On Sunday I’ll be leaving for my twelve-month stint as an au pair in Switzerland. This isn’t the first time I’ve had to pack a year’s worth of clothes in two suitcases, but it never seems to get easier!

One of the main things that I know I’ll have to cut back on is dresses. I have more than thirty dresses (I just chose a few for this post), and I know that a lot of days as an au pair I’ll just wear jeans and a t-shirt. As I’m caring for a ten-year-old girl, not an infant or toddler, my job shouldn’t be too messy or physically active, so I feel justified in bringing some dresses, but not my whole collection. 🙁

Please offer any input or opinions you have! I’ve never lived in Europe before (other than a few months in Spain), and I don’t know if my dresses match with the Swiss style or normal level of modesty.  Also, keep in mind that these dresses are for wearing in my everyday life, not just my time as an au pair.

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After seeing the picture I think I’ve already decided against this dress.  I always liked the unique cut and the colors, but I think my breasts look droopy and it was difficult to keep my strapless bra from showing.

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I think that this one will be comfortable and appropriate. My bra straps did show unless I was careful though. (Thankfully I wore the lovely Fiona bra so the straps were pretty 🙂

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Yikes! So short! Seeing pictures of myself like this really gives me a better perspective of my clothes . . . I never felt like this dress was as short as it is. It’s too bad because I really like the neck line and fit.

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This dress is another one I’m thinking I’ll leave. It’s lost a lot of the elasticity in the top, and I hate that I feel like I have to constantly pull it up.

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One of my sisters got this dress on a trip to India, but she gave it to me because she  doesn’t have the courage to wear it in the States. I’ve worn it a few times here in New York and I love the way it feels. I don’t love it in this picture, though, so I might have to rethink bringing it!

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It’s hard to see the halter strap on this dress, but I feel like it is straining to hold me up! I appreciate the extra support of straps that I can tie around my neck, but my neck can end up feeling the strain after a while. I actually like this dress a lot though.

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This dress is cute, comfy, and hopefully not too short or low cut. I don’t like how the sheer the white part is, but I may wear it in Switzerland with a camisole.

Seeing myself in these dresses in pictures, rather than looking in the mirror (where I generally look at small details, not the big picture) is really interesting! I hope I get some feedback from readers with opinions on what I should take and what goes into storage.

Sidenote: Looking at these pictures also makes me feel like my arms and legs are extremely bony! I wish I could choose where my ‘fluff’ goes. 😉