UV Couture: Travel Clothing

On my recent trip to Costa Rica I brought along something that I’ve been holding onto for a while. A few months ago Heather  McCartney (not that one)  sent me a top from her UV Couture collection. She offered it with no requirements.  She had seen my travel stories, knew that I packed light for my trips and thought I might like to try out. From the moment it arrived I knew she understood me.

Here’s why:

Fresh from the tiniest corner of bag – no iron required!

1. Most people think that my dark skin means that I’m not concerned about UV protection. Not true. While the melanin in black skin means we’re less susceptible to sunburn we can still get sun damage.
2. I love  (read: LOVE!!!) the sun! So giving up those gorgeous rays is never going to be an option, and
3. While I’d happily live my life in flip flops and sleeveless tank tops, there are times when long sleeves are called for. Sad, but true.

The “Sarah Crossover” top that Heather sent me was tailor made for my concerns. The wrap design is stylish, the long sleeves made me feel like I was laughing in the face of light winds  and knowing that it could carry me from an afternoon cocktail right through to an after-dinner cocktail (the trip did seem to have a bit of a theme…) made it a great packing companion and with 50+ UV protection I didn’t have to worry about sun damage.

Also great? It doesn’t wrinkle! Often I’m in spots where I either don’t have time to iron or there is no iron in the room. The more items I have in my bag that can be crumpled into a ball and still look good the better.

Stylin’ in my Sarah Crossover top.

My only concerns with the top? I felt that while the look was great and the feel was great, the sleeves were a bit more snug than I’d have liked. Could it have been the endless desserts I was consuming on the trip? Maaaaaybbeeee but I think I’d have preferred a looser sleeve. Also, as a lady with a long torso and a trunk with ample junk (still looking at you desserts!)  –  I like tops that fall a little lower in the back.

Overall though I thought the quality of the product was good and knowing that it was doing my skin good was a bonus. I’m also not shy to admit that I got a few compliments on the colour and style when I wore it. (Thank you!)

The top retails for $115 which is comparable to other tops I’ve purchased for travel wear. It’s a price I’d be willing to pay for a top that carries me from day to night like this one did with no requirement of dry-clean only care (hand or machine wash and line-dry).

So would I recommend it? Yup. I think you should try it on before you head out on your vacation to make sure you’ve got the best fit for you and then you should happily crumple it in a ball in your suitcase knowing it’ll still look sharp when you need it!

Thanks for sending it over Heather. I’m looking forward to seeing what else your travel line has to offer.

Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post. All opinions, as always, are my own.