I’ve done this part of my trip times before, and for many reasons Belgium is like a second home. I should be able to do this trip in my sleep. But for some odd reason, this leg of my journey is turning me upside down. I can no longer brag about being immune to jetlag because for the third night in a row, I’ve fallen asleep around 1am only to wake up at 4, and by wake up I mean wide awake with no chance of falling back to sleep. Which means I want to crash around 2pm the following day.
It’s also very warm and sticky here right now, so that’s probably affecting how quickly my body can retrieve its normal internal clock. Right now I just feel like a sluggish vampire in Belgium.
But sleep deprived or not, I am here to reveal my latest workhorse of a purse that I’d hinted about last week. As many of you “orange lovers” out there guessed, it is indeed the Hermes Massai bag in the smaller size.
It makes a perfectly comfortable messenger bag, and the pebbled togo leather molds to one’s body. Did I also say it is extremely light? I don’t think it would look too cute overstuffed, but on the road it will hold maps and all my other necessities.
So where am I in these pictures? Somewhere on the grounds of the Citadelle in Namur, where there are lovely homes…
chapels with priceless views…
and hotels with gorgeous gardens and restaurants…
Tomorrow I will reveal the bag that broke three of my purse rules only to become one of my favorite little treasures. Meanwhile, think I’ll try napping now and hopefully feel more like myself by dinner.
Tags: Belgium, Citadelle, Hermes, jetlag, Massai, Namur, togo leather
I always pack swimwear on every trip now–even if 8 out of 10 times I never get in the water– because there was that one time when I finally got to go kayaking in paradise and forgot to bring a swimsuit. And let me tell ya, it was no fun to sit in wet khaki shorts during the long ride back to the hotel. So now, a bikini is always in my suitcase no matter where I go.
Summer 2010 Trip: Look 6 black Patrick Robinson (collaboration with Target) bikini and Liberty (collaboration with Target) lawn cotton coverup that can double as a tunic top.
Check out the matching Liberty floppy sun hat:
Tags: Liberty, Patrick Robinson, Target
Summer 2010 Trip: Look 5 I have a serious thing for colors of twilight…gray, dusky purple, hazy rose-toned hues…all the earthy yet otherworldly shades that you see as your eyes adjust from natural daylight to darkness. They’re hard to wear without washing your skin tone out, but the heart wants what the heart wants.
JCrew has a color called orchid shadow and I want to buy all the styles they’ve ever produced in this color. Here is the crinkly cotton buttoned down shirt with a matching scarf over theory black linen pants. I might be able to wear the Eugenia Kim straw cloche with this outfit:
Tags: Eugenia Kim, J Crew
I think I packed colors on the last trip and didn’t really get to use them much due to the wintry conditions. But if I end up where I hope to end up this time, I will get to break out a lot of brilliant patterns and colors.
Summer 2010 Trip: Look 4 I’d love to be able to wear this chiffon Missoni top against some exotic landscape…
or this Gaultier capelet top over some not-so-skinny jeans:
So we are now on Day 4 of this series…am I over there yet 
?
By the time you read this I’ve probably already done 90 minutes of yoga and checked my bags for the last time. Then my routine is to sit still for about five minutes and visualize my itinerary. It helps me to do this so that when I’m in the thick of it at the airport(s)–with all their unexpected delays and what not–and check my watch, I can mentally gauge what percentage of the trip I’ve successfully completed. This for some reason makes a long travel day feel more productive. I like tracking milestones, no matter how small or insignificant in the scheme of things.
So tomorrow you’ll see more looks, but today, a hint. BIG hint, in fact. This is a glimpse of the bag I’m carrying :
Tags: bag
