Perfect weather, beautiful Spanish-style architecture, excellent restaurants, and activities to suit a variety of tastes.
Guess where in this world you can find this combination of fabulousness so that you can live your best life?
A place where fashion and luxury coexist in a refreshing kind of way.
I thought I was dreaming when I received an invite, courtesy of Kia, to travel to Santa Barbara, California for a few days (a place that I have only visited in my mind).
For the weeks leading up to the trip I kept wondering about how to look fashionable for 4 luxurious days in Santa Barbara.
I received the itinerary for the luxe getaway (appropriately titled #KiaSBExp) and it was nothing short of incredible.
In order to really get the trip started off the right way we would be meeting at LAX, partnering up (Jenn Mercurio from DoubleDutyMommy was set to be my ride and drive roadie) and slipping into the quilted leather seats of the posh Kia Cadenza (or the Kia Optima SXL) for a picturesque drive along the Pacific Coast Highway.
Once we expertly weaved the Cadenza around the hills of Santa Barbara we were to end up at the Belmond El Encanto, which is known as one of the most iconic resorts in all of Santa Barbara.
This incredible resort is set among lush hills, overlooks the sparkling ocean and is a haven of privacy plus relaxation. The description alone of the Belmond El Encanto had me never wanting to return before the trip even began.
After our arrival on day one the Kia Family was going to congregate at a lovely restaurant named Loquita to enjoy a delicious dinner and drinks.
Day two we were all scheduled to relax and rejuvenate at the spa, followed up by private wine tours and tastings at Grassini Family Vineyards and Sunstone Winery. Dinner on the second day was actually going to be wine paired and served right inside the cavern of Sunstone Winery.
Day three was set to be an adventurous one as we were going to be taking a ferry to the Channel Islands to participate in cave kayaking.
To cap off this luxury experience we would all be enjoying a sunset dinner cruise on a private yacht to say bon voyage to the #KiaSBExp experience in style.
Sunset views in Santa Barbara.
After reviewing the amazing itinerary, my first question to myself was, “how to look fashionable for 4 luxurious days in Santa Barbara“.
My immediate thought was what do I wear on an almost 6 hour flight, because I like to be comfy when I fly. This time was different because I knew we would be getting right off the plane and into a beautiful new Kia Cadenza for about a 2-hour drive.
I wanted my fashion to reflect the classy, yet indulgent feel of the car, so I choose a comfy, yet stylish olive-green jumper, which had some excitement thanks to its open back. I decided to make the outfit really pop with a colorful necklace.
My plan, upon exiting the plane, was to slip off my Tieks and quickly add some height with a pair of bright yellow wedges that I hoped almost matched the car’s headlights.
I was nervous at making sure that I would be appropriately dressed for each of the events, so I reached out to my friends Alice (Thrill of the Chases) and Cristen (The Naptime Reviewer). They both suggested starting by requesting a StitchFix box, and in the profile explaining to the stylist that I was heading to Santa Barbara for an event.
I received my StitchFix box a few days before we were scheduled to leave (yes I am a last-minute packer). When I opened the box I immediately saw a dress that would be perfect for the first night of dinner at Loquita. The dress was a was a floral maxi that had the option of being worn cold shoulder style.
My outfit choice for vineyard hopping on day two was a well-fitted pair of gray soft jeans along with a red, floral, ruffle-tiered top. I secretly hoped that the red would stand out perfectly against the lush green background at the wineries.
Last minute I decided to up the chic factor by literally topping the outfit off with a classic straw hat.
For the sunset dinner cruise on a private yacht, I choose to bring a beautiful v-neck plaid dress that offered the appropriate amount of twirl factor.
I was so excited to have found this dress while exploring the all new Disney Springs over the fourth of July weekend with my family.
You may not believe this, but even better is that it was on clearance at Anthropologie.
Now that you know how to look fashionable for 4 luxurious days in Santa Barbara, its time to start planning your trip and get packing!
Stay tuned to check out where I will be traveling to next. Let me give you a hint – it’s a road trip that is full of soul.
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Ive never been in Santa Barbara but it looks so beautiful! Your outfits are perfect for such a great scenery! Love that maxi dress! Well done!
Santa Barbara is such a lovely place to visit and I hope you get the chance to someday.
I love how you styled that printed dress!
All of these outfits are so cute! I love California and hope to make it out to Santa Barbara soon!
Thank you for the kind words! I hope you get to visit there someday.
girl! that was a great outfit from a plane straight to your ride, and I’ve heard of Stitchfix before, I think I’ll look into them too! Great post!
Thank you so much for the kind words! Stitch fix is fabulous, definitely check them out.
u look beautiful 🙂 well written !
I hope you get to visit someday because it truly is a beautiful place. Thank you for stopping by and reading. I too am in love with plaid.