Sometimes the shortest breaks are the hardest to pack for. When you’re off on a long term adventure, sure it’s difficult to pack for all eventualities but at least you have a large backpack’s worth of space to play with. On weekend city breaks, I normally go hand luggage only, so I have to really think about my outfit choices and make sure I’m prepped. And that was definitely the case on my visit to the lovely city of Prague last week…
Suitable shoes for exploring in style.
Let’s start at the very beginning. (A very good place to start.)
Shoes.
Most people think about shoes after they’ve planned their outfits, but on a city break I think good footwear is completely vital. I mean, even in the smallest European cities I still do a LOT of walking. So I gotta keep my feet happy.
On a weekend break with limited hand luggage capacity I always allow myself 2 pairs of shoes. A comfy pair that I will wear on the plane and are suitable for city exploration with minimal blisters. And a pair that I can wear to dinner and drinks, but still won’t kill my feet.
On my Prague adventure I opted for my new gold sparkly pumps I bought on my Primark visit the other day. Comfy AF but still a bit glam so they didn’t look odd with fabulous dresses. They were £7, y’all. Can you ask for more?
For my evening babies, I went for my completely-worn-out-and-tired-but-I-refuse-to-give-them-up black lace-up boots with a sensible but still fab 2.5 inch heel. I can walk in them on cobbled streets because of the chunky heel, they’re hella comfy and make any outfit look a bit more fashion-y. Perfect.
Mine were from a bajillion years ago so I don’t have a link but these are some ASOS alternatives if you’re after some lace-up boots of your own.
Accessories, rain or shine.
It’s summer, apparently. So in typical European fashion, the weather is unpredictable AF. I knew the weather forecast was warm but rain or shine wasn’t all that clear. I came prepared with some beaut sunglasses for sunshine – the Quay marble print faves and a cute heart-shaped red pair from Primark – as well as a bright pink New Look umbrella in case of a drizzle.
All bases covered, buddy.
Ok, let’s talk handbags. I took 2 which is completely not necessary tbh. I could’ve just taken my black vintage cross-body bag and it would’ve sufficed and gone with everything. But I’d just bought that embellished clutch in my Primark visit the day before so took both. With hand luggage only that is a total waste of space but what can I say, I’m only human.
* TOP TIP * Wear your cross-body bag around your front. I had an incident where I looked round and someone was trying to get into my bag. NO. They didn’t succeed. But avoid pickpockets and wear your bag around your front at all times, people.
You might also notice that I packed a black laser-cut choker and wore it all day erryday in Prague. I’m a bit obsessed with chokers at the moment. It’s sold out online but I also like this black plaited one that’s quite similar. *Buys all the chokers*
Colourful day outfits FTW.
For a bright and breezy daytime look, I took this AMAZING stripe number I got in last week’s impulse New Look sale visit. Isn’t it the best?! IT WAS TEN POUNDS. It’s sold out online but is still in my local NL branch so I suggest a quick dash to the High Street to whip up this bad boy.
It is however available in a more sophisticated colour way online at the full-price £19.99. Still within budget I think.
I also took this cute Superdry playsuit which I think is real nice. Aren’t playsuits the best invention? They’re comfy and cute and adorable.
Last but not least, one of my favourite outfits at the moment. I picked up this tie-waist midi skirt in a charity shop down the road for a whopping £4. How retro fabulous, am I right? I paired it with a red bardot top from Primark last year and my gold pumps and I completely adore this fifties-chic look.
Evening maxi dresses all the way.
Maxi dresses were made for glamorous city breaks in lovely European cities, don’t you think? I never feel quite right wearing one in the UK, unless it’s a semi-formal family BBQ, but I could wear one every night in Prague.
The first one is one of my faves. Again I picked this floral maxi dress gem up in the New Look sale for £15 but I’ve just checked and it’s now down to £9! SHUT THE FRONT DOOR. It was a bit low-cut for the girls so I wore a black bodysuit underneath and paired it with my biker boots and fave choker to make it a bit more edgy.
My second maxi-dress is a floral number from Superdry. The back is TO DIE. And it’s cut on the bias, which my fancy education in fashion tells me is super flattering on everyone (that’s pretty much all I learnt at uni). Why isn’t everything cut on the bias these days?
I paired it with loads of accessories in my head when I was planning my outfits for Prague but in reality I didn’t think it needed many accessories at all and wore it with a slick of red lippie. Job done.
Outfits on a plane.
My favourite plane outfit at the moment = an oh-so-soft Superdry raglan top + comfy black leggings + pumps for all the walking you do around an airport. Comfort all the way.
A word on toiletries.
Hand luggage only on my Prague trip = limited liquids. In my liquids bag I had a mini Tresemme shampoo and conditioner, my fave This Works In-Transit moisturiser, a pot of vaseline, a mini toothpaste, Garnier BB Cream, Soap & Glory mascara and my favourite Stila Stay-All-Day Liquid Lipstick. I kept liquids to a minimum by taking make-up removing wipes and solid Mitchum deodorant. As well as the rest of my make-up which was of the non-liquid variety.
A weekender bag to fit it all in.
My lovely Mi-Pac weekender bag was perfect for this trip and I managed to get it all in there. The only thing is that I was flying with Easyjet who are a bit weird about having a handbag as well as my holdall – one piece of cabin baggage only is annoying. So make sure your handbag fits inside as well!
Ok, that’s everything I took, not bag going for hand luggage only right?
What do you think of my Prague fashion faves? Let me know in the comments below or tweet me @HeelsInBackpack!
Total Blogger Transparency: This blog post contains a few affiliate links, but don’t worry I only recommend products that I really love. I wouldn’t play you like that shorty.
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