First things first: I'm sorry for showing up in your inbox with fall content in the middle of July 😅

If you're in full sandals and pool float mode, please stay there. Save this email and enjoy your summer.

But if you're traveling this fall, we need to start now, not in September. Fall pieces need time: ordering, trying on, returning, reordering, breaking in. September shoppers get whatever's left in their size. July shoppers get the best options.

So. The poll results are in, and your top 3 fall packing problems are:

🥇 Three seasons, same day. How do I dress for this?

🥈 How many layers do I need? I always bring too many.

🥉 Shoes. They take up my whole bag.

Today: dressing for a day that starts at 45 degrees and ends near 70, without packing your entire closet. Exact quantities included, so you know how many layers to bring.

Next Sunday, the problem so many of you keep telling me about: completely different climates in ONE trip. Last time I spent fall in Italy, we chased the warm weather south. This time we're staying north, straight into the cold. Same country, same months, two VERY different packing lists. And the difference between those two lists is exactly what you need to see when your one trip covers both climates.

And shoes are getting a whole email of their own very soon (I'm living inside *and solving* that problem as we speak).

Now, the fix for the three season day: Stop packing outfits. Pack one outfit that works like a thermostat.

A day with three seasons doesn't need three outfits. It needs one outfit you can turn up and down: base layer, sweater, jacket.

Add as it cools, shed as it warms, and what comes off rides in your day backpack. (which should also be your personal item. I got this one for fall travel. The other one I have is more for summer)

The catch: this only works if your layers are thin, work alone, AND work together. So let me show you exactly what I'm packing for three months of this weather in Northern Italy, and why.

1️⃣ The base layer: merino, only merino.

(Quick vocab moment, because I get this question a lot: merino and merino wool are the same thing. Merino is a breed of sheep, and its wool is much finer and softer than the itchy wool sweaters you're picturing. If a label says "merino blend," check the percentage.)

Merino keeps you warm without any bulk, breathes when the afternoon heats up, and can be worn multiple times between washes. I'm packing two and testing them head to head, because the price points are very different:

✅ The merino base layer from Quince: longer cut, so it's great if you have a long torso. (size down if you want it more fitted)

✅ The one from Unbound Merino, which comes in a V neck and a crewneck. These people do merino and nothing else, and it shows. Heads up: it runs small.

I'll be counting exactly how many wears I get out of each before laundry and how warm they keep me, and I'll report back with numbers.

Two rules for base layers: go slim (slim layers, easy stacking), and keep the base layer lighter than the sweater over it. No black base under a white sweater, it will shadow through.

And for the warmer fall days, a cashmere tee does the base layer job with short sleeves. Jacket and pashmina over it as the evening cools, done.

2️⃣ The sweaters: simple shapes, serious fabrics.

Crewnecks, V necks, turtlenecks. That's it. In cashmere or merino, with alpaca as the sneaky third option: warm, not bulky, and often gentler on the wallet.

I'm definitely bringing this alpaca turtleneck. The other contenders fighting for a spot in my carry-on: a merino crewneck, this cashmere sweater, a cashmere turtleneck, and a V neck cashmere. I'll show you which ones make the final cut.

❌ What I'm NOT bringing: oversized sweaters. Cute on paper, useless under a jacket. Same for bat wings, puffy sleeves, and anything bulky.

Take this dolman sleeve henley as an example: gorgeous worn on its own. But dolman sleeves have all that extra fabric under the arm, and a jacket sleeve is fitted, so the fabric has nowhere to go. It bunches, drags the whole sweater up, and you spend your day tugging it back down. Pretty piece, wrong job.

Which is why my biggest tip is this: try all your layers together before your trip, exactly how you plan to wear them. In your mirror at home, not during your vacation.

3️⃣ The top layer: puffers, chosen by month.

I'm packing two packable puffers. This hooded one in Loden for October and early November (the hood was the deciding factor). Then this burgundy one takes over for November and December, when Northern Italy stops playing around.

If your trip is milder than mine, a puffer vest might be all you need. And while I'm skipping the denim jacket this time (too cold where I'm headed), a denim chore jacket or a regular chore jacket are both great top layers for warmer fall trips.

I'm bringing this sweater blazer and probably this cashmere long cardigan. They're the pieces that make a base layer look like an outfit and add warmth without turning you into a snowman.

4️⃣ The accessories and the small stuff that quietly carries the whole system:

Aka, warmth without bulk.

✅ Merino tights. And try tights with pants too, not just skirts and dresses. Instant warmth upgrade.

✅ These socks just arrived and they're SO warm and soft.

✅ Bombas compression socks for flight days. My husband and I both wear them now. My feet got so swollen flying to Asia earlier this year that these became non negotiable for long flights.

✅ A beanie: this Quince one is on my list, but it's permanently sold out, so I'm stalking the restock. My husband's getting this merino one instead.

✅ A travel scarf: I ordered this one from Zestt Organics because the reviews are glowing and I'm making a point of testing a few brands beyond Quince this trip. It's waiting for me at my in laws', so verdict pending. I'm excited.

❌ Gloves: no. I know they make sense. I just dislike them 😅

So... how many layers is that, exactly?

Here's the part nobody tells you: for an 8-day fall trip, this whole system looks like this.

🧳 The fall layering formula:

• 2 merino base layers
• 1 cashmere tee (your warm day base)
• 3 thin sweaters
• 1 packable puffer
• 1 sweater blazer OR long cardigan (pick one, it's your "make it an outfit" piece)
• 1 pair of merino tights
• 1 scarf or pashmina

If you usually pack eight sweaters and wear three (I see you 👀), notice what's happening: the warmth here comes from combining thin pieces in the right fabrics, not from owning a thicker pile. When layers do the work, quantity stops being the answer.

Why do I keep saying "testing"?

Because I get to spend three months in Northern Italy trying packing lists for a living, and honestly? Pinch me 🥹

Here's my plan: one complete carry-on packing list at a time. I'll wear it, count the wears, figure out the laundry rhythm, find out which pieces keep me warm on a foggy Milan morning and which ones betray me in the rain. Then I start the next list and do it all over again.

Full disclosure: I'm also bringing half of a checked bag of extras, because I'm creating content for at least 15 new blog posts while we're there. But every list I test and share with you fits in a carry-on. Promise. The checked bag is an occupational hazard, not a loophole.

And you get to come along. Photos, videos, wear counts, the wins and the fails, all of it lands right here in your inbox and on social, as it happens.

That's honestly my favorite part of this whole trip: you tell me what's stressing you out about fall packing, and I get to go figure it out for you, wearing the actual clothes, in the actual weather.

So tell me. Hit reply with your fall trip or your #1 packing headache.

Share with me all the details. This is what I'm here for. I read and answer every single one, and your replies are deciding what these emails solve next.

Can't wait to hear where you're going 💛

XO,

Aimara

PS: Next Sunday: fall in Italy, two ways. My old sun-chasing packing list vs my new cold-weather one, and what the difference teaches you about packing one bag for multiple climates.