardrobe
I did something a little outside the box for this packing strategy. Since I knew we’d have excursions that included walking (and a likelihood of rain) I wanted to wear the waterproof Laguna Chelsea Boots I recently purchased because they fit great and are super comfortable. So I started to build my capsule from those shoes up.
I thought of 2-3 pairs of casual pants that go with those boots and then thought about tops.
Griff Tapered Fatigue Pants | Similar Chinos | Cropped Cable Knit Cardigan | Chuck 70 Vintage Canvas
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Tops
When thinking about my tops, I went for light sweaters that coordinate with my casual bottoms choices, my navy trousers and faux leather pants. This way I can mix and match depending on the day’s activities or the evening dinner plan.
Similar Faux Leather Pants | Tie Neck Blouse | Similar Short Sleeve Sweater | Similar Sweater Tee | Similar Ruffle Sleeve Top
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Pants
A pair of pants with an elastic waistband, like these Pintuck Sweatpants from J.Crew Factory can pull double duty as a casual bottom, or a dressier bottom, depending on the top and shoes.
Similar Endless Pant | Similar Jamie Pant | Pintuck Sweatpant | Similar Lavender Sweater | Similar Lilac Sweater | Similar Metallic Ballet Flat | Similar Bronze Ballet Flat | Maeve Mock Neck Jacquard Top | Laguna Chelsea Boot
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Dress it Up
Each component of this ensemble can be mixed and matched with almost anything else I packed. I have a neutral tone blazer with a subtle geometric herringbone pattern, this one is almost sold out at Madewell, but I have rounded up similars.
The abstract floral print button up easily mixes with my bottoms to give me a variety of outfit options. Cropped trousers are so versatile and will a lot of use.
Crop Dorset Blazer | Similar Neutral-tone Blazer | Avery Slim Wool-blend Pant | Similar Floral Button Up | Similar Black Heeled Bootie
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change of pace
For a change of pace, I packed a smocked floral midi dress. While the dress is great for spring, I am keeping it seasonally appropriate by wearing heeled boots and the School Boy Sweater Blazer from J.Crew Factory.
Similar Smocked Floral Midi Dress | Similar Smocked Midi Dress | School Boy Sweater Blazer | Journee Collection Boot | Parnela Boot
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An easy go-to is a little black dress. I have turned to this dress countless times for an evening out. This one is many years old, but it has a pleated skirt which is very forgiving when it comes to packing.
Similar Black Dress | Similar Fit and Flare Dress | Similar Pleated Black Dress | Similar Black Dress | Similar Black Heeled Bootie
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In Case You Missed It
Yesterday, Beth shared tips for how to keep your look modern, fresh and relevant. Click the title or image below to read the article.
5 Ways to Keep Your Look Modern, Fresh and Relevant
About The Author
Spot on again, Beth, for oh so appropriate outfits for your River cruise. How far up the Mississippi River does this cruise travel? Then back down to where it started? Anyway, I’m sure you and Kelly are having a marvelous adventure.
Hello Michelle, this cruise trip takes us up to Memphis. We disembark there and fly home. Thanks for stopping by! xo Kelly
Always enjoy your posts, Kelly! You write very well, and I appreciate your thought process.
Also, love your recipes.
Thanks so much Ellen! xo Kelly
Very cute capsule wardrobe. I especially love the LBD.
Can’t wait to see pictures of the outfits!
Thank you, Nancy! An LBD is always a good item to bring along on a trip. xo Kelly
Love all these outfits, Kelly! Enjoy the cruise!
Thanks so much, Nancy! xo Kelly