7 Days Of Style In A Carry-On Bag

Who says a Diva can’t travel light? You don't have to take a ton of luggage to look great on your next vacation. Everything you need can fit in ONE carry-on bag! This segment shows you how to make a week's worth of outfits with just 8 pieces of clothing, 2 pairs of shoes, and 6 accessories.


Here is the segment. It begins airing on Mirror/Mirror on the LivewellHD network on May 19, 2009 in 10 cities (NY, LA, Philadelphia, Chicago, Houston, San Francisco, Fresno, Raleigh/Durham, Flint, and Toledo). Check the website for local listings (http://www.livewellhd.com/).

You can have just the right outfit for a 7-day vacation and fit EVERYTHING in a carry on bag. The key to traveling light is choosing versatile pieces that can mix and match and do "double duty." There are two ways to do it: either choose neutral clothing and colorful accessories, or colorful clothing and neutral accessories.


The Clothing
In this segment, I chose colorful tops, neutral bottoms, and neutral accessories so everything goes together no matter how you combine them. Every top works with every bottom on our list.

Tiered Skirt/Dress - This tiered skirt can also be worn as a strapless dress. It's perfect on its own as a beach coverup, paired with the wrap cardigan as a comfy air travel outfit, or dressed up with the halter top for an evening out ($88, Michael Stars).

Wrap Cardigan - This coverup can be worn loose as a sweater, tied "cross-over" style in the front as a top, or tied at the back to make an open-back party top ($69, David Cline).

Ruffle Shirt Jacket - This pink shirt can be worn buttoned up as a pretty blouse or unbottoned as a jacket ($44, Ya).

Halter Top - The green top can be dressed up with a skirt for dinner or worn casually with shorts to the beach or with pants for shopping ($66, Michael Stars).

Tank - The turquoise tank can be worn on it's own with shorts or a skirt, or layered under the shirt/jacket ($41, Michael Stars).

Pants - Khakis (or dressy jeans) can be dressed up or down and work with every top on our list ($159 Billy Blues).

Walking Shorts - These animal print walking shorts can be worn casually or dressed up with a jacket or blouse ($119, Randy Kemper).

Print Dress With Embellished Neckline - This dress doesn't need any jewelry because the embellishment at the neckline is jewelry. Wear it on its own to a dressy dinner or party. Turn the dress into a skirt by wearing it with a coordinating blouse and its perfect for lunch or shopping ($349, Laundry).


Accessories
All the accessories are neutral (gold, pewter, silver, white, brown), so they go with any and every piece of clothing on our list.

Shoes - These sandals are comfortable so they can be worn all day. They are very versitale because they are made from dressy material in casual styles, so they can be dressed up or down. Gold strappy sandals ($85, Michael Stars) and metallic stone sandals ($132, Steve Madden).

Hat - This hat has a wide brim for sun protection, is crushable so it can be packed and then popped back into shape, and stylish so it can be dressed up or down depending on the occasion. San Diego Packable Hat ($45, http://www.sandiegohat.com/)

Bracelet – The bracelet adds a little texture and interest to outfits created from solid colors ($24, ethnic bracelet)

Modern Pearl Drop Earrings and Squiggle Gold Earrings - These earrings are the perfect balance between casual and dressy - the pearls/gold dress them up and the styling keeps them fun. These earrings will dress up a casual outfit without making the look too formal. ($163, Alexis Bitar; $139, Bobby Boase)

Gold Squiggle Link Necklace - This necklace also balances between casual and dressy. The gold material makes it dressy, while the asymetrical styling keeps it fresh ($286, Bobby Boase).

Convertible White Bag - The bag can be big or small. Unbutton the clasps and the bag becomes a full size totabag, perfect for shopping of the beach. Button-up the clasps and the bag becomes a handbag that's small enough for dinner or a party ($399, Kooba).

Personal Items


Carry-On Bag – When choosing your bag, look for one that's roomy, with wheels, pockets for organization, and is within the FAA size requirements. Siamod Wheeled Duffle Bag ($290, http://www.careerbags.com/) and Zuca Pro ($285, http://www.zuca.com/).

To save space, look for travel-size versions of the items you use every day.

Chi Mini Travel Iron & Dryer and haircare ($150, http://www.farouk.com/)
Goddess Clutch from POP beauty ($32, http://www.drugstore.com/)
Michael Marcus Sable Travel Brush Kit ($98, http://www.MichaelMarcus.com/)
Ole Hendriksen Travel skincare kit ($70, http://www.sephora.com/)
Hanky Panky stretch lace thongs and boy shorts ($18 - $38 http://www.hankypanky.com/)

Thank you Dimensions (http://www.dimensions6100.com/) for providing the clothing and accessories for the segment!

What's Sarah Wearing? Alberto Makali purple print dress (http://www.dillards.com/ $178), Enzo brown suede platform boots ($150), gold tone necklace (JS Collections, Harwin St. Houston, $5)