Travel

Day 26

I have found the ultimate seasonless, wear-everywhere, packable travel dress. Somebody nominate me for a nobel prize already.

Many of us have lots of holiday travel coming up, which begs the ever-present question: what do I pack? The urge to bring your entire closet stems from the perennial problem that travel is unpredictable. You never know exactly what you’re going to be doing during your trip, and therefore, can’t anticipate exactly what elements of your wardrobe will be needed. However, since the evil airline overlords insist on luggage weight limits, bringing your entire closet is not an option. Instead, you have to streamline your selections and find pieces that are truly versatile. On top of that, you need pieces that are easy to care for–especially when it comes to stain and wrinkle resistance. Believe it or not, I’ve found just the dress.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the black St. John Elbow Sleeve dress, in all its seasonless glory. An investment piece to be sure, but I’m telling you, the cost-per-wear of this sucker will drop like a stone. Hear me out on this one and please, hold your applause until the end…

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This dress is the Luxe Sculpture Elbow Sleeve Dress by St. John, and I’m fully endorsing it as your go-to, must-pack, many-more-hyphenates dress. The key here is versatility. When you’re traveling, having dresses that can easily be dressed up or down is key to ensuring you’re always prepared for anything that comes up.

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This gorgeous dress is made of St. John’s signature fabric that has the structure of a woven, with the stretch and comfort of a knit. It is extremely wrinkle-resistant which means you pull it out of your jam-packed suitcase and immediately throw it on, no steaming, no ironing, no apologetic shrugs. As far as longevity goes, I’m telling you, St. John garments wear like iron. My mom still has St. John pieces she got in the 80s and 90s that look brand new. There truly is no better investment piece.

The sleeves are elbow length and the high neck and slightly flared hem make it feel effortlessly polished. You can wear it with a classic pump to a business meeting, throw on statement heels for dinner and drinks, or opt for flats and a leather jacket for a casual day of shopping and exploring a new city. There is literally nowhere this dress can’t take you.

One thing to note: it runs slightly large, so I recommend sizing down.

Here, I’ve styled the dress with Sarah Flint’s Natalie Flats in black, though try and imagine a shoe or heel that wouldn’t work with this dress. (It actually also looks amazing with a jean jacket and sneakers!) Today, I’ve enlisted the help of my favorite leather longline jacket, and you should really feel free to play around with leather jacket + heels looks with this dress for nights out. I felt it was time for a good headband moment, and my bag is a leopard YSL option that’s also helping me amp up the versatility of my wardrobe this year.

St. John pieces are investments, for sure, but when you consider that this dress will take you everywhere and truly last forever, the purchase is a no-brainer. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that the dress happens to be a whopping 40% off right now. Run, don’t walk.

Below, a few more versatile knit dresses to tote along on all upcoming adventures. May you effortlessly accessorize your way to perfect style, and lighter luggage.

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