New Women's Trench from ScotteVest

If you've read our blog long enough, you know what big proponents we are of carrying on your luggage. It saves you checked bag fees, time by avoiding the luggage carrier, and you'll never be without your favorite LBD because the airline lost your luggage.

Scottvest takes it to another extreme by designing clothes that have so many hidden pockets, you can pack your clothes and amenities right in your jacket. Fully packed they are comically bulky; but the airlines don't have a response yet to this crafty way of getting around the luggage issues. Until now we haven't been impressed with the styles of the tops, vests and jackets for women; but their new trench coat is a huge improvement. It's available in four versatile colors: the red is a beaut, the periwinkle great for Spring and Summer and the black and tan good for those of you who don't want your coat making a bright color statement.

Until we have the chance to try one of these jackets ourselves, you can read K.D. Summer's trial as seen in the Washington Post.

Price is $130 at ScotteVest.

Tom's of Maine Sample Sizes

If you've gotten used to the mild and natural flavor of Tom's toothpaste, it's hard to go back to the harsh mint of the run-0f-the-mill brands. We're glad to add Tom's to our carry on (you know how much we hate to check a bag); and these 3 oz. or less sizes are TSA friendly. You can also bring mouthwash, deodorant and bar soap. Find them all at Drugstore.com.

How to Pack a Wet Swimsuit

Checkout at the resort was at 10 a.m., but you have hours to kill before the cabby picks you up for the airport. Don’t cut your trip short! Grab a cocktail and relax poolside … even take one last dip. When you’re done, toss your soaked swimsuit in this cute, lined “Wet Suit” bag, especially made to protect your other belongings for getting damp. Let’s face it … no one wants to end their trip with a soggy suitcase.

Once you’re back in the real world, this adorable monogrammed pouch proves handy for your gym bag too. Use it over and over again. It’s just one more reason to ditch plastic bags. Find it with other homemade goodies on Etsy.com.

How to Pack for a Weekend Getaway

Headed out of town for a weekend getaway? Here's how to pack your carry on bag:

How to Pack Liquids in Your Carry On

Not sure how to pack your various hair products, moisturizers and sun tan lotion in your carry on? Watch JSG's Annie demonstration of how she does it in our "How to Pack Liquids in Your Carry on Video."

Packing Tips

One of the questions we are asked most frequently is how to pack for a weekend trip. JSG's Annie left for Newport, RI yesterday, and while it's not technically a weekend, she still needed outfits for three days and two nights. She wanted to pack light, because she still hasn't figured out which new wheelie luggage to buy. Here's what made the cut:


My first step was to check the weather. It's expected to be warmer than I thought--lows in the 40s and highs near 60. I'm notoriously bad about packing for the weather, so I packed two of my favorite cashmere Vince Sweaters that are easy to layer. I'm bringing two pairs of jeans, a dressy trouser-style pair and my Earnest Sewn black pair. They're so soft and comfy, even when sitting for hours in an airport. The striped top is from the Alice Temperley collection for Target. Like most of you, I mix high and low end pieces together.


For nighttime, I needed one dressy outfit and one more casual one. To keep my bag light, I'll wear the jeans for night time, too. The trouser jeans are elegant and slimming (even though they don't look like it in the photo!). I'm pairing them with my disco DKNY batwing top and trusty Rebecca Norman bangles. I wish I had more tops as versatile as this one: I bought it for $50 at the DKNY outlet near Palm Springs four years back. It never seems to go out of style and I love that it has longer sleeves.

My other outfit is a day to night look. I picked my H&M tank because my color scheme needed some livening up. The little metallic appliqué bird makes the top going-out ready. I may take the sweater off in the evening, depending on the restaurant we go to and the temperature.

I brought my bigger Melie Bianco cocktail bag because it can fit my Blackberry, lipstick and camera--essential when traveling so I have shots for the blog or my Facebook page.

For shoes I brought black zip up booties that are easy to get in and out of at airport security and gray patent leather pumps that are super comfy to walk in. Rounding out my bag are: yoga clothes, a nightie and of course my makeup and toiletries. For my jacket, I'm bringing my Burberry trench, which I'm hoping will be warm enough with those sweaters!

Help with a Packing List

We found a site, 50 Things and Beyond, which provides check lists for all sorts of projects like parties, gifts, holidays and travel. Print out their lists and tweak them to suit your needs. For our packing list we added Ipod, travel speakers, phone charger, curling iron and sunscreen. They give you a great start. Besides it's always the obvious things we forget: like a bikini or sunglasses!

Happy travels (and packing)!

Liquids and Your Carry On Bag

This past weekend, we flew with our pops to Boston for our cousin's wedding. Our dad was stopped at security when they spotted liquid in his carry on. The offending product? Hair tonic. (A product men of a certain age are required to use.) We laughed and called him an amateur. But then we were stopped too. We were trying to get through with a contraband bottle of water. All this goes to show--those liquid restrictions on the plane are tricky!

Here are our insider tips for traveling with the regulations:

*Use a freezer bag (not a sandwich bag) for your zip top bag. They're thicker so they hold up better throughout your trip.


*For your face care products (wash, moisturizer, pimple cream, sun block), we recommend sample sizes. We wrote about some great place to get free ones in this blog: Sample This. You can also buy a good selection of them at Minimus.

*As for your makeup, you'll find most cosmetics will be under the 3 oz. size. Don't forget that "liquid" also includes toothpaste, lip gloss, foundation and mascara.

*Hair products are the tricky part (Right, dad?). They generally come in larger sizes, and if you're like us, you like a variety of them. If you can't find the brand you like in a sample size, you can also buy small, empty plastic bottles at a drug store or beauty supply store and fill them yourself. We love this Frederic Fekkai set from Sephora (pictured above) that comes with their uber popular Glossing shampoo, conditioner, styling and finishing products.

*You'll have to take the bag of liquids out when you're at security, so pack it at the top of your bag or somewhere you can easily pull it out.

*Don't forget about any presents: Last Christmas, we meticulously went through our cosmetic bag to make sure we had removed all of our larger liquids. We had wrapped an expensive bottle of Tocca body lotion and forgot it was there. We were forced to throw it out--though we did encourage the TSA official to take it home to his girlfriend!

Here are the official TSA regulations.