How to Not Look Like a Weirdo When You Travel

When I travel I always run into the same issue: how do I dress like myself without looking like a total freak? Disappearing into the fashion of whatever part of the world I'm visiting always makes me feel like I'm losing myself. Unsatisfying. Not acknowledging the fashion differences at all makes me self-concious, like I'm completely clueless to my new surroundings and might as well have just stayed home. Instead, I like the challenge of incorporating a local style into my own and seeing what happens. It's been raining, not snowing, for about two days now up on Boston's North Shore. After a lazy morning at home, Seth and I needed to venture out to run some errands. The gray-ness seemed like the perfect excuse to finally break out my new fishermans sweater.

Seeing as I'm not normally the New England coast sweater type, how do I make it look like me and not just me playing dress up? The formula I've put together over many years of traveling is this:

Bring in classic pieces from the place you're visiting...

And add some very "you" pieces to mix...

What you get is a style uniquely your own. You don't blend in. You don't look clueless. You look very very you. I mixed some functional New England staples (fishermans sweater, puffy vest, knit hat) with some fun pieces of my own (tie-dye jeans, chunky black heels, ray-bans) and got an outfit that made me feel like a happy New England me.

fishermans sweater, J.Crew Crewcuts; puffy vest, Land's End (old, similar here); tie-dye jeans, Current/Elliot (via Twice); hat, old; shoes, Vince Camuto (free at clothing swap); bag, BCBG (old); sunglasses, Ray-Ban;

And don't you worry your little head. When we stopped to grab these pictures and admire the fog on the water, we obeyed the rules and did not park in the no parking area.

Or in the shellfish warden's special spot.

Oh North Shore, you're so great.