Travel must haves!

With travel now back on the cards, 2023 is the year of the trip! A lot of us are being reunited with family and friends or taking a well-earned break after years of school closures, working from home and homeschooling. Gahh that was fun wasn't it! 

Now we CAN travel.... can we ask the all-important question... what are we wearing??? 

Yes it's important to spend our money on travel, but we need to look good while doing it. Especially if there is the chance of an upgrade, or a table reservation at one of the coolest restaurants in the city we are off to.

I recently travelled to Australia from Singapore for a business/friend's wedding trip. I'd love to share with you what I packed in my suitcase, and hopefully inspire you for your next trip away! 

Shout out to Qantas (yes I still call Australia home no matter where I roam) who rolled my Platinum FF for two years due to pregnancy and covid so I can still enjoy the perks of my pre kids/covid business class for work life. The Singapore First Class lounge is incredible, with a huge menu, free flow French champagne and the most comfortable lounge area, so I was able to relax in style before my flight, shower and get into my plane outfit. 

On my flight from Singapore to Brisbane I wore an Araminta James lounge set. I took my leather Jacket with me to layer over it and outfitted it with my New Balance trainers and socks. I felt comfortable and stylish. The one I wore is now sold out, but we have just dropped a new biscuit colour terry set, which is also perfect. I was actually a bit hot in the one below on the plane, so I would recommend the short sleeve, as you get given a blanket on most flights too. 

 

Make sure you have a stylish bag which is easy to access and fits all your bits and pieces for the flight. I use the Saint Laurent City Rucksack (it's actually a men's one!)

My essentials for my flight were - Bose noise cancelling headphones, earplugs, my phone, charger (with adapter), melatonin and snacks. Now bear in mind this was my first flight without kids for a LONG time so I just slept, ate and watched White Lotus season two (how good!!!). 

My suitcases are always from Samsonite as I feel they are the best quality for the amount of travel I do for work, and tax deductible! 

Straight to business meetings in Brisbane for me, and I wanted to look stylish but feel comfortable. I wore a woven set which I carried in my samsonite hand luggage to avoid creasing, layered over my trusty All Saints leather jacket (as it was chilly and drizzly when I arrived) and wore my comfy Dallas slides from Mahli the Label. We have some great sets in store at the moment which are sustainably made in Bali Indonesia.

Pictured above is the Veronica Blouse and the Jean shorts featured with a Lack of Colour Fedora Hat in Pink. 

Pictured above are the Dallas Slides from Mahli the Label. 

I love this area of Brisbane, it's well worth an explore if you come here. After some window shopping at SIR. Bec+Bridge, Mister Zimi and Desodre we hit the bar on the ground floor of the Calile Hotel for espresso martinis and then went up to sit poolside at Hellenika for a delicious meal. It was so nice to catch up with my friend. The weather was humid so I opted for a breathable viscose dress with a short sleeve. The Lizzie from Paper Heart is perfect for this chilled poolside dinner vibe. 

Above - relaxing poolside post Espresso martinis for our catch up and dinner at Hellenika at the Calile Hotel

Pictured above is the Lizzie Dress. It also comes in a Midi version which is equally beautiful. The short one can be worn two ways, with the cut out or as a wrap top, which we LOVE! This style sells fast so don't miss out. It's perfect for your next trip and the fabric is so easy to steam. You can shop mini dresses here. 

Speaking of steaming I ALWAYS take a handheld steamer with me. Mine is from Steamery Stockholm. It's luxe, and essential! I use it everyday. 

Part of my job is to check out the stores, so after a fulfilling brekkie at Nodo (potato rosti, green juice and a proper flat white) I mooched around Fortitude Valley in my Havana linen set from Araminta James with my Dallas slides  (these babies work hard, and they go with everything!) and my Inner Bloom fringe bag from Mahli the Label. When wandering around I noticed most of the other girls wearing these linen sets as well. They are so easy! 

 

Pictured above and below is the Havana Set in Milk from Araminta James. This set is $180 for both the shorts and the shirt. 

Pictured below are the hard working Dallas Sandals from Mahli the Label. 

Then it was a drive to the Gold Coast for more supplier appointments and a lunch with one of my favourite brands at Rick Shores. I wore the Jacaranda printed Maxi Dress from the Spell collection. It was perfect for our lunch by the sea, and I accessorized with gold jewellery from Amber Sceats and gold rimmed ray ban sunglasses. The buttons on the Cha Cha Maxi Dress in Jacaranda can be opened and closed so you can create the front neck drop you need. 

Beach views at Burleigh. Such a beautiful day. You can't beat the Gold Coast when the sun is shining! 

Seafood lunch with Asian flavours at Rick Shores in Burleigh

We LOVE the Spell range. Shop it here... 

The next day it was off for a meeting with one of our sustainable brands Palm Collective. We saw their new collection, selected the pieces for Singapore, and had a bit of a try on session! I wore the pink set below (Blaze shorts and Stacey Top), it was the perfect outfit for the day as it was sunny and around 28 degrees. This outfit worked perfectly with my Texan Buckle slides which were easy to drive in as well. 

The Stacey Top and Blaze Shorts have sold fast! Not many sizes left now. Get yours while you can! This set goes oh so well with the Texan slides below. 

 

When you reach Byron from the Gold Coast there is a sign that says... "Cheer up, slow down, chill out". I love that, and it was good advice for my weekend ahead. 

I was here to meet my dear friends from my Bondi Mothers Group for the wedding of the year! Not before a couple of meetings with some great new brands for She Creates Stories though. We met Emmely from Tropical Dream and Beanz from Tanah Folk and saw their new collections. I love the casual vibes of Byron and the breathable nature of all the fabrics. This was a good day... I was left feeling very excited about launching these brands in Singapore! Both are arriving in April/May.

I crashed Tanah Folk's Shoot at The Beach Shack pictured above. Which was GORGEOUS! 

Then it was on to meet Emmely, former model turned boss lady. Emmely Been is the Founder and Creative Director of Tropical Dream. She is literally living a Tropical Dream in Byron Bay. She wears the Esmeralda Skirt in Rust and the Poppy Top in Rust, both available at She Creates Stories in Singapore. 

The wedding was at The Earth House. A beautiful Hinterland location. I wore the Spell Solstice Maxi Dress which I have to say was PERFECT for the day. It took me from arrival champagne to being the last person on the dance floor at the end of the night. What a wedding! So much fun. 

Pictured above - our beautiful friends Katie and Dan getting married at The Earth House in Byron Bay's Hinterland. Worth checking out if you're looking for a wedding venue in Byron! 

My dress for the wedding was the Solstice Maxi Dress from Spell and it was perfect for the whole days events! 

On the Sunday morning I lounged by the pool at Aabi's Guest House in my Infamous Swim Bikini. I LIVE in this bikini in different prints. It fits me perfectly and hides all the Mum bits I don't love anymore. Check out the Gia Bikini Top, and the Ginger Bikini Bottoms. For those of you that like a one piece, the Candice one piece or the Mara one piece from Bond-Eye are our favorites. 

You can even match with your Mini in Infamous Swim at She Creates Stories. 

We are loving the Mara One Piece in all the colours but Citrine is our fave atm, oh and classic black! It is also available in baywatch red, burnt orange, black and boysenberry. 

Then it was smashed Avo and a coffee at Combi and a mooch around the Byron Bay markets in my summer tank in white, and denim shorts from Paper Heart, back with my Texan buckle slides. What a lovely, chilled day. 

 

Pictured above - a proper Aussie coffee courtesy of Combi Byron. 

Off to Sydney today and it's cooler so I opted for some jeans, the Spell Casa Love tee, my leather jacket and my trainers. When I got there it was raining, so after grabbing a coffee at the airport (I got my fill of Aussie coffees) it was straight to the hotel and then to supplier appointments. I checkout out the new collections from Mink Pink, Staple the Label and some of our other Australia based brands. That evening I had a print appointment, and I met my old Marketing Manager for dinner in the Astrid dress from Girl and the sun, paired with boots and a leather jacket. 

Pictured above the Casa Love Tee from Spell. 

Above is the Astrid dress from Girl and the Sun. This dress also comes in Mandarin. 

 

I loved this print from my print appointment. 

Today we met with our Curve supplier, and one of our swimwear suppliers. It was a quick morning of meetings, and then back to the airport for me. I have missed Australia so much, but I LOVE being able to pop back for work and bring you the best in Australian fashion here in Asia. However I realised how much I also love Singapore and living here is so special too. Off back to the lounge to stick on my Araminta James for the flight! 

Pictured above... me off back to the airport in Sydney. Until next time! 

 

* Local returns 

* Fitting appointments available 

* Same price or cheaper 

* No import taxes 

* A free personal stylist

* Low-cost fast local shipping, or free shipping over SGD $150!

I love to hear from you all and get feedback on what we are doing and how we can improve in the future. Feel free to drop me an email at hello@shecreatesstories.com. 

Love Bex x