What I *actually* wore after losing my luggage

All my favorite looks from London, Madrid, and Barcelona

Vintage Gucci bag as my airplane carry-on + monogram pouch

When we landed in London, our bags did not. It was our first time dealing with lost luggage, and while we were probably overdue, it was a lot more annoying than I expected. There were daily calls to the airline and lots of last-minute trips for socks, swimsuits, makeup, and dental floss. All the things we should have packed in our carry-ons but didn’t. Lesson learned.

There are far worse things happening in the world, of course, but if this convinces even one person to keep their essentials for a few days in a carry-on, it might save you from panic-buying underwear in central London.

The first few days we were there, I picked up a white linen button-down, the same one in black, a few cotton basics, a swimsuit, a couple of tank tops, and a pair of simple slides. Thankfully, I’d packed my jewelry, a few sunglasses, some easy bags, and one trusty pair of loafers. Turns out, basics plus good accessories really is all you need.

When my bag finally showed up a week later, I thought I’d be thrilled. Instead, I felt kind of annoyed. G and Sloan got theirs back only once we were already home in LA, so I should have felt lucky, but opening mine just made me cringe. There was so much stuff. So many duplicates. As a chronic over-packer, it was a good reminder that more isn’t better. Next time, I’ll do a better job editing (nobody needs three navy button-downs), plan better, and still leave a little room for the unexpected pieces that break up a neutral wardrobe.

Here’s everything I actually wore in London, Madrid, and Barcelona. Some pieces were on repeat, most never left the suitcase, and a few surprise favorites made it into the daily rotation.