How I pack, by Lucy Williams
London-based stylist, writer and travel photographer LUCY WILLIAMS fell for the Mediterranean, particularly Greece, as a schoolgirl – a love affair that continues to this day. She shares the pieces she packs and how she styles them when she gets there
Keep it simple
“I’ve always loved color and texture, but sometimes, when I am somewhere like Greece, I’m inclined to be a bit more pared-back and wear lots of linen and neutral colors. I feel I overcompensate with color when I’m in gray London, and then when I’m somewhere that’s beautiful and hot, and I’ve got a tan, I just like wearing simple things. I love ’90s-style slip dresses over bikinis – Faithfull The Brand and Solid & Striped are two of my all-time loves for swimwear. I also love Staud: I’m obsessed with its tie-dye slip dress. My vacation essentials are probably a slip dress, a bucket hat and some kind of dorky sandals, whether that’s something with Velcro, grandad sandals or flip-flops.”
Keep your options open
“I don’t plan my outfits for anything to be honest, so when I’m on vacation I have things that I’m excited to wear, but I don’t plan a different outfit for each night – I just make sure I have options. Often, the outfits I’ve imagined don’t work out, so I end up doing something completely different. I’m eclectic, shall we say.”
Make space for accessories
“I love good accessories. I would very happily live in a simple pair of shorts and a T-shirt, and then if I had a great bag, great sandals, some cool jewelry, the look would feel like me. Accessories are how you get your personality across, so I take lots of bags and shoes on vacation with me. I layer up lots of colorful bracelets and necklaces in different beads and textures, and I love one or two anklets on the same ankle. I always pack beach bags, whether they’re raffia or string tote bags – they’re so much easier to pack than a massive straw basket, although I’ve got the small Loewe basket, which I love. I always have a bucket hat and a few different vintage sunhats with me, as well as lots of different sunnies from Le Specs; they’re great if you fancy something a bit fun and different.”
Take your beauty essentials
“I have to be careful with looking after my hair. Because I’m blond, it can turn to straw, so I like a sun-protective spray, then a really good deep conditioner at the end of the day. Brands like Rahua, Christophe Robin and Virtue are great. I pack lots of silk hair ties and scrunchies – I use them all the time in London. And I like a good SPF 50. I use Dr. Barbara Sturm Sun Drops every day, even in London.”
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