I’m just going to come right out and say it: The great outdoors and I don’t mix. There’s a long list of reasons why we don’t get along, but for the purpose of this story, I’ll spare you the details. (Bugs, hiking, and 101 ways to get dirty—sorry, I had to.) On average, I spend about 70% of my life indoors and the other 30% convincing everyone that “the great outdoors” means lounging in a beach cabana with a drink in hand. So imagine my surprise when I was invited on a three-day retreat at a luxury resort in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It wasn’t the tropical vacation that I typically daydream about, but I convinced myself that I might have been doing the whole outdoors thing wrong and decided to give this trip a shot. (Kudos to me.)
When I’m doing things outside of my comfort zone, I always use fashion as a way to make myself feel more at peace. So when I left for this trip, I packed a ‘fit for every event and went above and beyond to make sure I had the proper bags to match. Away has been my tried and true luggage brand for the past year, so it was only right that I sported its new F.A.R (For All Routes) collection on my mountain getaway. I hate to spoil the ending, but these travel essentials really got me through the trip. The versatile outdoor bags and accessories were exactly what I needed to repair my estranged relationship with the great outdoors. I was prepared for anything and everything, and I’ve got the photos to prove it. Keep scrolling to see every outfit I wore to make my trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains chic and luxurious.
We kicked off the weekend with RTV riding. I sat in the passenger seat and was responsible for moral support, scenic videos, and a cute outfit, of course. I sported a unitard for maximum comfort and draped a sweatshirt over my shoulders just in case it got chilly. On the rare occasion that I’m spending the majority of my time outside, I love to add pops of color to my look for that extra boost of dopamine. The navy messenger bag added a cool tone to this rather colorful ensemble and housed my water bottle, hand sanitizer, phone, and so much more. It was also compact enough to fit at the bottom of my seat, so I could be hands-free on the ride.
Confession: I spent the duration of my flight to Virginia envisioning how this look would come together, and the final results did not disappoint. I opted for a simplistic jeans-and-white-tank combo to really make the cowboy boots the star of the show. (Can you tell I’m living out my horse-girl dreams?) I added the F.A.R pouch because I could easily clip it to my belt loop while I was riding and still grab the essentials if I needed them. Aside from the pouch’s obvious practicality, the white color matched my neutral look, so the choice was easy.
Not only was this look the most comfortable, but it scored me the most compliments. I’m talking comments from resort staff, trip attendees, and random guests. I knew I wanted to be completely hands-free for archery, so I opted for the viral and on-trend parachute pants that I’ve seen everywhere for the past few months. With an adjustable tie-waist, multiple pockets, and a loop for my F.A.R pouch (which held my lip gloss, room key, and hand sanitizer), these pants were the right choice. I went with white sneakers and a white tank to keep the look fresh and to stay cool in the hot and humid VA air.
For dinner at sunset, the category was “farm girl chic.” I just knew that this linen dress would fit the occasion perfectly with minimal effort. I threw it on with brown flat sandals, and it was the perfect blend of casual and elevated. PS: This look was runner-up for most compliments.
For our last activity of the trip, I had to wear my brightest look. I opted for a green matching set and wore my sporty sunglasses to really finish off the outfit. I added crew socks and my ultra-comfortable Daybreak sneakers to add to the retro feel that this outfit was giving. Bonus points for matching the scenic views we basked in during yoga.
