Every year, I go on holiday with the very best intentions of not overpacking – and every year, without fail, I ignore them.
“It’s not a fashion show,” ‘We’re only going for a week,” and “How many pairs of shoes could you possibly need?’ Historically, the answer has been double figures. I’ve been known to pack five pairs of trainers before even thinking about flip flops, sandals or heels, and on one particularly excessive holiday I decided that taking two pairs of cowboy boots was entirely reasonable.
Truth be told, I’d end up wearing a fraction of what I packed and would spend two days putting it all back away again on my return. So this year, I tried something slightly different.
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Before heading on my annual trip to Cornwall, I planned all of my potential outfits on the wardrobe app Indyx, which I’ve been using religiously since March. After planning them, I tried each of them on and shortlisted a final 17. That was still more outfits than I technically needed for an eight day break (though I did plan to wear two outfits a day), but there’s a difference between overpacking and giving yourself a few options.
Some days I feel bloated, and sometimes I wake up and don’t fancy wearing the outfit I planned two weeks ago. Having an alternative makes a holiday feel much less stressful. The good news was that most of my 17 outfits weren’t 17 completely separate looks. I actually took a lot of pieces that could be mixed and matched, so the unworn outfits were largely just different combinations of things I was already packing. So here’s everything I wore for a week in Cornwall.
Outfit 1
The first outfit of the holiday had to be comfortable. After travelling and unpacking, we’d worked up quite a thirst so headed to the bar for a drink.
As it was milder in the evening, I went for my green barrel leg trousers from Bershka (similar), which I’ve worn on repeat this year. They’re cool, comfortable and easy to style. I paired them with my red shirred olive graphic vest from ASOS (similar) – another favourite from last summer – as well as my Damson Madder leopard print bag.
Usually I’ll buy a heap of new clothes for my holiday, but this year I mostly stuck to what I already own. My brown Archie’s flipflops are one of the only new things I ordered for this trip and they were worth every penny. They’re insanely comfortable, supportive, versatile and I’ll be wearing them on repeat at home, too.
Outfit 2
A beach day calls for an outfit that requires approximately zero effort, and my Matalan leopard print trapeze dress was perfect for a day out at Perranporth. It’s loose, easy to throw on over swimwear and the print does all the hard work, so there’s no need to overthink the rest of the outfit.
I’ve previously styled this dress with lime green accessories, but for this trip, I resorted to the trusty ‘pop of red’ formula with my ASOS ruffle bag and M&S red jelly shoes (similar). The most frequently asked question I get about these is ‘are they comfortable’ and they answer is a resounding yes. All-day walking, no blisters, no sweaty feet – and because of the material they’re really easy to rinse the sand off, too.
Outfit 3
Much like the above outfit, you can’t beat a throw-on-and-go number. This Oliver Bonas tunic dress has the loveliest summery sun print and requires minimal styling, but the benefit is that because it features lots of different colours, you can pick out a different one to match accessories to with every wear, which makes it feel a bit fresher.
The dress very much does all of the talking here, so I added my brown Dr Marten fisherman sandals to give it a bit more edge, and finished it with my blue woven bucket bag. I think it would look just as cute with my pink woven ballet flats, or with lemon accessories, too.
Outfit 4
Sometimes when I’m stuck for styling inspiration, I stalk myself. I have albums on my phone for my 2026, 2025 and 2024 outfits, so I’ll often scroll through them to remind myself of combinations I’ve not worn in a while. I wore this ASOS shirt (similar) and M&S cotton maxi skirt (similar) last summer with leopard print sandals and bag, so I updated the accessories with my Monty bag (another holiday purchase), my Archie’s flip flops and Akila sunglasses.
Pairing the green with shades of pink added a bit more interest, stopped the outfit from feeling too neutral and felt significantly different from the previous wear, despite the two main elements being exactly the same.
Outfit 5
Although our Cornish break is a big family holiday, Jake and I love to go on a dinner date just the two of us one night. I wanted something that felt more evening without being too dressed up for Cornwall, so I wore my red Zara parachute-detail maxi dress.
I bought this way back in February for about £36 to wear in the summer, but styled it under knits in Spring, too. The colour is super striking, with the maxi length lending it an evening vibe, but parachute detailing gives it a more casual feel. Black Havaianas flipflops kept the outfit firmly in holiday territory, while my polka dot bag injected a little bit of trend-led personality.
Outfit 6
This was the most overcast day of the week, which finally gave me an excuse to wear something with sleeves. The yellow, blue and brown striped Tu Clothing top (similar) is one of my favourite finds of late thanks to its 90s aesthetic and affordable £12.50 price tag.
This outfit was actually never on the planned list, as I’d intended to wear the top with shorts, but this brown polka dot maxi skirt from ASOS made for the ultimate pattern clash. I almost left my Adidas SL72s at home as the vast majority of outfits I’d planned to wear sandals or flipflops, but I’m so glad I packed them as I couldn’t have imagined this look without them.
And despite taking six bags, not a single one felt quite right with this outfit, but thankfully mum’s faux suede tote was big enough to carry everything I needed for the day while still feeling intentional.
Outfit 7
This was one of those outfits that had to work for several different parts of the day. We spent the morning at Tolcarne beach, where I wore my bikini top under this River Island blue striped shirt (similar) with my Damson Madder leopard print skirt (similar).
From here, we headed to the holiday park’s outdoor pool, again, Archie’s flipflops providing ultimate comfort and earning their keep. In the evening, I wore my ASOS Pomodoro baby T-shirt (similar) and red ASOS ruffle bag – another outfit inspired by a previously-worn look but with a few tweaks. The shirt was particularly useful for going from the beach into the evening, when it was a little cooler, with the red adding another pop of colour.
Outfit 8
For a spa morning, I wanted something I could wear over my swimsuit on the way there, but wear out and about after, too. I think a white summer dress is a must-have in any summer wardrobe, and this FatFace number is my go-to. There’s just something about a white broderie dress that instantly makes you feel like you’re on holiday, even if you’ve done absolutely nothing else to get ready.
Again, this is another frock I’ve styled earlier this year, but with olive green accessories. My brown Dr Martens fisherman sandals and playful Monty bag offer an updated look for summer. Complete with longer sleeves and pockets, it’s a breezy number that’s perfect for in-between days, which Cornwall is renowned for.
Outfit 9
While the ‘jeans and a nice top’ formula is a failsafe, I still like to play a little fast and loose with the rules. For this slightly dressier holiday look, I traded jeans for a denim maxi skirt from New Look. I feel like this makes the look feel more summery and revives a bit of a forgotten trend from 2022/23.
As for my ‘nice top’, I went for this M&S leopard print asymmetric number that I snagged in the sale. I added chunky Zara platform sandals and a matching bag from ASOS to tie everything together. I really loved this look and it reignited my love of this denim piece in my wardrobe – stay tuned on Instagram to see how else I style it.
Outfit 10
Here’s the cream maxi skirt making another appearance while still feeling like a totally new outfit. This time, I wore it with my colourful Damson Madder fruit print top which is the epitome of summer. While I ordinarily follow the ‘match your shoes to your bag’ rule, the colours in this top allow you to be a little more creative.
I added my red jelly shoes and the blue M&S bucket bag for a bit of fun. This is exactly why I don’t think taking a few extra pieces on holiday is necessarily a bad thing. Rather than packing a completely different outfit for every day, I could re-style pieces I already had with different tops, shoes and accessories.
Outfit 11
My brother’s birthday always falls the week when we are away so we like to go out for food as a family. I’ve been waiting for the perfect opportunity to wear this Dancing Leopard halter-neck dress, and a sit-down meal overlooking the sea at one of Newquay’s newest hotels felt as good of a time as any.
What’s particularly great about this dress is that it looks far more expensive than it is. It’s currently on sale for less than £10. I added chunky Zara platforms for a little extra height and my faux leather ASOS bag. This is also a good example of why I like taking a couple of slightly dressier options on holiday – you might not need them every night, but when you do have something to celebrate, it’s nice to have a dress ready to go.
Outfit 12
For our final town-and-mooch outfit, I went for something easy and comfortable again. I wore this denim Damson Madder pinafore dress with the aforementioned yellow striped Tu Clothing top a couple of weeks back and adored it as a look, so this was a twist on that. The pink t-shirt, also from Tu Clothing, maintains that sort of ‘toddler chic’ though this time I swapped trainers for Dr Marten sandals and gave the Monty bag another run out.
So, did I actually overpack? Technically? Yes. But compared to my usual holiday packing habits, it was much more restrained and better planned. Especially considering I wore every single bag I packed and got plenty of use out of my shoe options. I’m not even sure I’d want to pack less next time.
The biggest thing I’ve learned is that there’s a difference between taking too many clothes and taking clothes that give you options. I’m not promising I’ll never pack two pairs of cowboy boots again, but I think this year’s Cornwall wardrobe has proved that I can almost be sensible.
