Ice Ice Baby

A Very Extra and Over the Top Outfits Post About What I Wore in Iceland!

Hi friends!

I just got back from two, magical, wonderful, AMAZING weeks in Iceland!! I am absolutely heartbroken to be back in Colorado and am already planning on when I can go back. I experienced this once-in-a-lifetime trip with my mom! She is the best travel buddy there is and we had a great time exploring ice caves, riding Icelandic ponies, hiking a volcano, and snorkeling between tectonic plates. We spent 4 days in Reykjavik and 8 days traveling around the entirety of Iceland.

It’s the dream trip I’ve been planning for over a year and I can’t believe it’s over. Everything lived up to and exceeded all expectations. My next post will be a play by play about what we did there but this one is about the most important aspect: what did I wear?

I know, I know. You’re not at all interested in the scenery or adorable ponies, you want to see my cute outfits. Well beg no more, if you want some outfit ideas on how to dress extra in Iceland, read on!

A Brief Overview

I had one check in suitcase, one carry on, and a backpack that I crammed with cute sweaters, sets, and fabulous coats (plus a ton of camera equipment). Don’t worry, I was well aware and prepared to lug all of my junk all across Iceland so I could get the pictures I wanted and it was worth every stair I had to pull them up.

I am really happy with what I brought and, surprisingly, don’t think I overpacked much. I wore almost everything and wore it more than once. The only things I didn’t wear was one thermal top and my Chacos. My most worn items were my Timberland boots and the beanie I wore almost daily.

Sweater Weather

Iceland has the perfect weather for sweaters in the summer; it’s not too hot or cold. So if you’re going, pack your cutest ones and have a photoshoot in Reykjavik - or at least that’s what I did. I brought two, lightweight, pull over sweaters and one cardigan. I wasn’t cold in them at all and paired with jeans and my belt bag I felt cute and casual.

My cardigan I purchased from resale, my hat I borrowed, and sweater is from Reformation so all in all a pretty sustainable outfit!

I didn’t bring a purse with me, just a Lululemon belt bag and my Cotopaxi backpack and I actually think it was perfect. All of my important items were secure around me and it was easy to take my backpack on and off the bus.

Statement Jackets

Okay, let me get real and honest with you right here. I maybe bought this jacket for the sole purpose of bringing it to Iceland and it maybe took up a good third of my suitcase and I maybe made my angel mother take 17,000 photos of me in it and I absolutely have no regrets.

I wore this jacket multiple times, days, and locations. It kept me warm and dang don’t I look cute? I really love the vibe of it (and it’s faux), and it was the most perfect thing I found and brought with me that was giving me the Icelandic vibes. The color palette was also perfect and if you notice, I have a theme of creams, blues, and browns that I brought with me. This jacket literally matched everything I brought and I was going to bring it even if it was the only thing I could fit in my suitcase. And the best part? I bought it from Plato’s for $25 so not only was it a good travel purchase but a budget one as well.

Pro tip

If you don’t want to buy a jacket just for a trip, see if a friend has one you can borrow! I borrowed quite a few accessories from friends to shake up my wardrobe for the trip.

Color Correction

My number one tip for packing for any vacation is to stick to a color palette. It widens your options because everything will match. My jacket is the color palette I tried to stick with and it helped so much. Browns, creams, blues, and greens were my chosen colors and I was able to mix and match everything I brought. I also always recommend at least one pair of jeans if the weather is suitable for it. They go with everything and are chicer than leggings or hiking pants.

Game. Set. Match.

Granted, this is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea but I personally cannot get enough of these fabulous athleisure sets. These ones in particular I got on an incredible sale on sale and are from For Love and Lemons. They’re comfortable and put together at the same time and perfect for long bus rides and the food babies I had from all the paprika Pringles I ate. They just bring me so much joy and comfort - and as a bonus I doubled the sweatpants as pajamas a couple of nights.

But honestly, unless you enjoy being uncomfortable, bring a pair of leggings, sweatpants, or anything stretchy for those long driving days in Iceland.

Swim Time

Definitely bring a couple of swimsuits with you on your trip to Iceland (even in the winter!). There are so many natural, geothermal baths and pools that you can swim in and it’s actually really fun to be in warm water when it’s freezing outside. We went to the Blue Lagoon and Myvatn Nature Baths but there’s also pools and hot tubs at the hotels.

If you’re lucky, you’ll have a viking baptism which is where you walk into glacial water. It’s called cooling and I opted out of that particular adventure but I got some hilarious photos of the guys in our group going.

Things You Should Actually Bring

Believe it or not I actually did bring practical clothing with me on this trip. Thermal tops and leggings, hiking pants, rain jackets, rain pants, and hiking boots were just some of the things I brought with me for all of the outdoor excursions we did.

There were also times clothing was provided to us which means we didn’t have to bring extra warm gear for extreme activities like glacier hiking. For example, when we went whale watching we were provided body suits for warmth and flotation, for snorkeling we were given body fleeces and dry suits, glacier hiking we had harnesses and crampons, and everywhere else we didn’t need anything because the weather is so lovely during the summer.

Be like an onion (and an ogre)

You’ve heard it before and you’ll hear it again: dress in layers. Especially in Iceland, the temperature is pretty moderate in the summer but once the rain and wind pick up it can get chilly fast. Plus there’s activities like lava caves and ice caves that can get pretty cold so it’s best to have options for all sorts of environments.

I’d definitely recommend a puffer and rain jacket, waterproof pants, and then a hat scarf and gloves. Stuff it all in your backpack and then add and subtract what you need throughout the day. This will allow you to go from city chic to country cold in no time.

This was my most layered (ugly) outfit. Leggings, waterproof pants, thermal top, t-shirt, sweater, jacket, beanie, and rain jacket covering my backpack which held my camera lenses. I was not fashionable but I was warm and sometimes that’s more important. Sometimes.

Be as Extra and Fabulous as you want

Okay, now you might be thinking “Hannah, what are you doing?”. Well, I am living my best life.

This might be somewhat controversial, especially for minimal packers, but yes I lugged an entire ball gown skirt with me across Iceland for the sole purpose of having a photoshoot.

I've had this in my brain since before booking my tickets there. I wanted to look like a siren on the black sand beach. Did I achieve that? I’m not sure. I look a little more Elsa than mythical siren BUT once again I don’t care because I love these photos and they make me so happy. Sometimes packing for a trip isn’t just about being practical; sometimes you just have to dress as over the top as you want.

I was only planning on doing one photoshoot and then our amazing guide, Siggi, grabbed my suitcases from the van, went “Hannah where’s your skirt?”, and got it for me so that I could take photos at the Diamond Beach, it was just one of the ways he went above and beyond and I love how the photos turned out.