USA – BASICALLY BRIT

Packing a Carry-on for Two Weeks in Italy

January 14, 2022by Britni McAshanLeave a Comment

Packing for two weeks in a carry-on? I never thought I’d be able to do it, but I finally did and it made our trip to Italy this fall so much better! From the ease of getting in and out of the airport and trains quickly to not fussing over what to wear each day, I cannot recommend packing light enough.

My husband and I had been planning a trip to Italy since 2019, but when the pandemic hit, our plans kept getting paused. We finally saw an opening for the trip this past Thanksgiving and jumped on the opportunity. We started our trip in Rome and went to Florence and Venice before coming home. We took trains to get everywhere and took a few day trips from Florence to explore vineyards, restaurants and the Tuscan countryside. Once we planned our trip, I knew packing lighter would make the trip a lot easier and more enjoyable for me and Will.

Maximizing your travel outfit will help immensely with your packing especially if you are traveling somewhere cold and need a thick jacket. I wore mine on the plane along with a heavy sweater and scarf. I had these clothes washed when we landed because I had been wearing them for about 24 hours and I planned to re-wear them for the flight home.

Black Zara Scarf, Black Sweater, Black Away Bigger Carry-on, Black MZ Wallace Large Tote
Black Joggers, Black and White Vejas, Black RP Coat

Since I planned out all of our activities and dinner reservations in advance, I knew what kind of clothes I would need for each day. From there, I picked a color scheme. This sounds a little odd, but by making sure my three pairs of shoes matched with everything I packed, I saved a ton of room in my suitcase!

Everyday Earring Set, Cashmere Sweater, Gold Hoop Earrings, White oversized Poplin Blouse, Black Sweater, White long sleeve tee x3, Mini Kelly Dupe, Sam Edelman Mules, Black Zara Imitation Leather Leggings, Re/Done Stovepipe Jeans, Mint Green Bikini, Nordstrom Pajama Set x2, Barbour Jacket, Black and White Vejas, Gucci Dupe Slides

I love traveling with the Bigger Carry-on from Away. I was able to comfortably fit all of these items and a few more I bought along the way. I found that rolling items like t-shirts and pajamas really saved a lot of room and my items weren’t too wrinkled once we landed.

Packing light was definitely more doable than I expected and made our trip so much more enjoyable. Jumping on and off of trains was a breeze and it wasn’t even that bad dragging my suitcase down cobblestone streets. I would highly recommend it for your next trip as well!

XO,

Brit

Party, Style

Fourth of July Styles for Every Kind of Celebration

June 27, 2021June 27, 2021by Britni McAshanLeave a Comment

The Fourth of July is just one week away. To prepare for patriotic celebrations of all kinds, I’m sharing my favorite red, white and blue styles today. From the pool and the beach to a bbq or dinner with friends, I’ve got you covered.

Sparkling Stars Headband, Mer-Made in the USA Tee, Navy Blue Maxi Dress, Red Picnic Mini Dress, Blue and White Linen Sleeper Dress, Red Crop Top, Red Midi Skirt, Blue and White Midi Dress, White Linen Maxi Dress with Rose Embroidery, Straw Loewe Bag, Baby Blue Freedom Moses Sandals, White High-rise Denim, Red and White Embroidered Blouse, Red, White and Blue Golden Goose, White Swim Tunic, Red Swimsuit, Blue Bow Mules, White cut-out Midi Dress

I personally love wearing a beautiful dress for the fourth because not only are they incredibly cute, they are also great for a hot day. If you’re hitting the pool or the beach, order this red swimsuit and white tunic cover-up ASAP! They are currently on a major sale at J.Crew and with luck, you can have it by the fourth.

However you choose to celebrate this year, I hope you all have a safe and happy holiday!

XO,

Brit

Wellness

Presidential Debate Serves as a Reminder to Register to Vote

September 29, 2020September 29, 2020by Britni McAshan1 Comment

President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden will take the stage tonight for the first presidential debate of 2020. While this debate will give voters more of a glimpse into the two candidates, it also serves as a reminder to register to vote. In Texas, the deadline to register to vote is Monday, October 5th. If you have moved, switched political parties, changed your name or haven’t voted in the past four years, you will need to register or re-register to vote.

If you’re not sure if you are registered, you can check your registration status here and also learn more information about polling locations, mail-in ballots and more. If you’re in Texas, votetexas.gov is a great resource to use for local voting information. According to the Houston Chronicle, 16.6 million Texans have registered to vote so far, an uptick of 1.5 millions voters since the last presidential election.

Graphic from the Ignatian Solidarity Network.

While I don’t intend to share my political beliefs on this blog, I don’t consider the act of voting as political. It has been said time and time again by both parties, that this election, no matter who wins, is going to change the future of our country and it is our civic duty and privilege to vote. Because voting is a privilege that many people around the world do not have, I think it is important to take this responsibility seriously and to inform yourself before the election.

When I was in high school, I was lucky enough to take speech and debate classes taught by a former speech writer for one of the presidents of the United States. Of course, we all wanted to know if she was a republican or democrat and who she worked for, but she wouldn’t tell us. On the first day of class she told us that she would never tell us which party she voted for, but that if you listened to what she said, you would know which party she aligned with. Rather than blindly following a party, I think we should all be able to clearly articulate why we are voting for a person based on their beliefs, agenda and policies. Until you are able to do that, you really aren’t prepared to vote.

To learn more about both candidates, tune into tonight to watch the first of three presidential debates. Tonight’s debate, held in Cleveland, will be the first debate where the presidential candidates will not shake hands because of coronavirus protocol and will give candidates a chance to speak about how the COVID-19 pandemic was handled, the economy and possibly the filling of Ruth Bader Ginsburg Supreme Court seat.

Are you watching the debate tonight? Leave me a comment and let me know!

XO,

Brit

Style

June Amazon Favorites

June 9, 2020by Britni McAshanLeave a Comment

Can you all believe it is already June?! This year has flown by and seemed like it was moving at a snails-pace all at the same time. But either way, I am ready for some fun in the sun and am sharing my favorite things on Amazon with you right now.

1. Annika Dress 2. Crop Top USA Sweatshirt 3. Flower Earrings 4. Wrap Skirt Cover Up 5. Daisy Round Sunglasses 6. High Waisted Scalloped Bikini 7. Jonathan Adler Pillow 8. Lilly Pulitzer Wine Tumbler 9. Parrot Earrings 10. Link Bracelet 11. Color Block Pleated Midi Dress 12. Balloon Monkey Money Bank 13. Wicker Picnic Basket Set for 4 14. Chunky Gold Chain Necklace

I recently got this blue swimsuit because it reminded of a modest version of the coveted Marysia swimsuits with the scalloped-detailing but at a MUCH lower price-point. While I do love the color of this swimsuit and the price ($23!!), I don’t love the fit. To be honest, the bottoms look kind of like a diaper, but I like it with this tie-dye cover-up that I got for $17 and it will be staying on all day! In the end, I do think you get what you pay for when it comes to swimsuits.

I’m sure you’ve seen the daisy sunglasses all over instagram lately and they are worth the hype…they are precious and surprisingly flattering on most face types. I LOVE this USA cropped sweatshirt for summer. It was only $17, but did take a while to get delivered. If you are thinking of wearing it for the Fourth of July, I would order it ASAP! I ordered a Large because I didn’t it want to be too short.

My friend, Erica, is the sweetest and got me this Lilly Pullitzer tumbler last summer and I use it all the time! It keeps my wine or cocktail chilled and it is just too cute! She also got me the parrot earrings for my birthday and I LOVE them!! I will be wearing them this week while we are at the beach with an all white outfit.

I found this precious picnic basket the other day and I realized I needed it. Growing up, my grandma would take me on picnics and she actually got me my own picnic basket, but it is up in Montana so this basket with stay with me at my house and I can go on picnics with my husband or girlfriends all the time!

What are you loving on Amazon lately? Leave me a comment and let me know!

XO,

Brit

Style

Brit’s Picks for Memorial Day Weekend

May 22, 2020by Britni McAshan1 Comment

Happy Friday!! Who else is ready for this three-day weekend? I am so excited to relax a little bit this weekend, hang out with my husband and see my friends. But there are also some amazing deals happening online right now that you do not want to miss!

In addition to the major sales at Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue, I’m sharing some of my favorite things this week including a dress and swimsuit that are 60 percent off at J.crew right now!!