Completely addicted to: packing collages.

[Shopbop’s July 4th packing list. Feast thine eyes!]

I’ve always been a huge sucker for “packing lists”—they were the pages I ripped out of all my VOGUE‘s back in the day.

When someone asked me what I wanted to do when I grew up, it was that: I want to compile the packing pages for fashion magazines. On my college winter internship request form, I wrote “fashion writing/collages” in the desired occupation—no one had a clue what I was talking about. [Anyone today who’s read a blog would nod knowingly.] Working at a magazine scared me, but if I could swoop and poop a packing collage once a month, it’d be perfect.

Packing collages, in the scheme of this medium, are like being hired to sift through a variety of cookies and make a giant smiley face platter out of your favorites.

Case in point: Sarah Jane’s lovely sailing collage, from her blog Walking Around Where the Sidewalk Begins*:

With that, I present to you my own July 4th packing list/outfit collage, courtesy the fine selection over at Shopbop.com. Clearly I’m bypassing the red, white and blue [we’ve had issues with keeping to the straight and narrow with this holiday in the past, seen: here and here.] but our 4th will be spent settling into our new neighborhood, watching fireworks at Dogwood Dell, munching Cuban food, without Internet, and unpacking boxes of vinyl records—it seemed appropriate.

Click to enlarge.

[Clockwise from left: Oliver Peoples J Gold sunglasses, Madewell Montauk mesh pullover, Club Monaco leather rope bracelet, Jenny Bird Uptown Native lariat necklace, Dannijo Reid iPhone case, Jen’s Pirate Booty shell ring, Marc by Marc Jacobs nylon hobo, Matthew Williamson python tie dye scarf, Kenny Guadalajara shorts, Jean-Michel Cazabat Zesta wedges, CC Skye Gigi Cuff.]

We’ll check back in from RVA. Time to hit the dusty… have a fantastic holiday weekend!

-Carey