Beach Trip Packing Checklist: Top 10 Ladies Essentials

2. The Bathing Suit Cover-up. This gauzy dress is ideal to throw on over your bathing suit before you hit the beach. And it’s pretty enough, with enough coverage, that you can be comfortable heading over to the casual resort restaurant for lunch in it. It's got great detail, like the empire waist to give you some comfortable shape, and the beachy fringe at the hem. This will be in your summer essentials for seasons – and vacations – to come.

3. The Easy Evening Look. When the day winds down, and you’re showered and changed, you want something easy to wear that is still pulled together and stylish. This Joie jumpsuit is our top pick. If you are traveling with kids, having pants and a hook-and-eye closure to the surplice neckline will be a blessing. But with or without children, you’ll love the look of this contemporary, yet easy, dress replacement. Wear flat sandals for a casual look, or heels with some statement jewelry to dress it up. We also love adding a saddle or metallic belt to conceal the comfy elastic waist. It comes in chic white, too. If you prefer a dress, this tie dye maxi is ruched and pleated in all the right places.

4. The Knit Top. We know how hard it can be to find a great fitting tee. James Perse, one of our absolute favorite resources for knits, comes through with this ridiculously soft cotton slub one. The fabric is semi-sheer, but you get plenty of coverage with just a nude bra. Of course, it’s the fit that makes this our top pick. The short sleeve hits your arm at just the right flattering spot, and the body eases out from its traditional contemporary fit to a looser fit around the torso that ends in an oh-so-flattering rounded hem. Seriously, this is THE tee. It will hold up wash after wash, and it won’t shrink up. It comes in some great faded neutrals, including white – stock up.

5. The Laid-back Shorts. A pair of boyfriend style denim shorts is an effortless go-to for a beach trip. The looser contemporary fit – think boyfriend-style jeans with an overall easy styling, but in shorts – makes them a comfortable and durable option, especially if you’ll be taking some hikes or trips into town (or chasing down some kids). These AG’s are in a perfectly broken-in wash that you’ll get plenty of use out of all summer. If denim is not your thing, we are equally obsessed with these French terry shorts.

6. The Light Evening Layer. Velvet describes this open cardigan as having “beachy sensibility” and we think that sums it up perfectly. The open mesh-like stitch provides just the coverage you need when the breeze comes off the water. The beautiful navy is versatile, so it will work with anything from neutral whites, greys, and beiges to any pop of color in your vacation wear. It’s made of cotton, with the smallest touch of cashmere for a silky soft finish. If you prefer a pullover, they’ve got that, too.

7. The Relaxing Pants. Easy and comfortable can still look chic, as Tory Burch exemplifies in these textured linen pants. The thin stripes are surprisingly elongating, and the drawstring waist is not only comfortable, but slimming. These pants look great with a simple white tank or tee, that’s not too oversized, to balance the wide leg of the pants. You can also punch it up with yellow, coral, even pink for a fun contrast. The fit is Tory Burch’s typical modern fit, and you can find more sizes (up to XL) at Tory Burch’s website.

8. The Sandals. We are obsessed with the oversized flowers on these Melissa jelly sandals. They are so pretty, we want to put them in a vase. Oversized florals are a big trend this season – wearing them on our sandals is just ideal. And, really, wear these with everything – your jeans, shorts, a simple dress or jumpsuit. The black-and-white color combination is modern and sleek, while the off-white blush (click through the “shop it” button to see that one) is soft and sweet. We adore them both.

9. The Sunglasses. These are over-sized with a slight cat shape that is so flattering on most women – and we know how hard that is to find in a pair of sunglasses. You can see how they look on, courtesy of this picture. Not only will you look good, they’re from Ray-Ban, so the quality is great and they have 100% UV protection.

10. The Fun-in-the-Sun. We love having fun at the beach and by the pool, but we don’t love potentially ruining our phone or camera by getting them wet to capture the moment. HTC has solved this with their new Re camera. It’s tiny, which we love, and super easy to use – which we love more. Oh, and it’s waterproof down to 3 feet for 30 minutes (and almost 10 feet, for up 2 hours, just by adding the optional waterproof cap). It even does video. It looks great, too – choose from this sleek white, blue or orange.