50th Birthday in Vegas in January: What I Wore

As a grown-ass woman, I was very focused on what I packed to wear for four days in Las Vegas in the winter. Winter in Las Vegas is 40-60 degrees and going for my 50th birthday, I wanted to be prepared, festive, but not corny or uncomfortable. I know I am not the only person who may be wondering what to wear in Las Vegas in winter, or what to wear in Las Vegas as a woman in midlife, so I am sharing a recap!

50th Birthday in Vegas in January: What I Wore

Flight to Vegas: Comfy yet Polished

We had to get to the airport at 6:30 am and arrived in Vegas in time for an early lunch. I knew my room wouldn't be ready, so what I wore on the plane would be what I'd be wearing for a bit of time in Las Vegas, so I wanted it comfortable, yet polished.

I wore this Universal Standard ponte bomber jacket with these matching ponte wide-leg pants (I had to hem the pants 1″ since I am 5'3″). Underneath, I wore this striped top also from Universal Standard which is the same navy and red colors in the track suit. My personal bag on the flight was a Dagne Dover “Dakota” backpack in black which looked nice with the track suit (ALISON10 for 10% off at Dagne Dover). I wore wide leg compression socks and my Adidas Superstar sneakers.

This was great for the flight as I had zipper pockets on the jacket and plenty of stretchy comfort. It was also great for wandering around Vegas. I had a black nylon belt bag in my carry-on and used that as a crossbody purse (it's old from Girlfriend Collective and no longer available).

We scoped out the hotel and headed to Bardot Brasserie for lunch. After that, my room was still not ready, so we headed to the Aria hotel spa. Again, the outfit was perfect because it was easy to slip into a robe and swimsuit (packed in the backpack) and get damp and lotioned spa skin back into the tracksuit.

Dinner and Casino: Simple Sophistication

The first night, we went to dinner at Best Friend and then planned on checking out the casino and bars. I wore a winter white cross-style sweater (XL) and matching winter white crepe wide leg trousers (16P), both from Ann Taylor. For shoes, I wore a trusty old pair of Naturalizer ankle boots I found comfortable for a good amount of walking.

To glam up the look, I wore silver Jenny Bird earrings, this silver pendant necklace from Ana Luisa, and a silver sparkly clutch with a removable strap I found at LOFT. The only issue with this look was wearing white for dinner; I did spill a drop on me and wished I had my Tide pen in my bag!

Room Time and Sleep: Fancy and Functional

I always bring a robe with me on travel. Even if a hotel room offers a robe, it isn't always roomy enough for comfort. I brought a Printfresh robe, which dries fast, has deep pockets, and I feel covered and secure enough to open the door for a friend or room service. (Code WARDROBE_OXYGEN gets you 15% off at Printfresh.)

Casual Breakfast and Shopping in Vegas

We had no specific plans for breakfast, so we wandered to the Proper Eats Food Hall, where we grabbed sandwiches and coffee from Wexler's Deli and Egghead and a donut treat from Easy Donuts. We then headed to The Forum Shops to do some window and in-person shopping. From there, we continued exploring Las Vegas without heading back to the room to change or grab anything. I felt well-prepared.

I wore another Universal Standard striped Breton, this time with a pair of M.M.LaFleur crepe wide-leg ankle pants and the same Adidas Superstar sneakers, and after spot treating, I put the previous night's winter white sweater around my shoulders to wear if it got chilly. For a bag, I carried a GANNI black recycled leather crossbody I've had for a few years. And again the silver Jenny Bird earrings.

Birthday Dinner and Show in Las Vegas

When I saw Chelsea Handler was performing in Vegas during my birthday month, it inspired this trip. We got tickets and built the rest of the trip around it. And this was considered my birthday night and to celebrate, we as a group decided to wear sequins.

I wore an aqua calf-length sequined shift from Ann Taylor I already owned and wore to see Moulin Rouge at the Kennedy Center. With it, I wore my gold heeled sandals from Margaux (wide width and high quality!). I chose a gold beaded bag from Talbots that I got in the December Red Door Sale instead of the gold leather clutch I usually carry with this bag because I wanted a strap so I could keep my hands free. I wore my Jenny Bird ‘Edie' hoops (no longer available) and a pave knuckle ring from REALM.

I had bare legs and was comfortable, especially since we didn't have to go outside. I wore this control garment underneath; I size up so it doesn't squish, just smooths (and the legs mean I don't have to worry about chafing, either). We had dinner at Momofuku and then headed to the Chelsea Theater for the Chelsea Handler show.

A group in sequins gets attention, even in Vegas. We all wore very different sequin styles and colors, keeping with our personal style aesthetics. Nothing costume, just cocktail. But men, women, young and old commented on how great we looked as a group. Don't be afraid to go flashy, it is Vegas after all. And don't worry about looking old, large, try hard, etc. It is Vegas, it's the place to let your hair down and have fun and few people will even notice you (unless you and your friends choose to don sequins!).

Breakfast with a View Before an Active Day

We had reservations for lunch at the Eiffel Tower Restaurant on the second morning in Las Vegas. It's a nice restaurant within the Eiffel Tower with a fantastic view and we had a window table. I wanted to look nice, but we also planned on visiting Meow Wolf after, and that looked to include some crawling and climbing.

I decided to wear my favorite under $35 Breton striped top (here's the direct link to the top; I wear XL) with a black double-breasted blazer from LOFT I got a couple of years ago (this looks like it may be the same blazer?). Yet again, the silver Jenny Bird earrings.

On the bottom, I wore dark-wash bootcut jeans (these from Lands' End). I used my nylon belt bag as a purse as it hung better over the blazer than my Ganni bag.

I planned on wearing my black low-wedge Naturalizer ankle boots, but my feet were vibing more on the Adidas Superstar sneakers, so I made a switch. This look is right out of my closet basics capsule wardrobe!

This look wasn't my favorite; the jeans were a bit too long for the sneakers and I was having a bad hair day, but it was comfortable and functional and worked for both settings. And yes, I did crawl and climb at Meow Wolf and am so glad I switched to sneakers and didn't wear a dress or nice pants.

Another Nice Dinner and Show in Las Vegas

That evening, we had another nice dinner (there were three of us with January birthdays, after all), this time at Catch. Afterward, we saw Absinthe, a show in the big top tent outside Caesars. There would be a bit of walking, and we would be outside for part of the time.

I chose to wear my red velvet pantsuit from LOFT. Those who follow me on Instagram have seen the suit quite a lot. I wore it in Williamsburg for a nice dinner, I wore it to Osteria Mozza in Georgetown when I visited with friends. I've worn the pants solo with a black turtleneck sweater and black boots, and the blazer with jeans and a Breton striped tee.

The blazer and the pants for the LOFT velvet suit are almost out of stock but check to see if your size is still available because this suit is niiiiice. I kept it sexy by just wearing a plain black molded cup bra underneath. Again, I was supposed to wear my black booties but went with sneakers. I was planning on wearing the suit with the gold Talbots bag and gold Jenny Bird “Edie” earrings, but that night I felt silver and chose the silver sparkly LOFT bag and silver Jenny Bird hoops and a silver and pave ring from REALM.

This outfit was perfect. I felt cool in the look, but remained warm when outside for the walk to Absinthe and the pre-show cocktails in the chilly beer garden. BTW, Absinthe was an amazing show! One of the highlights of the trip.

Breakfast and an Unplanned Spa Day

Due to special rates for flights and hotel rooms, we ended up staying four nights in Las Vegas. Honestly, I think three nights is more than enough. The final morning, we went to breakfast and were all feeling drained. Getting dressed, I had no desire to be gussied up and my hair was not behaving, so I put on my trusty Banana Republic Aurelia maxi dress and my Adidas sneakers. I used the Ganni black leather crossbody and wore my old silver hoops and my silver everyday jewelry.

This dress was such a good buy for any reasons. I had been lusting after it all season (last spring) but couldn't justify the cost. Then one day at the mall I went in Banana Republic and there was one of the dress left in size XL on the clearance rack. It fit! And then I went to buy it and the salesperson mentioned I had points on my Banana card. So I literally paid $1.00 for the dress!

I wear it all the time and love how it's comfy, cool looking, machine washable, doesn't need fancy underpinnings, and has deep pockets. I bought a second Aurelia this summer in coral viscose-hemp and would totally buy a third if it came in a really awesome color or print.

After breakfast, we had plans to go to Freemont Street, do some vintage shopping on Main Street, and visit the Neon Museum at dusk. But we were so done done done we scrapped those plans and stopped in the Bellagio spa to see if they had appointments available. Again, with the price of a treatment, we had all-day use of the spa facilities. One friend returned to our rooms to get our swimsuits and we lounged there until around 4pm.

No regrets, and the dress was so easy to throw back on after a day being steamed and cold plunged and hot tubbed and exfoliated and lotioned.

Last Dinner in Vegas

For our last dinner, we went to Mayfair Supper Club, which had a performance during the meal. It sounded super cool but was super lackluster. The food was delicious, but we were seated in Siberia. The bit of the performance we saw was not good at all; the service was meh, and the best part was the view from the windows of the Bellagio fountain and the Eiffel Tower.

I wore my blue satin pantsuit from Ann Taylor that I wore to Pastis DC. I've worn this pantsuit quite a lot over the past year. I also have it in tan and wrote about the unexpected versatility of such a pantsuit, but with my January pale skin, the blue was more enjoyable to wear. Again, all I wore underneath was a plain black bra.

I styled it with some sparkly dangle earrings I got at Ann Taylor a year or two ago, the sparkly LOFT bag, the silver and pave ring from REALM, and the old black Naturalizer ankle booties. I had forgotten my hot brush at home and played with the flat iron at the spa and my sister's hot round brush and ended up with a high-volume swoop of hair and kinda liked it.

This look was great for after dinner, we did drinks and clubs and casino and I felt chic yet comfortable. And after so many days of eating out, the loose fit and elastic pull-on waistband were a treat.

Flying Home from Vegas

No point in packing a whole other outfit; for the flight home, I again wore the Universal Standard ponte bomber jacket and matching pants, but this time, I wore it with my black Chico's microfiber tank (also part of my core wardrobe for women in midlife).

A hack is that nylon belt bag I filled with everything I'd need on the plane and hung it off the tray table so even with the table in the upright position, I could still access the contents more easily than my backpack under the seat. I kept the belt bag in the backpack until on the flight so it didn't count as a personal bag.

What I Brought to Las Vegas That I Didn't Wear

I decided for this trip, I wasn't going to worry about a capsule or packing light. We flew Southwest, and I took advantage of the two free checked bags, checking my large Delsey, and my Quince suitcase from my review (it held up great, BTW). On the flight, I used the Calpak tote my family got me for Christmas last year and my Dagne Dover backpack, neither stuffed so I'd have room for potential purchases.

I made no purchases. I also could have pared down to just the backpack as carryon luggage. What I packed that I didn't wear or need:

• Vintage silver sequin blouse: Before I even had my daughter, I bought this badass vintage silver sequin top off eBay. It weighs a ton but is so gorgeous (you can see it in this photo). I figured either I could wear it, or my friend who is smaller could wear it like a slouchy top. Neither of us wore it.
• Second pair of jeans: I brought them in case I got the one pair gross from Meow Wolf but they didn't get gross and I didn't have a second time to wear jeans.
• M.M.LaFleur dress: I mentioned in a recent newsletter (you should subscribe if you haven't already) that I got this dress from M.M.LaFleur and it's awesome. And while it's awesome, I never wore it.
• Pashmina: It was this lavender pashmina, to be specific. I thought I'd use it on the plane as a blanket and as a wrap with my aqua dress and possibly other dresses. Never used it.
• Workout clothes: I brought one sports bra, two pairs of leggings, and two tops and didn't touch them. We walked so much that even my gym-loving friend only went two mornings of the trip.
• Pari Passu gown: I had a custom gown made from Pari Passu and this summer, the situation when I planned to wear it was canceled. I was hoping I could at least get some photos in this dress but there was never time. I hope to wear it soon so I can write a more detailed recap than the mention in this post about alternatives to eShakti.

Vegas was a lot, and I knew it would be. But I still wanted to check it off my bucket list. I liked having the excuse to wear some of my fun clothes, and not looking out of place styling it with comfortable flat shoes. I loved spending time with three amazing women I've been dear friends with for decades. We've grown together, and it was fun to see the hybrid of our old partying ways and our grown-ass selves staying hydrated, scheduled, and not being overextended.

It's true that you will see absolutely EVERYTHING in Las Vegas, and you can literally wear anything (except some venues have dress codes). Wear what brings you comfort and joy. Take care of your feet, choose clothes with stretch, choose a bag with a strap so you have more security and hands free, and rock what makes your happy, whether it's sequins or sweats!

Please do not use the comments to discuss how much you hate Las Vegas, how it sucks or is sad because of A or B. I know a lot of people have a lot of feelings about this city, but it's really in poor taste to yuck other people's yum. I thank you in advance.