Packing for Paris

my April inspiration trip

Last week’s work trip was about leaning into newness and finding exciting, open-ended ideas and objects that inspired me without any set expectations. My day-to-day as a CEO and entrepreneur has become SO much about anticipated business outcomes and everything I do working towards a desired one. That’s not where creativity thrives. This is why rarely one mind can act as a good CEO and a good designer. I have to actively work to nurture both sides of my brain to ensure one does not overtake the other.

This brings me to Paris, a 2,000+ year old, diverse city filled with art, textiles, design, fashion, and so much influence from across the globe. **sigh** In Paris, anything goes if you’ve got the attitude and confidence to pull it off. Paris is a daily runway for all who walk its streets; it’s where fashion thrives.

The excitement growing inside me, anticipating the fun I could have getting dressed, I was particularly inspired and motivated to pack for this upcoming trip. I wasn’t feeling the “capsule wardrobe” with generic amazon basics in a gradient of neutrals. I’m seeing that all over my feed on IG these days…it’s utilitarian, it’s easy, it’s just not fashion. I was craving expressive dressing, something that would get my heart rate up a little bit. I’d been dying to wear some pieces in my wardrobe but just had not been able to find the right time to wear them or had the time to think about how to style them (or so I thought). I remembered a time when I prioritized thrifting and trying on things to see how they looked because it was fun, rather than to rush out the door to a meeting or event. I carved out a good part of a Saturday to do just that, but in my own closet.

After doing a try-on before packing and taking some low- stakes risks, I realized I’d just gotten into a rut of a dos and don’ts mindset that was the enemy of all fashion fun. Why not mix the white with the creme, put the beetlejuice blouse under the preppy mini-dress. Go for it, see what happens!

Here are a few things in the mix here:

• Landscape dress - Dillard’s

• Canvas Mini-Dress- Zara Concept Store from Paris 2024

• Quilted Creme Jacket - WAYF

• Green Track Jacket - Thrifted

• Cotton Barrel Army Pants - Carhartt? (paired this with a super fitted and feminine chinoiserie mestiza sweater and my grandmother’s silver chain necklace (I’m wearing it doubled as a choker)

• Marty Dress Black Sequin - Abbey Glass ( was fun to put this with dark denim, made the sequins less precious and more fun)

• Lulu Dress Harvest Jacquard - Abbey Glass

• Black Leather Loafers

• Nude/Black Ballet mary jane pumps

packing try-on

I also had some longer dressy pieces that I wanted to layer with the sweaters and shoes I was already bringing for the warmer, spring-y days (it got up to 70 degrees!)

• Olivia Skirt - Abbey Glass (styled to go back to the one black heel I had, I wouldn’t have thought to pair this with black)

• Red Linen Sundress - Christian Lacroix

• Sadie Dress Blue Linen - Abbey Glass

longer, feminine dresses

Spending time dressing up where the only desired outcome is feeling confident and having fun reminds me why I worked so hard to become a designer. It gets me excited to continue creating new, even better things I can share with the world that will spark joy for women when they get dressed up.

More to come next week on what I actually wore and found on my trip! You will NOT want to miss it.