If all goes well, when this posts I will be Pennsylvania bound. For those wondering, my neighborhood in the Philadelphia suburbs fared quite well during the hurricane. We have electricity, no flooding that I’m aware of, and no big trees to fall and cause damage. It’s mostly just lost shingles and some gutter damage, so we are thankful.
Much of our region, however, has not been so fortunate. I’m sure you have seen the coverage on the news. Many of my friends are without power and have experienced property damage. Our Jersey beaches were ravaged, and the streets of lower Manhattan were under water. It is all very hard to imagine, and I feel so out of touch with it all, sitting here in sunny Florida, although the gusty winds throughout the day yesterday were an eerie reminder that the storm is far from over. I understand that many area of the midwest are experiencing the remnants of Sandy’s wrath this morning.
We are hoping to get home today, but we’re not sure what the situation is at the airport. It sounds like a mess, with flights being cancelled and delayed and everyone who was trying to fly out yesterday rescheduling. We debated staying here a few more days until everything got back to some semblance of normal, but we decided that since we have power at home and most of the roads are passable, we should try to get back and get the kids to school. So we are going to see how far we get.
I debated posting at all today, in light of these recent events, but I decided to go ahead with it. While I don’t want to be insensitive to those still recovering from the mega storm, I realize that most of the country has not been directly affected, and even those who have might appreciate a light diversion.
As promised, this edition of Daily Mom Style is dedicated to What I Wore At Disney World. I had quite a few people request photos of what I was wearing, so I diligently took photos every day.
Dressing for Disney World is actually more complicated than you might think it should be. You’re going to be seeing thousands of people all day, every day. And then of course, you have the potential to appear in family photos that will haunt you till you die. Just think about that for a minute or three. You want to look cute, right? But you will be walking MILES every day, for days, and you REALLY want to be comfortable.
I do think it is possible to find a happy medium, but it takes some forethought.
The first (and biggest) issue to settle when packing for a Disney vacation is what on earth to wear on your feet. Because let’s face it, you will be doing A LOT of walking. Gym sneakers have come a long way, but they still don’t make much of a fashion statement — unless you just go all out and wear workout gear from head to toe. And honestly? Some women were doing that and looked really cute. It’s not a bad idea.
But if you’re going to wear street clothes, there are plenty of shoe options that are cuter than gym sneakers and just as supportive. Puma and Sketchers and even Nike make some really cute fashion sneakers that look great with casual shorts or jeans. Keens are another good option; I wish I’d thought to bring mine.
My go-to shoe for amusement parks and other touristy excursions where I’ll be doing a lot of walking are Privos.
I’ve written about these probably a dozen times. My green ones are getting pretty beat. In fact, I went to the Clark’s Outlet before our trip, intending to buy myself a new pair in a neutral color, but I didn’t find what I wanted so I decided to make do with what I have. They have more support than a ballet flat or sandal, but they don’t look too sneakery either.
The other big issue is what bag to carry. You all know my stance on fanny packs. PLEASE ditch the fanny packs. A crossbody bag is a great alternative, it is convenient and comfortable and it holds just enough.
Darcie commented on my bag that I’ve been carrying this week, and I absolutely love it.
It is by Relic, and I picked it up on a whim in a gift shop a couple years ago — after our last trip to Disney World. The strap is adjustable so you can carry it on your shoulder or as a crossbody. The floral pattern contains many of the colors that I wear so it goes with almost everything. The main pocket easily holds my sunglasses, lipstick, powder compact, inhaler, and iPhone (there is even a pocket for the iPhone so it doesn’t fall to the bottom). One outside zipper pocket has slots for credit cards, photo ID and park passes. I love this because our park passes (which doubled as meal tickets) were always easy to grab. The other pocket is great for holding tissues. It’s a great bag for amusement parks and traveling.
If you do need a bigger bag, there are some great backpacks made especially for women. I was eyeing up my mom’s backpack, and I plan to review it in a future post because it is awesome for a day at the park or a hike in the woods.
Once you have a couple pair of sensible but cute shoes and a great bag, then all you have to do is pack your favorite shorts and tops, throw in a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt if you’re traveling in the cooler months, and you’re good to go!
I tried to pack clothes in the same color palette – basically things that worked with my green privos and my multi-colored crossbody bag — so I could pack light. I also brought only one necklace, one bracelet and one pair of earrings and wore them every single day. There’s no need to go all out and dress to the nines. My goal is to be as comfortable as possible without embarrassing my kids.
So without further ado (as if that wasn’t enough!!) here is what I wore at Disney World this week!
day 1
I knew our first day was going to be our warmest so I wore this loden green cargo skirt and dark gray tank. These black flip flops are made by Born and are actually quite comfortable, so I figured I’d be okay for a half day at Epcot.
That night I went out to dinner with my brother and his wife, and I changed into jeans and this black top. I wore black ballet flats and carried a red leather crossbody that I’d brought along as a spare. Yes, I know. I brought 2 bags. I’m a diva. What can I say?
day 2
You will surely recognize this top from my summer What I Wore posts. It’s just a coral colored cotton top that I got at Old Navy, but I’ve definitely gotten my money’s worth! I wore it with my (also well worn) cuffed Joe’s jean shorts and my trusty green Privos and my crossbody bag.
day 3
Yep! Same jean shorts, same shoes and bag, and a magenta top I picked up at the Loft Outlet a couple weeks ago.
day 4
I changed into this to go to the Hoop Dee Doo Review. It was getting chilly outside so I wore this pink zip-up cardigan sweater over a gray and pink striped tank with my jeans and ballet flats because I figured I wouldn’t be doing much walking.
day 5
It got reeeeally cold so I pulled out my tan cords and a blue embellished top fro Banana Republic. I wore my gray hoodie over it, and my windbreaker on top of that, believe it or not!!
Day 6
I wore this purple tee with jeans on our last day. We were spending the morning having breakfast with the princesses in the castle, so I gussied up a bit with some scarf action. I ended up wearing my gray hoodie on top most of the day since it was so chilly.
And today I’m headed for home, wearing my favorite striped banded waist top with jeans and ballet flats. Here’s hoping we make it!!! I hope and pray my next update comes to you from good ole PA!
For more fashion-over-40 inspiration, check out all of my Daily Mom Style posts.
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You look great! Love all these looks!
Steph
I definitely need some new walkable shoes before our trip to WDW in February. We are going for 2 weeks, so doubt I will pack so lightly.
What did you do about a camera – did you bring a DSLR, or a compact, or just your iphone?
Not sure I want to carry my large camera every day…. but think I would really miss it.
I did bring the DSLR. I didn’t want to be without it, but I often carried just my iPhone. I just used the 50mm lens for everything so it wasn’t as cumbersome.
First of all, I’m so glad that you all made it home and found everything in decent shape. Secondly, thank you for posting these pictures! As you well know, I spend my fair share of time at Disney and I’m always up for some fashion advice as to what to wear to the parks from a diva like yourself. I LOVE that bag. I’m bummed that it is a few years old because I totally intended to invest in one for myself. My go-to Disney bag is totally utilitarian–not cute *and* functional like yours. I’m also impressed that you were so well prepared for the change in weather and that you pulled off both the warm and cool weather looks so flawlessly. Based on your previous posts, I, too, picked up a pair of Privos (gray). I love how your Privos look with the straight leg jeans on you. I feel like I can’t quite pull that look. Anyway, all of your choices look great and I hope you guys had a most magical time. Thank you again for indulging me with this post!
I think since we were already in fall wardrobe mode here in PA, it was pretty easy to make the transition down there. I’ve been living the summer/fall transition wardrobe for weeks, now.
But thanks for the kudos.
I googled Relic crossbody bags and didn’t find anything very similar, but there are a lot of choices out there. I think it is easier to look in person, though, so you can really see the functionality of a bag.
Hello-I will be going to Disney in Feb. My daughter and I have celiac-I am wondering how eating gluten free was at disney-I have contacted them and was told that with advance notice-we should be able to eat almost everywhere-since you just went I would like to know how accomadating you found disney to be for paople that eat gluten free–Thanks-Beth
Hi Beth. Disney is HANDS DOWN the BEST place to go with food allergies or celiac. They go out of their way to accomodate every diet, and there is an easy way to check off your allergens on any dining reservation. The chef always comes to the table and tells you what you can have. They brought me gluten free bread at almost every meal. It was fantastic. I can’t say enough about it. Have fun!
Love these ideas for clothing in Disney. Where did you get that scarf? Every time I look at scarves, they are soooo long!
YES! That is why I like it. I got it at the LOFT outlet last fall.
Thanks for the info. I doubt I will need a scarf in Disney this May, but just liked it. I’m definitely going to look into different shoes (the Privos)…last time, I wore the big walking sneakers…they didn’t look so good with skirts. Taking our 15 month old…can’t wait to see his face looking at everything.
Have SO MUCH fun!!!