Packing for a weekend away with Cove Knitwear

Like any family with older children who are revising for exams, the Easter holidays have become a time where we stay firmly at home. Last year it was Flo's A-levels, the year before that it was her AS levels, the year before that, her GCSEs. My memory doesn't go back any further than that! This year it's the turn of Freddie and his upcoming GCSEs - so Brummie bound we are.

As you can imagine, when I was approached by Cove Cashmere and invited to write a post about packing for a weekend away, to include a couple of their gorgeous cashmere jumpers, I was only too delighted to jump at the chance.

There is only one place that I would go at this time of year and that would be Guernsey. I've been going for over 40 years now and there's nowhere else I'd rather be. Take me for a crab sandwich at Cobo Tea Rooms and a walk along the West Coast beaches and I'm happy as anything. Throw in a piece of carrot cake or some ice cream by the time we get to Pembroke and then we're talking! 

Philly cashmere jumper from Cove £185 - denim with pink and orange stripes

Whilst I may be firmly rooted in our living room, in my head I'm driving along the coast road (top speed 35 mph) in an open top Fiat 500 with Don Henley "the Boys of Summer" on the radio. BBC Radio Guernsey play the best tunes!

Philly cashmere jumper from Cove (£185)

At this time of year, or indeed at any time of year, cashmere is the perfect addition to my "Guernsey" wardrobe. There wouldn't be much heat in the sun and with a chilly wind, both the Philly jumper, above, and the Esther jumper, below, would be perfect for layering with all sorts of pieces. And let's all guess what really appeals to me? Yup, the splashes of pink and orange neon, plus the stripes.  Bright and nautical in one fell swoop - what else could we ask for?

Esther jumper from Cove (£159)

Everyone has their own ideas about packing, so I shall keep my choices and comments short and sweet. I like to wear my heaviest items when I'm travelling and take plenty of accessories to ring the changes - but I'd love to hear your tips too.

Bottoms

Now I don't know about you but I like enough choice to cover any eventuality but not so much that I have to spend too long thinking about what to wear. Two pairs of jeans (one skinny, one straight), a pair of smarter wide legged trousers and a maxi skirt would do me just fine at this time of year. I may roll up a pair of leggings for underneath the skirt in case I was cold and I may also take a pair of yoga pants for lounging around in. But otherwise, we're good! 

I'll come to accessories later but bright bags are good for adding some colour and ringing the changes. I'm a huge fan of cross body bags - both the yellow and the red ones above were from Kate Spade, they weigh next to nothing but make me feel a little better put together. I know that there's always a toss up between opting for a darker/neutral/classic bag that goes with everything, or a brighter one. I'd advise on a brighter one every time. 

Jackets

I would take a "proper" coat with me, something like a puffa with plenty of room to get layers underneath and also a navy jersey jacket from Whistles, just in case we went out for dinner.

Then three lighter weight jackets would be perfect for those warmer days but they could also go under my puffa if it was really cold. The camo jacket and the khaki jackets would work well with jeans to avoid "double denim".  The denim jacket would work with the wide trousers and the maxi skirt, or the jersey jacket could be a smarter option. 

Jumpers

Well luckily they're easy! Two cashmere jumpers and one big sweatshirt from Hari & the gang (£42)and I would be done. The sweatshirt is large enough to go over the Philly jumper, if required. The Philly jumper would be fine with all of the bottoms and the Esther jumper would be great with the jeans - so there's plenty of variety. 

Tops and Tees

There are some Ts that go with everything, even if they don't really "go" with them at all and the above three Ts work across the board. I would wear the beautiful white embroidered shirt from Aspiga (£68) with everything other than the printed skirt. I would also layer it under the Esther cashmere jumper. I love it when it's time for a white embroidered shirt to make an appearance. It's a sure sign of spring.

Coming back to the Ts and them not really "going" with things, the red lips T from Bricks & Stitches (£25) could go with any of the bottoms that I'm taking with me. The outfit below may be considered a bit of a random mix but I love the T with the printed skirt even though none of the colours reference one another. Anyway, a red lippie, or the red bag, would really pull everything together for anyone who felt the need.

The star slub V Tee from Hush (£35) is another one of those T's that just goes with everything and doesn't require too much thought. The metallic stars just help to make it that little more interesting though and with cashmere being so soft, it doesn't matter that my tops don't have sleeves in them.  

Accessories

When it comes to packing, I quite often have more accessories than I do clothes. You can ring the changes so easily with a different bag, or a big pair of earrings, so things can always feel fresh and different, even if your core wardrobe is essentially only a small variation on a theme.

I was gifted this multi coloured pouch from Cleverly Wrapped (£36 - below) a few weeks ago now and I'm dying to use it. As you've probably noticed, I'm very much a "try it and see" type of person when it comes to putting outfits together. It's more important to me that there's some colour and texture going on in an outfit, rather than things "matching". People who wait for the "matching" train to arrive often miss the boat! 

It's the bits around the edge that make all the difference - not only to how we feel warmth wise, but also to how we look.

The cashmere wrist warmers, also from Cove (£39), the big scarf with bobbles (old from Boden but similar here from neon beach club (£15), the studded wrap around cuff from Aurora London (£25 - bottom centre), the stack of bracelets from Bella Jane jewellery (bottom right) the neon Copelands Air & Grace (£149)...

- none of them take up much room but they can be twisted, stacked, alternated, layered and worn in so many different ways that really, all you need when you go away, are a few bits and bobs and a couple of pieces of cashmere.

As you can tell, shoes haven't featured too heavily in my weekend away wardrobe. But the thing is that when you're in Guernsey, you're never far away from a beach or a rockpool and I would hate to be hampered by my footwear - so it would be trainers all the way. 

Then again, if like me you have children who are revising for exams - maybe you will be staying put.  But there's always next year! 

House keeping: This post was written in conjunction with Cove Cashmere, for which they gifted the two cashmere jumpers featured in this post. 

7 summer outfits offering a little bit of coverage!

I get it, really I do. There's something vaguely irritating about someone going away somewhere warm when it's freezing here, sharing their snaps on Instagram, AND THEN writing about what they wore whilst away. Especially when quite a few of those clothes have been gifted. Maybe I should just stop right there!

Except that I love seeing other people's holiday snaps, especially if they're sunny. OK so maybe not the six albums of snaps that my Grandad would compile after each trip - but definitely snaps of outfits. And personally I love it when people bring me clothes that I like, as it saves me having to hunt them out for myself. It also saves me the time associated with a trip to the shops, not to mention the cost of parking and so on. So hopefully you won't all object too much to the fact that some of the clothes were gifted to me.

The Bright Sundress

Tassel tie maxi dress Whistles (£149)

Adding a few pieces into my summer wardrobe was never going to be a bad thing. Most of our holidays over the past 20 years have been in Guernsey, Cornwall or Wales, all of which we absolutely love, but it has involved lots of t-shirts and cut-offs rather than anything glam. 

So one of my first additions was this red dress (above). I loved the colour of it - it's so vibrant and fun and with a Whistles gift card that I thought I would probably lose if I didn't use it pronto, it gave me the perfect excuse. I don't think that this dress is available in stores but it is online. I can find red tricky to wear for some reason. I like the idea of red trousers - but I'm not sure that they would like me.  This dress somehow isn't too challenging and the length of the straps can be altered, depending on your height, which is good as some maxi dresses are super long. 

When the weather is slightly warmer, I'm going to layer a jumper and leather jacket over the top and turn it into a maxi skirt with trainers.

Just after this photograph was taken I nearly walked into a camel. I mean, it's not like they're huge or anything is it? 

The Shorts and Long Sleeved Top

Shorts 2birds Dubai bag Neon Beach Club

I thought that you would all appreciate a good look up my nose! Well it was either that or seeing my legs in the all their glory with the sun shining right on them. Honestly, my nostrils were the lesser of the two evils! 

I bought these shorts from 2birds Dubai for about £10. 2birds is a fashion and accessories label run by Sue and Caroline, two Australian ladies. They have some great pieces - round baskets, cool  jewellery, lots of pom poms, neon and tassels. They are definitely worth a visit if you happen to be in the area. The shorts are great - one size fits all, plenty of room in the leg so they are flattering and an elasticated waist. Even better. 

This fab neon bag was a gift from Charlie at Neon Beach Club. I met Charlie last year when she came to my first pop up and she has very kindly gifted some of her beautiful pieces to me since then. I like to think that she benefits from our friendship but thinking about it, I'm not entirely sure that she does. I think that I ought to do something about that! I bought the top last year from H&M and there are already similar popping up in stores.  

Neon Copelands from Air & Grace (£149)

Now you know me and a good pair of trainers. Trainers are never very far from my side, or indeed my feet, and Air and Grace trainers are just so comfortable. Seriously, if you're ever contemplating buying some trainers, do take a look. I walk for miles in mine so I'm not just saying that. 

Again, these trainers were gifted to me as a result of a friendship that developed at my first pop up. Claire, who runs Air & Grace, is such a lovely soul, has a great eye for design and knows all that there is about trainers, having worked in the footwear business for many years. 

As testament to these super comfortable trainers, I didn't even bother wearing socks with them the first time that I wore them as I knew that they wouldn't rub my feet. And they didn't. Now some may find not wearing socks with trainers gross but I just don't like the feel of trainer socks. Weird I know. 

The humungous building in the background is the Atlantis Hotel which is famous the world over. There's a bit of a debate as to whether it is the largest in the world or whether the one the Bahamas is bigger. Now with Dubai liking to have the biggest/fastest/tallest/largest/most expensive of everything in the world, this doesn't go down well. So they're building an even bigger hotel next door, just to be sure. Like you do. 

The Long Sleeved Midi Dress

Lola embroidered cotton kaftan Aspiga (£135) Sandals ASOS last year, similar here

I think that it was even before I'd planned our trip, that Aspiga asked me whether I would like to work with them this year. I knew of Aspiga, having seen the brochure drop through my door many times, but I suppose with not having really been in the market for super "hot holiday" type clothing, I hadn't really invested in them previously. But then I started to take a closer look and I saw some pieces that really appealed to me. 

What I really had in mind for this trip were pieces that offered me enough coverage to be culturally appropriate and which could be worn to the beach, but which weren't suitable only for the beach. I love beachwear but I prefer the versatility of being able to wear the clothing out and about too - and I wanted to feel a little bit glam and a bit less shorts and t-shirt (for this trip at least). So this lola embroidered cotton kaftan ticked the box perfectly plus (hello Mrs Predictable) it was blue and white. 

This style has been really popular and there's currently a waiting list for it but if you like the idea of one, just pop on over to the site where you can add your name to it.    

The Hi-Low Maxi Skirt and Vest

Frida skirt navy and white Aspiga (£125) vest Topshop many years ago, sandals Asos as before

Next up, and again from Aspiga, is the Frida skirt, which is an absolute joy to wear. It is so lightweight and floaty and its just feels really beautifully feminine. I loved wearing this skirt with a really simple, and exceptionally old, vest from Topshop. I can't wait for the weather to be warm enough to wear it here. 

The Maxi Dress in the Colour of the Season

Lenu Maxi Dress (£95) with previous season Air & Grace espadrilles

The Air and Grace espadrilles that I'm wearing above were the first pair of Air & Grace shoes that I bought. I should find out later on in the week whether they will be available again this summer - but hopefully they will. The maxi dress is again from Aspiga. It's got a great length to it so would be perfect for anyone who struggles to find dresses long enough plus it has plenty of volume in the skirt so it's not too close fitting and sweaty feeling. Oh and lilac is having a HUGE moment right now.

I had a bit of an earring splurge at Topshop before we went away. That's how I added the "glamour" part to my outfits. Original huh? Huge Perspex earrings. 

Perspex petal drop earring (£12.50) Topshop

The High Split Maxi Skirt and Sporty Tee

This skirt was one that I bought from Asos last summer. It has a huge split up it and a short lining underneath for modesty purposes. There's a (sort of) similar one here, also from ASOS and which is £25, so a really good price. I wanted to stop this outfit from being too floral and flouncy so I bought a bit of a "sporty spice" type t-shirt before I went away, just to add contrast. I love the blue in this skirt too and wanted to pick it up in a top.

The Silk Printed Maxi and Metallic Tee

Printed skirt Ridley London  and star T-shirt Hush (£35)

And last but not least, I borrowed this gorgeous silk printed skirt from Ridley London to photograph whilst I was away. Ridley make the most beautiful dresses, skirts and blouses out of a fabulous selection of liberty prints. If you can't see what you like in the fabric that you like on the website, just call the store and they can take an order over the 'phone.

Hush star T (£35)

So that's my somewhat lengthy outfit round up. I suspect that it may be a few weeks before I get a chance to wear any of these things again but when that warmer weather finally arrives, I'll be ready and waiting. And I hope that these bits and bobs have maybe given you some ideas too, even if it's a case of following the principles and tweaking them to your liking.

Oh and over on Instagram I've saved all the stories of me packing for our return to the UK. You may like to see the clothes in the "flesh" and I also thought that it was a good idea in case the suitcases went walk about. Until next time! xxx