For your train trip, wear a gauzy crinkle fabric skirt, tank top and lightweight cardigan. You’ll be prepared for any temperature (icy air conditioning or hot summer days). Garnet Hill has some feminine summer looks. Sunny, citrus colors or cool blues would be good choices for all-day travel. Espadrilles or flat sandals will be flattering shoe picks. Wear big gold hoop earrings to complete your feminine and put-together look.

Happy trails,
Pam

In general, the thing you need to remember for this kind of outfit is versatility. This kind of outfit should be comfortable but fitted (but not tight) to avoid looking sloppy; dress for your body type. You should be able to dress up and down what you wear. Wear layers and keep your outfit balanced.

I recommend wearing a dress. Jeans and pants tend to feel constricting; while sweatpants are comfortable, even the cutest ones from Victoria’s Secret probably aren’t what you’re looking for. Like Shermie said, wrap dresses and jersey dresses are really comfortable and can be dressed up and down. I also recommend shirt dresses (such as the collared kinds) to help keep the look casual and sharp. Some of my favorites are dresses from American Eagle Outfitters. Try to find dresses that are knee-length. Mini-dresses can look “overdone” on a train and can be difficult to deal with during an eight-hour ride, and a mini shirt-dress runs the risk of looking too casual. Conversely, Maxi dresses (floor-length) have the potential lose a little bit of their “wow” factor because they don’t show as much leg; if you do want to wear a floor-length dress, go for flowing styles. Flowing dresses look pretty and feminine without making it difficult to walk around. You can probably do with or without the nylons; nylons tend to look formal, but guys also seem to like them. It’s your call.

The weather conditions will change as you transition from one area to the next and from one part of the day to another; even air-conditioned trains will contribute to temperature differences you should dress for. To adapt to these changing climates, I recommend wearing (or bringing) layers. If you’re wearing a dress, you can treat the torso of the dress as a bottom layer (wearing the dress as a skirt during the train ride, which can help make it more casual for that time), then add a short or long-sleeved shirt, followed by a sleek blazer. Fitted denim blazers can work well in adding a casual touch to formal outfits; just make sure you don’t overload on the denim by wearing jeans or a denim dress too! If you’re not too keen on bringing so many layers, a light-weight, non-knit scarf can help add warmth without adding too much bulk. Nordstrom has some nice scarves and wraps if you’re willing to splurge.