Travelling to fashion capitals each season, NET-A-PORTER‘s Market Director Libby Page has packing for trips down to a fine art.
Libby spends a lot of time in the sky and on the road, meeting with brands to gain insight into upcoming trends. Following a recent trip to Portugal (pleasure, not business), she takes us inside her perfectly curated holiday wardrobe.
Spending time between Comporta and Lisbon, Libby shares an insight into her impeccable style with all the pieces she packed for her recent summer holiday, as well as her beach and city restaurant recommendations.
Where did you go, where did you stay and for how long?
Portugal, for 11 days. I opted for balance, so I spent one week at the Alma Lusa Hotel in Comporta, and four days in Lisbon, staying in an apartment.
What was on your itinerary?
We spent most of our days either at Comporta beach or lounging by the pool reading lots of Shelia Heti and Coco Mellors’ Blue Sisters – it was spoiling to dive straight from one book to the next. Our idea of a day out was either cycling to the next village (Carvalhal or Melides) or trying out a new beach spot. To sleep lots, read, drink afternoon rosé, and live in the present with my best friend was the biggest luxury – and I loved just waking up and deciding where the day might take us.
We ate at Calvarica, Comporta Beach Café, Colmo Bar and GOMES. Calvarica is a converted horse stable and my favourite restaurant in Comporta, they serve oysters and lots of locally sourced fish and vegetable dishes. Comporta Beach Café is perfect for a lazy lunch on the beach; Colmo Bar is perfect for an aperitivo; and Gomes is for dining but also great for a daily supermarket shop. We had a private garden so I’d often ‘cook’ dinner for us – AKA compile a plate of sardines, anchovies and a salad.
Neighbouring villages Carvalhal and Melides were as charming as Comporta. In Carvalhal we shopped at STORK CLUB, a beautiful furniture and art store, as well as at Fashion Clinic (the store is better than the name, I promise) which was a total treasure trove and had the most incredible edit of resort brands and lifestyle. We ate at Sublime Beach Café and JNCQOUI Café, the latter a complete feast for the eyes.
In Melides (which we ended up at spontaneously) a friend of mine Jurgita had a gallery space for her brand Project213A showing beautiful chairs, paintings and art. She and her co-founders were drawn to Melides because of the artistic crowd that gather there, and they love its unassuming nature. You’ll also find The Vermelho Hotel, here; it’s owned discreetly by Christian Louboutin, who owns most of the local village.
Lisbon was all about exploring the city on foot and eating as much as possible. We ate and drank at Boavista Social (a very cool, relaxed record store-come-restaurant and bar); Vago (a basement cocktail bar); Manteigaria for Pastel de Nata’s; Neighbourhood for delicious brunch; and Porto Final which for me was the best local restaurant and dining experience of the whole trip. To get here, we took the Ferry to Almada, queued for one hour with a glass of wine in hand and then, finally, sat right on the water watching the sunset over Lisbon. We also went dancing at LuxFragile nightclub which has a good DJ and a cool setting – I would highly recommend it.
How did you decide what to pack for your trip?
I am often a pack-as-little-as-possible holiday goer but, having not been on a true beach holiday for almost one year (I would be being dishonest if I didn’t admit that I have taken plenty of work trips, short breaks or big travel trips), I wanted to use this as an opportunity to be excited and inspired about my holiday wardrobe. I always start with swimwear when packing for a beach holiday – you must buy it well so that you feel good – and it acts as the foundation for my holiday wardrobe. From there, I build cover-ups, separates and accessories around it, all with a complimentary colour palette, making sure I can re-use, re-wear and just add one or two different items per outfit each day to keep things interesting.
Where did you find inspiration for your outfits?
Comporta! Having done research on the hotel, as well as which restaurants and stores we might like to visit, it started to inspire what to pack. Combined with my usual sense of style, this meant that I felt like I had a good balance of classic looks that feel like my typical clean, paired-back aesthetic, but mixed with some more playful pieces. Given I was in Comporta for the longest time – and it’s where I had the most time to get dressed – I used these pieces as the basis for my Lisbon outfits. Lisbon was much more ‘get-up and go’ so I just added a few more practical things to my luggage to compliment the Comporta-inspired items.
What did you pack?
Lido Swimwear is a new NET-A-PORTER swimwear brand that has incredible fits in clean shapes and is available in every colour. Loewe X Paula’s Ibiza‘s scarf print pants, which I have been obsessed with ever since they dropped. MR PORTER hosted an event in Comporta last summer to celebrate the launch of this collection so I knew it would be a good fit for the environment. Matteau’s cover-ups are my all-time favourite brand for holiday pieces; they do prints for a minimalist girl and the colours and print on this pareo felt like it would really work against Comporta as a backdrop.
I kept my bags simple: one oversized tote to throw everything into and one semi-matching clutch to slot inside that. TOTEME have nailed summer bags for the city and beach this season. My NET-A-PORTER Aquazzura exclusive sandals are a summer essential, I love the jewellery detail on these and my pair from new brand Amanu. Accessories really allow you to switch up your outfit in a single second, so I added some enamel jewellery from Lie Studios and Sophie Buhai – this is a trend that’s been coming through this summer and pairs back nicely to my existing gold jewels. Not pictured, my un-sexy backpack I ran around Lisbon with!
What’s the dress code like in Portugal?
Overall, Portuguese style is playful and colourful, which I embraced by packing pieces that work for Comporta’s laidback beach vibe and the sense of practicality necessary for exploring Lisbon. I made sure everything stayed true to my love of a capsule wardrobe, while adding some more playful pieces than I’d normally opt for. I was amazed at how the stores and restaurants had such a relaxed, chic sensibility to them while being so vibrant with texture and colour, particularly in Carvalhal and Lisbon.
What is your favourite piece or outfit that you wore while there?
I loved my Matteau cotton cover-up, it tapped into my minimal style but still felt a little bohemian, in-keeping with the Comporta lifestyle.
Did you rewear or restyle outfits, or did you pack a different outfit for each day?
I wore everything I packed, which I was pleased about. Nothing sat in the suitcase which, as someone who is always drawn to the same pieces, is a refreshing move. I did re-wear my swimwear and accessories, switching them up and changing the combinations; my Le Scarf silk scarf became the most versatile accessory of the trip and my silk bandana shorts from Nili Lotan were great for both Comporta and Lisbon.
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Any Questions or Tips to add?