I'm Going On Holiday Without Buying A Single New Outfit

Should you?

POSTED 08.11.26 05:19 BY ANISSA GALVANI

Holiday outfits have always felt like an unavoidable extra expense when planning a trip. Whether I'm heading to Paris or Lake Como, I've become accustomed to buying new clothes for the occasion. Somewhere along the way, I started treating a holiday as a reason to refresh my wardrobe, rather than an opportunity to enjoy the clothes I already own.

I've come to realise just how unnecessary that can be, so I've decided to challenge myself ahead of my next trip: everything I pack has to come from my existing wardrobe. No new holiday outfits, no last-minute shopping trips and absolutely no convincing myself that I need another bikini.

One Bag, Three Days and Plenty of Accessories

I started with the easier decisions. Accessories are usually things I already own, so I wasn't too worried about this part. It's only a three-day trip, which also gives me a good excuse to be more selective.

For shoes, I'm packing my Havaianas and thong kitten heels, while my Birkenstock Bostons will be coming along for the journey. Between comfortable daytime footwear and something a little dressier for the evening, I think I've covered the essentials.

The real sacrifice, however, is my handbag collection. As much as I love having options, I've decided to take just one: my brown monogram Coach shoulder bag. Leaving the rest behind is genuinely painful, but this one goes with practically everything, making it the obvious choice.

Jewellery is another easy category. I'll simply wear my everyday pieces on the plane rather than packing anything extra.

Resisting the Holiday Shopping Temptation

Clothing was where I had to exercise a little more self-restraint. Ideally, I'd have bought at least one new bikini for the trip, but I stuck to the challenge and chose two sets I already owned: a simple lilac two-piece and a floral fuchsia bikini from last summer.

For bottoms, I kept things versatile with a denim miniskirt, a white linen skort and white linen trousers for travelling. They're all easy to mix and match, which is exactly what I need when working with a smaller selection of clothes.

Tops were easily the hardest decision. There's very little I enjoy more than shopping for cute summer tops, so resisting the temptation to browse for something new took some effort.

In the end, I settled on four options: a sheer, sequinned pink vest that I wore to a Harry Styles concert last month, a crochet cape-style top I bought a few months ago but haven't worn yet, a polka-dot babydoll top and a plain turquoise vest for the plane.

The crochet top might be bending the spirit of the challenge slightly, but I'm counting it. It was already in my wardrobe, after all!

A Holiday Wardrobe Without the Extra Expense

As someone who hasn't approached packing this way since I was around 14, I expected the challenge to be much harder. I'm so used to thinking about what I could buy for a trip that I hadn't really considered how much I could do with what I already had.

The biggest lesson has been that I don't need an entirely new wardrobe every time I go somewhere. A few well-chosen pieces, some accessories and a little creativity can create plenty of outfit combinations without adding another shopping bill to the cost of travelling.

If you're anything like me and tend to treat every holiday as an excuse to buy new clothes, consider this your invitation to try the same challenge. You might discover a few forgotten favorites along the way, and save some money for the actual holiday. That's a souvenir I'm much happier to bring home.

Frankies Bikinis Moss Sand Dollar Crochet Mini Dress #1

FRANKIES BIKINIS
Moss Sand Dollar Crochet Mini Dress
$175

I'm Going On Holiday Without Buying A Single New Outfit

One Bag, Three Days and Plenty of Accessories

Resisting the Holiday Shopping Temptation

A Holiday Wardrobe Without the Extra Expense

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