Recently I’ve been in packing mode. I don’t have trips coming up this month, but I do have a few on the horizon for early summer. And I like to plan ahead so that packing is a little easier when it’s go time. Today I’m sharing a favorite travel dress you won’t leave home without once you invest in it.
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I spent a couple of hours yesterday working ahead on my packing capsule for my upcoming trip to London and the Cotswolds. It’s a little tricky this time around because we’ll be doing a little “walking” in the countryside as the British say, but to us Americans that translates as mild hiking. So I must carry or wear waterproof hiking shoes and clothes that are suitable for the great outdoors. But earlier in the trip we’re spending time in London, having tea and such. For that I want to pack a few lightweight, easy dresses that will look nice with sneakers as well as nicer shoes.
And that indeed is the one of the key essentials for a smart travel dress. It has to be versatile, as well as comfortable, breathable and easy to launder. The Brochu Walker Havana dress checks all of those boxes plus some. It’s an investment, for sure. But since this is a dress I reach for over and over, spring through fall, I don’t mind. After all, I’m on a mission to curate a sustainable wardrobe with fewer but more impactful items that I can enjoy year after year.
The Travel Dress I Don’t Leave Home Without
The Havana dress is one of those frocks that you really have to touch and put on your body before you fully appreciate the silky smooth and polished texture of the 65% polyester and 35% cotton blend fabric. The fabric alone sells me on this dress.
That blend sets this dress up for beautiful packability. I find that it’s ready to go, no iron or steamer needed, when I pull it out of my suitcase. But if it does gain a few wrinkles on the journey, hanging it up for a few hours seems to do the trick. But the fabric is really only the first quality I appreciate about this favorite travel dress.
I also love the silhouette of this multifunctional dress. The tiered skirt is super flattering and easy-breezy comfortable. The dress does not come with a belt and really does not need one. It’s lovely worn loose and flowy. But I do like to cinch mine with the Brochu Walker saddle belt. I’m wearing the cognac, but it also comes in a soft beige suede, as well as navy and black leather options. It fits true to size; I’m wearing the m/l. And I love that you can easily adjust the belt to just the right fit, no holes needed.
I’ve worn the dress here with simple sandals and topped it with my denim chore jacket to protect from the night air. You can easily dress this simple but effective travel dress up or down, depending on your activity and setting.
This dress also looks pretty with sneakers or ballet flats. And you could add bold jewelry to brighten it up, maybe something in red or turquoise.
The website does say that they recommend dry cleaning, but I’ve washed mine in the machine on cold and air dried for really good results. You do need to press the dress on medium heat after laundering, if I remember correctly. Because the designer is French and trained at La Sorbonne, it shouldn’t surprise us that the interior of this Havana dress reveals beautiful doubled stitched French seams, which means the inside of the dress is as beautiful as the outside. The dress feels as beautiful as it looks and keeps you cool and comfortable all day long. It runs true to size; I’m wearing a medium.
Best of all this pretty travel dress comes in a huge range of colors. I’m partial to the various blues and reds, but you’ll also find additional neutrals, too.
And of course, I refer to this dress here as a travel dress, but it’s perfectly suitable for so many spring, summer and fall occasions, including any given Tuesday. They rarely if ever run any sales at Brochu Walker, but I will definitely let you know if I ever see one. That said, I’ve found that the investment in this pretty dress has been a worthy one for me. I also shared this dress in this blog post last year, but it feels just as fresh and current for 2026. In that post I also shared its sister dress, the Mina, so you might want to check it out, too.
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Blessed for My Day
The biblical accounts of Jesus’ last night before His betrayal always stir my heart. Jesus’ angst and inner turmoil in these moments are almost palpable. This is perhaps the greatest example we have of Jesus’ humanity. He wrestles with His own grief and distress while also desiring greatly to be obedient to the Father. And of course He knows that if He does not follow through with the plan mapped out in Genesis 3:15, then we could never be reconciled to the Father. We would be without hope.
Ultimately it was more than a strict code of obedience that led Jesus out of that garden and into the prophesied events to come. Jesus was compelled by love. Love for His Father, but also love for you and me. Let’s allow the power of that thought to sit on us today as we draw near to Good Friday.
Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to His disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.” ~ Matthew 26:36-38
I bought this dress last year based on your recommendation and I love it for all the reasons you mention. I get so many compliments when I wear it. But the dry clean only instructions through me off, good to know that you can wash and hang it.
You look lovely in the dress. Please share what you are thinking about taking on your London and Cotswold trip. You mentioned navy and I usually pick navy for travel too.
Kay, My husband and I did this exact trip last May, 2025. We did 5 days in London first, then headed to the lovely Cotswolds for the 2nd half of our trip. You are in for a treat. I definitely could go back. Enjoy!
Wonderful! Do you have any tips about what to wear/pack? I’m really wrestling with this right now. I’d love to hear your perspective.
Kay I don’t know if you follow Jo-Lynne Shane but she went on the same trip last year…. I believe Spring and she posted her clothes capsule and all about what she wore once there etc etc She really knows how to travel and she’s getting great at carry on only too when she wants to. I don’t know how she packs so much in a smaller suitcase. lol I highly recommend going to her blog and finding her post on this trip. She will answer any questions you have too.
Yes, Jo-Lynne went on a similar trip, but they didn’t do the hiking that we will be doing. I have indeed already studied her travel capsule in depth and got a lot of inspiration from it. In fact, I purchased this cashmere cardigan yesterday in navy. She wore it in black on her trip. It was on sale yesterday, but it’s not now. My biggest quandary right now is the shoes. She took two pairs of sneakers that are basically street sneakers. But I’ve got to have waterproof hiking shoes and I want sneakers for other days that will give me plenty of mileage, too. I’m pretty good at doing carry-on only, so I’m not too concerned about that. But I’m more interested in the weather…