What to wear on holiday...

As you all know, summer in Italy is absolutely gorgeous, blazing sunshine and ridiculously hot, I don't think it dropped below 35 degrees until the very last day. I usually hate summer clothing, I never know what to wear when it is warm but I think I did a pretty good job of packing this time and I wanted to give my recommendations for what to wear...

Top: Gap, skirt: Kimchi Blue at Urban Outfitters, sunglasses: Accessorize
Shoes: Marks & Spencer
Patterned skirts/shorts and plain sleeveless tops- the pattern on this skirt incorporated a few colours making it extremely versatile and the light cotton of both the top and skirt was ideal for keeping me cool as I was sight-seeing. I have this Gap top in at least 5 colour-ways and the fit is second to none. I don't know what it is about these ones but they hold their shape after wearing and washing and the ribbed fabric is way more flattering than a plain style... I also had two amazing pairs of patterned shorts but I didn't get any pictures, I will have to dig them out again!

Draped top: H&M

High waisted shorts: Miss Selfridge, stripey top: Gap (as above!)
High waisted shorts and neutral colours - These high waisted shirts from Miss Selfridge proved to be a life-saver, the denim is super soft and stretchy, much like my favourite jeans and the higher waistline meant I could eat as much pizza and pasta as I wanted without feeling self conscious. The draped top from H&M also skimmed over any potential food babies whilst paying homage to the wonderful drapery on the local statues and the stripey top is exactly the same top from Gap but in a lovely pale stripe. 

Top: Gap (as above) skirt: Pepe Jeans, shoes: Marks & Spencer (borrowed off my mum)
Dress: River Island via ASOS, floral belt: George at ASDA, sandals: Clarks via Spartoo

Dress: vintage via charity shop, sandals: Marks & Spencers (as above)
Midi length skirts and dresses- This gorgeous bright skirt has been with me on all of my trips to Italy, the length means that it is suitable for all sights, including the Vatican. Many places won't let you in unless you are dressed appropriately so a longer length skirt or dress is ideal as you just have to wrap a scarf around your shoulders to get in. This River Island dress I found so easy to wear as it is so light and also covers most of my legs, again ideal in the scorching heat. My favourite vintage dress also came along for the ride and again, the colour and cotton combination meant it was perfect for the sunshine. 


Hard working accessories and well fitting shoes: I wore these sunglasses and this bag, every day when I was away. I love the slight cat-eye on the glasses and the bag was the perfect size for fitting in my diabetes essentials and the aforementioned scarf whilst being able to keep a tight grip on!.  also wore my two pairs of Keds (these and these) but typically I don't have any pictures of me wearing them! I cannot stress enough how important it is to have shoes that fit well and I will always love Clarks and Keds as they support my feet whilst still looking pretty, no mean feat, I think you will agree!

Mark doing his best fashion blogger pose
My photo pose has become a bit of a running joke with my friends both online and off and now Mark is trying to get in on the action, do you think he is fashion blogger ready?! 


A nice natural photo of the two of us, I definitely need to get this printed off, I have so many photo frames to fill! As you can see I wore a lot of red on holiday (why deviate from a colour I love?!) and hopefully my holiday wardrobe isn't so wildly different to my normal one, just slightly more leg on show ;)

What do you wear on holiday? Do you have a signature pose?

P.S. This post was done in collaboration with Spartoo

10 comments

Chloe said...

Holiday MUST wear- a simple t-shirt dress for supermarket runs to super strong cocktails at the bar, my fave lightweight whit cotton shirt and a bit of a statement maxi dress for evenings more glamorous...

Loving your red shorts, definitely one for my list... maybe in GREEN!

daisychain said...

I pretty much lived in shorts and a bikini top in Spain...or a cotton dress and bikini for random stripping off in public.
I love the heat, but dressing for it is a pain.

You look tres chic wifey x

char said...

I love your holiday outfits, and hope you had a lovely time!
I totally agree about wearing more of a colour you love, and just making your regular outfit choices a little more holiday-friendly. It always seems daft to me when people go out and buy a whole new 'holiday wardrobe' full of things they will never wear again.
I love those M&S sandals, I think I've said that before!

Leanne Dempsey said...

I absolutely love the skirt in your first outfit! Hope you had an amazing time.
I pretty much live in skater skirts and tank tops when i'm away xx

Alex said...

Swit swoo! You look like holiday perfection to me - I am totally in love with the red top/amazing skirt outfit.

ps - where is that bag from? LOVE the owl print!

Winnie said...

You look gorgeous in all these looks Maria. That last one of you and Mark is completely adorable!!! Definitely one to print off and frame!

Unknown said...

great post!
i always have the packing dilemma - especially when i went to germany this year and i had no idea what the weather would be like!
i love all of your outfit choices :)
Rosie xo
A Pocketful of Rosie

Vintage Reflection said...

You look fab in red, really suits you. Great holiday style! x

Gem said...

haha look at Mark, what a pro! I took Clarks shoes to Paris but hadn't worn them in properly, I am now pretty much crippled :(

The Girl said...

That photo of you at Trevi Fountain (I'm assuming that's where it is!) is absolutely beautiful.

This is totally what I'm thinking, get a knee length skirt and a couple of vest tops & I'm golden! Bought some high waisted denim shorts today, not sure if I'm brave enough to wear them with a top tucked in though!