Alternate title:
How to be insufferably high maintenance at The Happiest Place on Earth
Growing up in Southern California, regular trips to Disneyland were a part of my life from a very young age. When I was little, we went at least once a year for the holiday season and as I got older the park became a default destination for a weekend outing with friends. My familiarity with Disneyland (I could draw you a map of the park by hand) only increased when my family acquired some of the first annual passes ever issued and we would regularly go there “just for lunch”. Even though I’m not much for sentimentality, Disneyland holds many happy memories for me and it will always have a special place in my heart.
With the addition of California Adventure in 2001 and the subsequently steep ticket prices, I stopped going to Disneyland as often as I used to, but every once and a while the opportunity comes along (translation: we know someone who works there and can get us in) and we seize it!
On this Disney day, the weather in Anaheim was forecast to be a high of 80 degrees and a low of 52. Planning for this temperature shift, I struggled with putting together an outfit that would tick multiple boxes: 1) transition easily from a warm day to a cold night, 2) be appropriate for walking around a theme park, and most importantly, 3) look good. I am aware that most sane people preparing for a day at Disneyland would probably plan for nothing more than to bring a light jacket and maybe a scarf, and I respect that, but let’s be real: if I was the sort of person who would be satisfied with simply bringing a light jacket, you would not be reading this post right now on my personal style blog.
My outfit creativity waning in the face of a deadline for hitting the road, I decided to just go for broke and packed a completely different outfit for the cooler evening temperatures.
Disney Daytime Look
Top (Urban Outfitters) • Shorts (Urban Outfitters) • Shoes (Steve Madden) • Bag (Madewell)
Knowing that most of my time at the park that day would be spent in this outfit, I went for a mix of comfort and functionality. These are my go-to shorts for a long day out. They are comfy, retro, high-waisted, and just everything I could ever want in a pair of shorts. The top was a little harder to decide on. I actually have a weird aversion to anything with long sleeves that isn’t a jacket or a hoodie, so when I purchased this top it was with an acceptance that the choice to wear it would not come naturally to me. After leaving it hanging in my closet untouched for a month, I finally decided to dust it off for our trip to Disneyland. It actually ended up being a good choice and I am really happy that I finally “broke the seal” on wearing it.
For a long day out like this, I would normally wear a small backpack to keep my hands free, but I was able to utilize the crossbody strap on this bag instead.
Since we would be walking and standing for hours in the midday heat, my choice of footwear was arguably the most important element of my daytime outfit. These loafers are fairly new and I was a little worried about how comfortable they would be for an entire day of walking, but I was pleasantly surprised. They stayed on my feet (a typical drawback of a backless style) and I didn’t feel a single pinch or friction after 5+ hours of walking.
At this point, you might be wondering: “Kristin, you crazy bitch, did you seriously carry an entire extra outfit with you the whole day?“. Pshht! Hello no! Please, let me introduce you to one of the most wonderful and underutilized Disneyland amenities: The Lockers.
Problem: At Disneyland, if you want to store a few things that you will need access to later but don’t want to carry them around, leaving them in your car is not an option. The car lots are located pretty far from the park entrance and anything you leave in your car would be a 20-30 minute round trip to retrieve.
Solution: The Lockers. For just $7 for the entire day (with in/out privileges) you can rent a small locker at Disneyland. I’m sure these lockers are mostly used by people with kids who need the extra storage space for, you know, kid stuff, but they are just as useful for storing an extra outfit. The lockers shown here are located on the left side (facing California Adventure) near the bathrooms and security checkpoint.
The smallest lockers are only slightly bigger than a shoebox, but with a little elbow grease you can squeeze all your insecurities inside and lock them up tight for the day.
Disneyland was all decked out for Halloween!
My daytime outfit didn’t last as long as I had anticipated because by the late afternoon the temperature was dropping fast. We made it out of Disneyland with a few classic rides under our belt and some Bengal Barbecue in our bellies before heading to California Adventure for the evening.
But first, a quick costume change was in order.
Disney Nighttime Look
I honestly wish I could have incorporated more elements of my daytime outfit, but it made more sense (and felt really good) to just start fresh with a whole new look. All of these pieces (jacket, top, jeans, and booties) fit easily into a simple tote bag. I also brought some bobby pins and a hair tie to put my hair up for the evening. I’ve had better updos in my life, but this one was pretty acceptable considering I crafted it in a Disneyland bathroom next to a baby getting her diaper changed.
Jeans (Levis) • Boots – old (Similar here) • Jacket (Nordstrom) • Tank top – old (Similar here) • Sunglasses (Madewell)
I will admit that these boots aren’t exactly practical for walking around a theme park, and I would never choose to wear them for an entire day of walking, but they suited me fine for a few hours and didn’t slow me down at all.
