Now that I’m back from Chicago, I’m slowly getting caught up on my e-mail, the Portland Argentine tango scene, blog reading, and laundry (not necessarily in that order). Next on my agenda: following up on my travel wardrobe with a comprehensive report (which promises to span several posts), including what I packed, what I actually wore, what I wish I hadn’t bothered taking, and what I was fervently glad to have with me.

Aside: Feeling pun-challenged today? ORD is the airport identifier code for Chicago’s O’Hare airport, and thus the rich source of my quasi-clever titles. End of aside.

First up, though, is the solution to the minor wardrobe emergency of which I wrote in my last post before heading to Chicago. Remember this printed top, a key player in my original wardrobe plan?

The day before I flew out, I was shopping for shoes, wearing this top (the better to test with potential new shoes) when I suddenly noticed several teeny-tiny holes in the front of my top! Considering that I hadn’t noticed these holes myself until they were exposed by the world’s most unflattering fluorescent lighting, I toyed with the idea of ignoring them (they really were almost microscopic). Then I realized that I would just be hyper-conscious of the holes whenever I wore the top, and ultimately decided that feeling good when I put on my clothes is more important than being able to pack a well-loved top.

However… It was the only print item in my wardrobe plan. I didn’t have any more tops that would work with my color palette. Oh, and I had almost no time at all to shop for a replacement.

All this was running through my mind in the middle of the shoe store. Was I upset? Yes. Fresh out of ideas for a solution? Definitely. The only thing that saved me from a full-blown packing panic was knowing I had a decision to make at that moment:

Whimsical Italian-made leather-flower-trimmed sandals? Or iridescent metallic leather wedge sandals?

Bless you, shoe goddesses, for distracting me with this grave dilemma— it occupied my mind just long enough to calm down about the whole hole-y top business. By the time I was in the parking lot, I’d decided to head to Target; I needed to pick up some last-minute travel-sized items anyway, and I could look for a top while I was there.

1 hour later…

Success! With less than 24 hours to go before departure, I found not only a lightweight cotton/rayon print jersey top in the right color palette, but also a long sage-green cotton tank top (perfect for layering, as you’ll see in my next post), totaling a mere $21.00! Hurrah!

With this last-minute crisis averted, I was finally ready to pack! In my next follow-up post (2 of 3, or possibly 4— you know how I go on about these things), I’ll not only show you what I took with me, I’ll tell you the rationale behind the choice of each item, including accessories. If you’ve ever gone on a trip with a suitcase full of clothes, and found yourself with all the wrong stuff— believe me, this has happened to me— you won’t want to miss these reports!

After all, aren’t you at least just a little curious to know which shoes I picked?