2 Girls, 1 Suitcase: How They Survived a Whole Vacation Without Killing Each Other
By Laurel Pantin and Emily Holland
A few years back, when Emily Holland and I first met while working at Glamour, sparks did not fly. I believe she told her boss she thought I was “weird” — and I thought she was weirder. But one night, she invited me to Shred For Your Life, and six months later, we were on our way to Tulum as best friends.
Over the course of those six months, Emily and I realized how many wardrobe doubles we had. We both had the exact same baby-sized Chanel purse, the same jeans, and we both have the same go-to shade of red nail polish. Because we’re silly dorks, we embraced it and started buying matching clothes to play it up. In our bags to Tulum were matching white Birkenstocks, identical Levi’s shorts, and matching Budweiser bikinis. One year for Halloween, we dressed up as the dancing emoji kitty cat girls. Since then, we’ve been on a couple of trips together. We’re buddies with a capital B, and share everything — especially clothes — when we’re traveling.
For our trip this year, we spent a week in the Cyclades and decided to pack just one Tumi Alpha 2 bag for the both of us. Despite having so much outfit overlap, we have very different personal style. Emily tends towards the understated, casual, ‘70s vintage-inspired end of the spectrum while I love sparkle and pattern. She’s folk and I’m disco. We were curious to see how we’d each wear the same pieces, which would be the favorites, and whether or not it’s possible to spend a week together with just one carry-on between the two of us.
Day One
All photos courtesy of Laurel Pantin and Emily Holland
Laurel: “A caftan-y beach dress is usually second on my beach packing list after a bikini. I love this one from Raquel Allegra. It looks polished, but is really light and easy to wear. This Figue bag is one of my favorite things of all time and is kind of perfect for a beach trip.”
Eugenia Kim Emmanuelle Fedora, $365 $145, available at Eugenia Kim; Lucy Folk Our Apple Sweet N Low Sunglasses, $350, available at Avenue 32; Raquel Allegra Tunic Dress, $772 $309, available at Boutique 1; Figue Medium Multi Tuk Tuk Tote, $595, available at Figue; Soludos Leather Sandal, $65, available at Soludos.
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Day One
Emily: “I’m not usually a peasant-top kid of girl, but when in Greece, right? The lightweight material was loose, so it didn’t stick to my body as we wandered the town streets. To make it more me, I paired it with some vintage feeling high-waisted Topshop shorts and a solid color flat.”
Tory Burch Embroidered Silk Peasant Top, $395, available at Tory Burch; Topshop Lace-up Shorts, $68, available at Topshop; Ancient Greek Sandals Alethea Sandals, $158.56, available at Ancient Greek Sandals; Prism Capri Sunglasses, $394.24, available at Prism.
Day Two
Laurel: “This Tory Burch skirt makes me crazy, I love it so much. The woven texture is really fun and I’m nuts about the fringe. These Ancient Greek Sandals are my go-to and I love this J & M Davidson bucket bag. Clearly, this is my ‘blending in to the environment’ outfit.”
Maryam Nassir Zadeh Cropped Tank, $303 $122, available at Mr. Larkin; Tory Burch Woven Skirt, available at Tory Burch; J & M Davidson New Daisy Leather Bag, $880.58, available at Endource.
Day Two
Emily: “This Maryam Nassir dress was one of my favorites to wear. As a stylist, I’m always thinking about how to wear something— this one required zero thought, which was exactly what I wanted during my time away from work. It was great to share everything — including a purse. Hands free = carefree!”
Maryam Nassir Zadeh Carnelia Dress, $653, available at Bona Drag.
Day Three
Emily: “I have a bit of a denim obsession, so naturally we had to bring a denim piece. This Topshop skirt was so easy and looked great with everything. I paired it with a white Maryam Nassir Zadeh top — the perfect combo for coordinating with the white buildings of the island. The simplicity of this outfit meant I could carry this embellished and pom-pom adorned tote by Figue and still feel like myself.”
Topshop Moto Button Front A-Line Skirt, $52, available at Topshop.
Laurel: “Stripes, embellishment, and patterned sunnies is my idea of outfit heaven! This striped top is by Atea Oceanie, one of my absolute favorite British brands. Striped, long-sleeve tees are a must-bring on beachy trips. I’m not usually a high-waisted shorts girl, but I dug this pair by Topshop. They’re definitely more of an Emily item, but the lace up front is really cool.”
Tory Burch Crossbody Bag, available at Tory Burch.
Day Four
Laurel: “We wore matching Sleepy Jones jammies because we’re the ultimate dorks. Every morning, we’d walk into town and get these iced espressos. Emily’s had barely any sugar. Meanwhile, mine was basically candy. Maybe a good analogy of our personal styles?”
Sleepy Jones Marina Pajama Shirt, $168, available at Sleepy Jones; Sleepy Jones Paloma Pajama Short, $58, available at Sleepy Jones.
Emily: “Why not let your freak flag fly when you’re in a place where you don’t know anyone?”
Sleepy Jones Agnes Mandarin Collar Shirt, $218, available at Sleepy Jones; Sleepy Jones Paloma Pajama Short, $58, available at Sleepy Jones.
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Day Five
Emily: “Laurel picked up this hat in town one day. I have a lot of freckles and am super-disciplined about wearing a hat in the sun. Also, I love a one-piece bathing suit! In my opinion (and my partner’s), they can be even sexier than a two-piece.”
Laurel: “Our ode to the Greek flag, in matching Proenza Schouler one-pieces.”
Proenza Schouler Barbell One-Piece Swimsuit, $375, available at Barneys New York.
Day Six
Laurel: “This Maryam Nassir Zadeh dress is one of my favorite things on planet Earth. I love the color and that it’s super sexy in an old-school, Sicilian lady way.”
Soludos Leather Sandal, $65, available at Soludos.
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Day Six
Emily: “This caftan by Raquel Allegra turned out to be a total winner on this trip. Greece is hot and this guy looked great and kept you cool. I wore it to the market and the beach. I paired mine with these great extra-Grecian wrap sandals by Brother Vellies because, again, when in Greece!”
Brother Vellies Zanzibar Linen Sandal, $265, available at Brother Vellies.
Day Seven
Laurel: “I love this combo of patterned top and pom poms! More! More! More! This shirt is actually the top half of my Sleepy Jones set, but it’s so cute, there’s not really anywhere I wouldn’t wear it.”
Day Seven
Emily: “This outfit was A LOT for me. Stripes on stripes is normally more of a Laurel move, but this Chance tank top is my new obsession, so I was happy to wear it with everything.”
Chance Cami Tank: Greece, $56, available at Chance.
Day Eight
Emily: “Denim and stripes is a combo we both aspire to often. I tend to lean toward a more relaxed fit in denim when I travel, so I wore my new favorite pair of vintage Levi’s with another Chance striped shirt.”
Chance Signature Boatneck, $68, available at Chance.
Laurel: “Travel outfit! I always fly in jeans and bring a long-sleeve (usually striped) tee or sweater. This Chance tank top was another winner on the trip. It’s so soft and light and reminds me (in the most awesome way) of something I would have begged my mom for from Delia*s. I also love these goofy Paige jeans. They’re bell-bottoms, but I cropped them above the ankle. I like to think they make my (very very very small) butt look good.”
Tumi Alpha 2 International Expandable 4-Wheeled Carry-On, $625, available at Tumi.
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