When you think of prairie couture, remember that this western frontier parallels the Victoria time period. So take all those puffed sleeves, tiny pleats, and ruffles and fashion it from practical, inexpensive cottons. You’ll see plenty of smocked calicos, ruffled yokes on clip dot, and puffed sleeves on sun-bleached gingham.

This is a trend that’s easy to scale.  You can go as simple as a western yoked shirt or as ornate as a ruffled field dress.  Pick the details that speak to your signature style and body type.To keep the look unexpected, mix your delicate with your rough.  Take your frilly top and pair it with some tailored denim.  Or pair some chunky boots with a swingy prairie dress. Mix and match sweet with edgy opposites.

You can find this trend almost anywhere, including Zara, H&M, Macy’s, and Madewell.  You can find the items featured above or at the links below.

Zara Knit Pointelle Top

ZW The Truth Slim Jeans

Capsule Wardrobes aren’t just for your closet, they’re the perfect solution for your suitcase too.  So why should you go to the extra work of planning?  Vacations are about rest. Rest from routines, rest from employment, and, if you really want to relax, rest from stuff. Vacation capsules give you the opportunity to be prepared for whatever adventure you have in mind without paying extra for luggage fees.

Assuming you already know the temperature and basic activities for a trip, start by picking a color palette.  For this beach-based 6 day adventure, I chose black and white with pops of colors.  One of the easiest ways to pick a palette is to start with a blouse or dress pattern you already love and copy the colors in the print for your capsule.

My secret capsule suitcase packing formula is one item of clothing per day of travel.  I’ve used the capsule formula for weekend getaways and two-week excursion in Europe.  You don’t need an outfit per day, you need an item per day, then you just mix and match.

One item of clothing per day does not include your shoes or accessories.  For shoes, I always try to stay under two or three pairs depending on the variety of activities.  And each pair should offer a different function.  Rather than packing two pairs of sneakers or three sets of sandals, I’d suggest one pair of walking shoes, one dressier wedge, and one flip flop.  Accessories are an easy way to add variety without adding a lot of bulk, in fact, I usually pack about one accessory per day of travel as well.

This packing strategy works great for souvenir shots!  I find that I’m both comfortable and polished when I spend a little extra time picking items of clothing that work together in multiple applications.  And no one is going to notice that you wore an item of clothing more than once because it’s in a fresh combination.