Vacation Essentials

A post by Indiana . . . 

Once upon a time, I swore I would never do a post that had the word "essentials" in the title because I would get ragey when I'd get my morning email from Who What Wear, who always declared non-essentials as "essentials", such as a $300 muscle tee. But for the last week I've been gathering what are my vacation essentials. Essentials because Chris and I are going to a Sandals resort in St. Lucia and not a nudist resort (thank. goodness.). In short, I need to figure out what to wear. Here's what I've decided I need to stuff in my carry-on: 

HAT / Are you a hat person? I love a good hat, and I especially love a good hat at the beach. I've been eying a white panama hat for a while now, but I haven't ever pulled the trigger because I have a grey wool fedora and to me, they're a bit redundant, style-wise... except when it comes to the beach. If you can't don one of these bad boys while sunning yourself, then when in tarnation can you don one? Get on my head, hat. It is time. 
PICTURED: Cuyana | SIMILAR OPTIONS: 

BIKINI x 2 / I go back and forth about how many swimsuits I need to pack. Some days I think one, some days I think two, and some days I think three! I detest putting on a cold, wet swimsuit and since Chris' vacation plan is for us to spend the majority of the time at the pool or at the beach, I need to have at least one stand-by. Or maybe two. 
PICTURED: H&M top & bottoms | SIMILAR OPTIONS: 

SHADES / I mentioned back on my old blog that my eyes changed shape while I was pregnant with Lu so I couldn't wear my contacts anymore. I am hoping they are back to normal and have an optometrist appointment this week to see. If they are, I can get contacts again and wear cute sunglasses again. Mama's getting tired of sporting her white prescription sunglasses every dang day. (Relevant side note: I initially accidentally typed 'optimistic appointment' and almost left it because it is an optimistic optometrist appointment! Pregnancy is so weird, and I hope after 14+ months of Lucy being exutero that I can start getting back to normal).
PICTURED: TOMS | OTHER OPTIONS:

DRESS x 2 / There's a dress code for evening meals at Sandals. Interesting, huh? We're supposed to dress up, but not cruise-level fancy, I assume (not that I've ever been on a cruise! I just have a vision of people dancing on the lido deck, under a blanket of stars, while dressed like they're chaperoning a late 80's prom. Accurate? Someone verify). I plan to pack a couple dresses that can transition well from day to night that way when I get back, I have more opportunities to wear them again. I can't believe I'm passing up the opportunity to wear sequins, though. 
PICTURED: H&M | SIMILAR OPTIONS: 

BLOUSE x 2 / I plan to pack a couple of button down blouses to wear to and from the pool and to casual meals. Ever since my blog twin Linda introduced me to the perfection that is Equipment blouses, I've been snagging them on Poshmark. 
PICTURED: Equipment | OTHER OPTIONS: 

CUT-OFFS x2 / Again, because I'm extremely modest, I need something to cover my bikini clad bum to and from the pool and at casual meals. I just bought these white H&M cut-offs and I hope I wear them nearly daily just like I do my denim Free People pair that are going on summer #3 with me. It is crazy to me that I paid money for cut-offs because five years ago I would have bought thrift store jeans and cut them off myself. However, I could never select the right pair of jeans to turn into shorts: the waist was always too big or the wash was never exactly what I wanted or the legs weren't wide enough. I finally just admitted that I suck at making good cutoffs and bought some with no regrets mainly due to how frequently I wear them (read: daily). 
PICTURED: H&M | SIMILAR OPTIONS:

SURPRISE x 2 / Let be honest, okay? But not too frank because geez! I mentioned it before but I'm modest! I hesitate to talk about this, but am I right, or is this a part of vacation away? I met the women behind Third Love when I spoke at SXSW a couple years ago and they gifted me with the prettiest bra I own... a bra which I can only just now wear 1.5 years later (again, thanks, Lucy). They also gave me a gift card and invited me to treat myself to another brassiere once I was no longer pregnant or nursing. I am determined to unearth that gift card (fingers crossed it hasn't expired) so I can show my spouse the newest, prettiest bra that I (will soon) own!
PICTURED: Third Love bra & panties | SIMILAR OPTIONS:

SANDALS / I bought Tevas for two reasons last year: 1- sort of ironically. I wore them with a gorgeous Emily Hallman designed tulle ball gown skirt to Austin Fashion Week. I thought they were the perfect shoe to ground the ethereal perfection of the skirt, and 2- I knew I could use them the following weekend when I was getting baptized in Barton Springs (it's slippery there, yo!). 
PICTURED: Teva | SIMILAR OPTIONS:

I was curious to know if Chris had given any thought as to what he planned to pack for our upcoming trip to St. Lucia: 

INDIANA: I think I know exactly what I'm packing for our trip! Do you know what you're packing?
CHRIS: Uh... a pair of swim trunks and a polo shirt? 
I: What else?
C: What do you mean what else? What else do I need? 
I: [laughing]
C: No, really! I need other things?