110/ What I'm Wearing: Weeks 27-28

In transit: 12 days of outfits from Toronto to Paris to Sardegna.

What I’m Wearing is a series where I share all of the outfits I’ve worn over a given week (or two), along with styling notes, links and related thoughts. If you see an outfit you like on my Instagram, you’ll find it here.

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Ciao from Sardegna, dear readers!

The Gulf of Orosei. The sea is life.

Over the past 12 days, the boys and I have flown from Toronto to Paris, driven to Lyon, and then to Nice to catch the overnight ferry to Sardegna. As of today, we’ve driven the entire circumference of the island with stops in Stintino in the northwest, Chia in the south, Orosei in the west and, finally, La Maddalena in the north where we are now.

Husband mercifully arrived two nights ago, which has given me some time to finally catch up on what I’ve been wearing!

Toronto

As I’ve mentioned in past newsletters, my approach to holiday dressing is to wear my usual, everyday pieces and pair them in a way that feels vacation appropriate. “Vacation appropriate” is, of course, highly contextual; what I pack for Paris looks very different from what’s in my suitcase en route to Tokyo and Martinique. Nevertheless, I’ve been pleased that my wardrobe has been robust enough to work in most of the places I’ve visited.¹

My plane outfit consisted of a few of my comfort go-tos, along with an unusual piece for me — a denim jacket. It’s intended to be my single “warm” layer and it’s the bulkiest thing I packed, so I wore it on the plane.²

I was 100% sure I wouldn’t need it in Sardegna, but despite temperatures reaching inferno levels in Paris and Biarritz over the past few years, I’ve experienced cold August nights in both places before. I’m so glad I brought it because I ended up needing it during my short drive-throughs of both Paris and Lyon.

Icon Denim Noa jacket, Zara s/s sweatshirt, Nike sweatpants via VSP Consignment (get 10% off regular price with code IRENEKIM10), Adidas Miss Stan sneakers.

Paris

I didn’t take outfit pictures for about a week, so please use your imagination for the next few outfits!

For our one night in Paris, I wore the below outfit but with my Los Angeles Apparel glitter jellies (clear was sold out), me Issey Miyake pleated trunk bag, and Icon Denim jacket. I wish I took a picture because — going back to my Base Outfit approach in my last newsletter — the resulting outfit feels completely different!

Loulou Studios Limba tank, Aritzia lace skirt via Poshmark.

Lyon

On our drive to Lyon, I wore my Polo rugby shirt with my vintage YSL khaki shorts, jellies and Issey Miyake pleated bag (which has been my go-to everyday bag when I’m not at the beach):

Polo Ralph Lauren rugby shirt via Poshmark.

The next day, we drove to Nice to catch the overnight ferry to Sardegna. My hope was to danse sur la Pont D’Avignon and walk the pebble beaches of Nice with the kids prior to boarding, but I think all of France was on the same schedule: vote in the morning, then drive south for the holidays. The drive ended up being nine hours and I was beyond stressed that I would miss the ferry. The traffic cleared up south of Avignon, and I expect a few speeding tickets to arrive by mail in three weeks, but I don’t care, because we made it!

On the drive, I wore the same thing as the day before, but swapped out the rugby shirt for my Zara marinière (not shown) and threw on the denim jacket for warmth.

R: Icon Denim Noa jacket, vintage YSL shorts via The Vintage Takeaway, Los Angeles Apparel jellies, Zara mariniere and me Issey Miyake pleated trunk bag (not shown).

Stintino/Sassari

Walking off the ferry, I wore this outfit with my jellies (it’s the same Zara s/s sweatshirt I wore on the plane). Because of the long commute, I was going for easy, comfortable, and whatever had the least amount of wrinkles!

Zara s/s sweatshirt, Tibi bleached denim mini skirt.

Chia

The next day, I wore the same Tibi denim skirt, but with my Toteme curved tank, and jellies again. I didn’t take a picture in Chia, but I wore the same outfit again today and managed to snap a picture:

Toteme curved tank, Tibi bleached denim mini skirt. Los Angeles Apparel jellies, me Issey Miyake pleated trunk bag. Ears: Rachel Entwistle mini celestial ear jacket and Ishtar mini hoops (mine are gold-plated — not solid — and around C$150), Jessica Jewellery gold huggies. Neck: By Alona Adella pearl necklace, Fortruss paperclip necklace, Sarah Abaza turquoise/diamond necklace, Jessica Jewellery H & R initial charms.

LOL, this is the best photo I have of my next outfit: my black Loulou Studios tank with my Agolde denim shorts — with jellies, of course. It’s also the Base Outfit of my last What I’m Wearing newsletter, with no third piece.

Loulou Studios Limba tank, Agolde 90’s denim shorts.

Finally, a sort of selfie of my usual beachwear? And, I don’t think I’ve ever shown this Vanessa Bruno bag before? It’s been our go-to beach bag for over a decade:

R: Donni nylon cargo shorts via VSP Consignment (get 10% off regular price with code IRENEKIM10), shirt from random seaside stall in Timmendorfer Strand on the Baltic Sea, L*Space Zendaya bikini top, ancient bikini bottom I bought at a beach stall in Thailand, Janessa Leone Felix hat, Zara bag, Vanessa Bruno canvas sequin tote.

Cala Gonone

I actually wore this Tibi dress in Chia, as well! I adore it but have struggled to wear it in the past because of the lack of boob support. I didn’t wear it all last summer because I knew I wouldn’t be comfortable showing so much chest, back and shoulder in Korea or Japan (see: navigating socio-cultural dressing norms).

As I was mulling over whether I should pack it, I started playing with the straps and realized that if I could cinch them into a racerback, my breasts would be supported just enough. I’m using my hair elastic because I haven’t had time to come up with a more polished option, but it works for now!

Los Angeles Apparel jellies, Tibi asymmetrical nylon dress.

LWN sent me their netted digi skirt which works well as a cover-up when paired with my usual beachwear. I’m going to try to wear it in the city as well — stay tuned! And my search for full-coverage swimwear really paid off with the addition of pieces by Heidi Merrick and Left of Friday. I ADORE this set!

Ancient GAP linen top, LWN digi skirt, Los Angeles Apparel jellies, Janessa Leone Felix hat, Bottega sunglasses, Zara bag, Heidi Merrick Vicent top, Left on Friday Hi Hi Bottom.

More full-coverage swimwear from Left on Friday, this time a full set (left), and a thong bottom (right) that I bought off Amazon but doubt I’ll ever have the guts to wear in public. Why do I keep doing this to myself?

R: Old H&M shirt, Arizona Love pearl trekkies, Left On Friday Sweet Victory top and Hi Hi Bottom, Janessa Leone Felix hat, Bottega sunglasses. L: Amazon thong.

I shared this Massimo Dutti sweetheart top a couple of months ago, and here I’ve paired it with my vintage YSL shorts. Although the shorts are casual — and indeed I wear them as such on most days (see Paris and Lyon) — they’re so norm core that they help balance out dressier tops for me so well.

L: Massimo Dutti sweetheart top, vintage YSL shorts via The Vintage Takeaway, me Issey Miyake pleated trunk bag, Ancient Greek Celia sandals. R (two years ago in Guadeloupe): Nensi Dojaka bustier, Zara suede platform thongs.

And finally another beach set!

Posse Mylah mini dress (gifted), Los Angeles Apparel jellies, Janessa Leone Felix hat, Vanessa Bruno canvas sequin tote, Zara bag, Zara bikini (sized up two sizes to get this to fit!).

Alla prossima,
Irene

1. Surprisingly, Japan was the most challenging for the reasons I mention here.

2. Technically, I also brought a hiking backpack with wool long johns and a fleece for my hike through the Alps, but in an ordinary trip, I wouldn’t have those things with me and the denim jacket would have been it. That will be a newsletter for late August.