Hello Daily Connoisseurs,

Happy Thanksgiving week to you! I have safely returned from Japan. Thank you for all of your social media messages to me. What a trip! The baby and I had a great time. Today's video shows my packing process before my trip.

I was very happy with how I packed for Japan. With the exception of a black tee shirt, I used everything I brought. My only mistake was packing too many diapers!

On this trip I packed:

4 dresses
1 black trouser (Loft fluid ankle pant)
3 tees (including the lace tee)
2 pairs of pajamas
1 green coat
2 heels (for filming)
2 flats (for days off and travel)
3 pairs of pantyhose
1 pair black tights
undergarments
Baby gear & clothes
toiletries
travel steamer

Packing for this trip was tricky, because not only was I working, which required a specific wardrobe in and of itself, but I also had to fit all of the baby's items in the same suitcase. I made it work however, and am pleased with how it went!

In this week's video, I also share my ten-item wardrobe updates with you. I finally caved and purchased three nursing dresses to replace the dresses in my ten-item wardrobe that I was unable to nurse in. I am so glad I did this. And with traveling and working with a baby, proper nursing clothes were a life-saver!

The new additions to the wardrobe are the black collar dress, long sleeve black dress and navy and red wrap dress, all from Seraphine. These three dresses will literally replace the long sleeve blue Boden dress, sleeveless Loft dress and black ballet dress that I am unable to nurse in, still keeping me in at under ten items.

These are the hosiery items I mention in the video, for those who are interested. They performed really well, with no runs and also withstood the washing machine!

Commando Control Top Pantyhose and Spanx black luxe leg tights

I also brought my mini travel steamer with me, which was handy for smoothing my clothes out for the television shoot.

Comments of the Week

From last week's What's In My Fridge? video...
TaylorCait writes:

Thanks for sharing! We are on an extremely tight grocery budget for the three of us (myself, my husband, and our six year old son), but Costco allows us to eat well and include lots of organics! I shop there once a month, at the beginning of the month, and then every week I stop by an Aldi - some weeks I'm even able to skip that stop. We first eat the produce that goes bad the quickest, and things like apples will last a couple of weeks before going bad. We live 45 minutes away from the nearest decent grocery store so I make my trips into town count!

Hi TaylorCait, Thank you for sharing your shopping routine with us. I agree that a mixture of Costo, plus smaller markets, works really well for families with small children. It's great that you are so organized about your trips into town!


Angi Campbell writes:
At this point in our lives, we definitely love Costco as well! I have access to some great markets and a huge garden, so I go to the grocery store every other week, and just do produce from the garden, freezer, or market in between. However, I have definitely struggled mentally with the whole bulk food concept, so it's very nice to hear your thoughts and opinion!

Hi Angi, there is a season for everything! It's nice to connect with other readers over how we shop for our families. Thank you for sharing with us.

I hope you enjoy this week's video and that all of our American readers have a beautiful Thanksgiving holiday with their families. I am really looking forward to relaxing and eating a big feast after my trip!

See you next week for the Japan vlog!

With love,

Jennifer x


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Madame Chic Down Under
One of the fun things about having Lessons from Madame Chic available in other countries are the different book covers. Here we have the cover for Australia and New Zealand, which will be published by HarperCollins Australia and released on November 6, 2012. I just love its vibrancy. Isn't it fun?

The Art of Packing
I've received a lot of requests over the last few months to address packing for summer trips. My one bit of advice to you is to pack light. You can always buy something you need while away (and that is more fun anyway!). But it is never chic to tote around an excess of luggage (trust me- that's what I did in France). Along with packing a capsule wardrobe scaled for your trip, it is important to mention the art of packing your suitcase. I came across the very subject on Louis Vuitton's website and thought this interactive tutorial was just the best.

10 Item Wardrobe Collages
On Monday's post I mentioned the 10 Item Wardrobe collages on Polyvore that are celebrating the upcoming release of Lessons from Madame Chic. Unfortunately the link to the collection of collages was not included. I am including it here. Aren't they fabulous? I am just loving the different interpretations of the 10 Item Wardrobe.

I hope you all have a marvelous weekend!

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Dear Readers,

I will be spending New Years in Barbados this year. I haven't mentioned this earlier because it seems that every time I mention an upcoming trip on my blog it gets canceled- but it looks like this one is going full steam ahead!

I have packed lightly- but I find packing lightly for a tropical destination easy. I don't need much more than a few bathing suits, some long flowy dresses, white linen trousers, a hat and a good book.

I will post my number one film of the decade on Wednesday now and then I will take a short break from The Daily Connoisseur while on holiday.

Thank you for making this past year such a brilliant one. I hope you have a wonderful New Year and that 2010 brings you everything your heart desires...

With Love,

Jennifer xx

Recently my husband and I ventured to Palm Springs to celebrate our wedding anniversary. We stayed at the La Quinta Resort and Club. This was a short, two-day jaunt that I was very much looking forward to.

I was also excited to try out my new packing skills and modify them for a weekend trip. Thankfully I checked the weather report before packing (always a good idea) and discovered that each day would be scorching hot- I’m talking 100 degree Fahrenheit plus! This, of course, altered the idea of what I was going to pack tremendously and made it really easy to pick out what to bring.

- White jeans (for evening)
- A pair of tailored white shorts (I love this look for summer)
- Two billowy tops (I find that when they are billowy they are less likely to cling in sticky-hot weather)
- A knockout dress (for our anniversary dinner *wink * wink *)
- One pair of wedges and a flat jeweled sandal
- Bathing suit and cover up (I still haven’t gotten around to purchasing a colorful cover-up so I had to opt for the black one I used in Portugal)

All of this fit easily into a tiny “carry-on” sized bag. Even though we were driving. It still felt good to pack light. Also when I got back from my last trip- rather than emptying out my toiletries case, I updated it- refilled any bottles that needed filling- so that it was ready in a pinch for my next journey. I simply placed my toiletries bag in my carry–on knowing that it was fully equipped with everything I needed. I must say- when it comes to traveling it feels good to be organized!

Image of the La Quinta courtesy of: www.getawayspas.com

For more information on the La Quinta, please visit: www.laquintaresort.com

On my last day in London I am able to reflect on what a great holiday I have had. The weather is beautiful here now but even when it wasn’t I was able to appreciate this wonderful city. As Alexander McCall Smith suggests, one must have the ‘right attitude to rain’ in order to live and visit the United Kingdom.

Packing wise- this trip was a semi-success. I made some mistakes, wished I’d brought a few things I hadn’t and didn’t use everything I brought. I think the next time I travel my packing skills will be on par with that of a well-oiled machine- a well-deserved product of trial and error.

This trip was tricky as I spent the first week in a very hot location (Portugal) and the next two weeks in a slightly chilly location that turned hot (London). Below I will list the items that I brought with me that I used over and over again and which proved invaluable:

-Dark fitted blazer (great for the plane and pairing with jeans for a casual dinner)

-A cashmere cardigan

-Three pairs of jeans: one tailored for heels, one tailored for flats and my black skinny jeans.

-Four tops that I love that I was able to pair with blazer or cardigan for chilly days.

-Two or Three layering tanks (mine are all from Michael Stars)

-Two bathing suits (they don’t take up much room do they?)

-One cover-up for the beach (mine was a little boring this year- next time I’m going for a bright Pucci-inspired one… might as well make a statement, no?)

-Two dresses for eveningwear and special events. This trip I found myself having tea at Claridge’s and lunch at Wentworth Golf Club. Both of the dresses I brought were black (so boring!) Next time I will bring more appropriate colors for spring.

-Black pashmina for the really chilly days and nights.

-Two pairs of ballet flats by London Sole, one pair of heels(Ferragamo are the most comfortable), and one pair of gold sandals.

There you have it… my packing notes for an early spring foray through Europe.

I would love to know how you pack for your spring holidays…

After spending a very relaxing week in Portugal (Santa Barbara de Nexe to be exact), I now find myself in London enjoying the beautiful city- the not so beautiful weather- and the lovely people.

The weather was very agreeable in Portugal so I shouldn't complain too much... My days were spent swimming in the pool or laying on the beach and exploring small towns all throughout the Algarve- My nights spent dining with family and friends in the quaintest restaurants we could find.

The Portuguese are fabulous at doing seafood and the one of the restaurants that stood out the most for me, called O Alagoas, specialized in the most spectacular seafood kebabs. I had the monkfish and prawn combination... delightful.

So after spoiling myself with sunning, eating and doing virtually no work whatsoever, I now find myself in London where the culture and intrigue of the city has propelled me to get back to work on my book- which I shall (hasn't happened yet- but tomorrow... tomorrow).

I must also report that the light packing has really worked a treat. So far I haven't cursed myself for 'not bringing enough things' and I actually think I could have gotten away with packing less than I did! Who knew? At the end of my trip I will make a note of the items that I didn't use at all and store the information for later- in order to further my goal of becoming a connoisseur of packing!

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter and are enjoying your week...

Image by Thomas Wood