General fashion

What to pack for three days in the countryside

What to pack for three days in the countrysideWhat to pack for three days in the countryside

What to pack for three days in the countryside. Planning a capsule wardrobe for three days away with friends in the countryside at this time of year is very tricky. The weather can be mercurial to say the very least. Plenty of layers are the only answer. I have kept to three colours for my tops, lilac, pink and white. All of these will coordinate well with my neutral jeans and trousers. I have included several scarves that will work for the day and evening. My green anorak (about 10 years old originally from J.Crew). They still offer a good selection of similar jackets here. It will deal with any showers and wind.

My shoes consist of my walking boots and lilac, grey and white trainers by New Balance (new this season). I have added my silver bally flats from MarksandSpencer. They are so comfortable and can be worn day or evening. Their new season’s version is available here. I am tempted to order a pink pair.

How my capsule wardrobe panned out and what I wore during our three-night stay at the Minster Mill Hotel in Minster Lovell.

First day:

My leopard print shawl is originally from St.Tropez market. Straight-leg jeans Levi.

I wore my jeans quite a lot over the three days as they were very practical for walking in the surrounding fields. Teamed here with my chunky walking boots and my purple cashmere cardigan (similar at Uniqlo). Fedora hat and sunglasses complete the look.

Casual evening outfit. My wide-collar white blouse was bought at NafNaf in St.Tropez (Similar) (similar). Black trousers from Benetton and my MarksandSpencer silver pumps.

Second day:

Another daytime look my fine knit polo neck is from Mango (similar at Uniqlo) worn with my New Balance trainers. One of my old scarves was an exact match with my sweater. You can find similar scarves at Etsy.

Great photo taken by Karen as we went for a long walk in the surrounding fields. Anorak many years old originally from J.Crew. Mango polo neck. I like to add my silver belt to my jeans to jazz them up a bit. MarksandSpencer have some great belts at reasonable prices including a silver one which I have added to my collection.

The second evening Karen and I going into The Old Swan pub for dinner. Karen was looking so well if you have not already read her amazing cancer journey you can read it here.

My pink blouse was originally from MeandEm a few seasons ago. They still have some very pretty ones. Black trousers Benetton.

Final day:

The day of our departure it was raining so I was glad of my trusty anorak and pink rain hat.

Suitable coats for a country week-end:

I was very glad that I had prepared my capsule wardrobe for our week-end away in advance. It made choosing what to wear for each day and occasion much easier. I had checked the weather forecast beforehand.

We are going to the Italian lakes for five nights next week and I will be using the same method of packing. I intend to have a rest so there will be no blog post next week.

Chicatanyage

I write a fashion and beauty blog for women over 50 with the aim of inspiring mature women to continue to enjoy and have fun with their fashion choices. I have spent most of my working life in some way connected to fashion. I started my career in Fashion PR and then trained as an Image Consultant when my children were young. I subsequently worked in the corporate world running seminars, doing private coaching and speaking at conferences. I started my blog in 2009 as I wanted to share my years of experience working in the world of fashion. I truly believe we can continue to have confidence in the way we present ourselves. Our style may evolve with time and changing lifestyles, yet with a little knowledge and inspiration, we can all continue to have fun with fashion. As women of a certain age we are a growing demographic let us prove that we can also be a chic one.

View Comments

  • Compiling a capsule wardrobe for breaks in the Uk are always a bit of a challenge for me. The weather is so unpredictable. Yours worked. treat.

  • You look great Josephine! And I do like the photo of you in the field with the blossom behind you.
    Not thrilled about the frilly blouses though ….

  • Not a frilly blouse person myself but pleased to see so much silver about now! If you see any silver boots in Italy let me know please!
    Have a lovely time.

  • I love all these outfits, Josephine! Especially the silver flats with the black trousers. You are always inspiring. I purchased a frilly white dotted Swiss long sleeved blouse from Boden last summer on sale, and enjoy it-- it's over-the-top, but fun! So glad you had such a fun weekend away, and I loved the picture with Karen, who also looks beautiful. Have a lovely time in Italy.

  • The weather in Devon has been so mercurial that I’ve been taking a similar amount of ‘just in case’ clothing in the back of the car for a simple shopping trip into Exeter! Hope you have some good weather to enjoy the lakes.

  • As a countryside dweller these days I think you got it spot on! The weather changes every day and its very challenging knowing exactly what to wear. Lovely to see your Friend Karen looking so well, Please do a blog on packing for Italian Lakes, Im off to Malcesine in September and havent been abroad since Covid so would appreciate any advice.

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