On the Go with M.M. LaFleur

Personally and professionally, I am always on the go. Whether it is on a plane to visit family in Los Angeles, in a car for meetings down in Tribeca – the life of a working mom requires agility.

I will write a separate post on traveling with a baby, but a lot of the tips I share below are relevant to both. A quick side note, when I travel with Scarlett, I almost always forget something important for myself because I’m so focused on getting everything perfect for her.

1. Find the right bag. I always travel with a rolling bag, a tote, and a small purse that I can throw my iPad and a pen inside and take to meetings with me. When boarding a plane, I always throw this bag inside my tote so it doesn’t look like I’m trying to get three bags on the plane.

2. Pack efficiently. And choose the right items. Part of the reason why I decided to partner with M.M. LaFleur on this post was because they make the absolute best travel pieces. Whether you are going to be out and about in meetings or hopping in a car or on a plane, the need for adaptable clothing is critical. For example, this Dougherty Coat doesn’t wrinkle. So if the day starts cool, then warms up, you can literally roll it up and through it in the tote. If you need to wear it at the end of the day, it can unroll completely unwrinkled.

The coat also is multi-purpose, which is the most important attribute of an article of clothing to consider when packing with limited space. You can wear it as an actual jacket, or as a sweater belted with skinny pants. I’ve worn it both ways.

Packing efficiently is more than just what you pack. How you pack is also important. Although I never fully adapted to Marie Condo’s folding philosophy, I did pick up a few tips from her and others:

• Fold items neatly (I do a normal fold, and then fold whatever item I have in half) and stack them. Folding clothes into little packages allows you to fit more in a bag. With these folds come ton of wrinkles, though, so choose items that are wrinkle free. Gabrielle is shown here wearing our favorite M.M. LaFleur Shaw Pant and Charli top.
• Pack in plastic bags in the order that you’ll wear things! I’ve been doing this for years. If you plan for each day and pack in bags, its so easy to grab and trade bags without making a mess!

3. Comfort is key. Whatever your mode of transportation, if you have a busy travel day ahead of you, stay comfortable. There are plenty of comfortable options out there so don’t even think about putting on that stiff dress that is slightly too tight in the waist and too loose in the shoulders. I absolutely love this M.M. LaFleur Jessica dress for days I’m running from uptown to midtown to downtown – especially in the rain because it is just so comfortable. The tie at the waist is adjustable and (this is a silly point, but important) the print masks any stains! If you’re anything like me, you’re bound to spill a tiny drop of that coffee you refuss to throw out before your cab ride on your new dress..

Better yet, most of M.M. LaFleur‘s pieces are machine washable, and I (without fail) make a mess on my travel days.

4. Bring snacks! A friend of mine recently introduced me to pre-packaged olives which have become a staple to keep in any of my travel bags. I also always have a ziplock bag filled with nuts. I can’t even count the times I’ve hit traffic and the 30 minute lunch I left myself between meetings was wiped, or the times I’ve had delays at airports forced to eat really unhealthy food. Even when things ahead look like they’ll be smooth, I always have a few small snacks in all of my bags.

5. Beauty essentials. Everyone has their list, but my short list includes a mini hair brush, a stick of cream blush, lip gloss and a mascara. If I’m in a bind and wind up going from a plane directly to a meal or meeting, I can usually spruce up my face with those few things without wasting too much space in my tote with tons of products. Pick your 4 – 5 products and invest in mini sizes! I keep all of mine in a tiny case that I can throw with me anywhere I go.

6. Don’t forget the medicine kit. This may seem obvious, but there have been too many times I either get a blister on my food that starts bleeding (or just hurts) or suddenly get a migraine when I’m miles away from home. When I’m on the road, I always grab a few bandaids, Advil, and an Excedrin Migraine, just in case!

M.M. LaFleur was made by women – for women like us. They understand all the hurdles we have to get through to get from a – z (whether that a – z is a location, or even a carreer milestone.) Their pieces are professional, wearable, durable – and now I know, also incredibly travel friendly.

They recently introduced a new travel collection, Up Up & Away to shop from on their site that I highly recommending checking out if you are always on the go like me!

Use the promo code thatpencilskirt50 to receive a $50 gift toward your first purchase of $250 or more (new customers only!)

Shop our M.M. LaFleur looks below

This post was sponsored by M.M. LaFleur