Inquiring minds wanted to know (hi Yesenia and Anon!) what I packed for my 2.5 week European spring vacation, so maybe others would find this helpful as well.

What I had in mind was to be practical and pack as efficiently as possible, while being somewhat-stylish.

1) I packed light because dragging our luggage in and around 4 different cities is not fun. We didn't rely on cabs because most of the hotels we stayed in were within walking distance/easily accessible from transportation hubs. I was able to fit everything into one carry-on sized suitcase (rolled items to reduce wrinkles and save space) and a Longchamp Le Pliage large tote. I also stored a folded tote in one of the pocket compartments of my suitcase, just in case I needed extra storage on my return flight home. My one suitcase worked out for the best because we often had to go up and down flights of stairs (no elevators/escalators around.)

2) To dress appropriately for the weather. I learned my lesson the last time I went to Japan in December and had only packed a leather jacket and a sweatshirt as the heaviest layers (face palms.) From my research, I was prepared for colder weather in England and France, but warmer weather in Italy. Expected May temperatures ranged from 55-80 degrees Fahrenheit across those three countries. There was also a high probability for rainy days.

- Cold weather days: sweaters, sweatshirt, long-sleeve tops, jeans, scarf. I avoided packing duplicate items in the same colors (ie: didn't pack two pairs of blue jeans), figuring I wouldn't have a problem re-wearing items.

- Warm weather days: t-shirts, shorts, skirt, dress, flip-flops. As much as I love light-colored bottoms, I knew it would be hard for me to keep them clean for a long duration, so I stuck to dark colors. One pair of shorts and one skirt ended up being sufficient. I packed three t-shirts because they're great layering pieces under long-sleeves or would work as standalone tops on warmer days.

- Rainy days: small-sized umbrella, water-resistant jacket with a hood. I chose a lightweight jacket because I didn't mind layering sweaters and long-sleeves underneath for extra warmth. The thin jacket could also be easily rolled up and tucked away in my tote when I don't need it. The most important thing for me was choosing a jacket with a hood because I don't like getting my hair wet.

Of the 24 items* I packed, I ended up wearing every single piece at least once; many I wore several times by either repeating outfits or by slightly changing an item here or there. The key was to pick basics from a color scheme that are easy to layer and mix-and-match. Along with "neutrals" (denim, white, gray, black), I stuck to variations of reds/yellows/blues -- any combination of the three are colors I could create outfits around.

I ended up wearing more outfits on vacation, but didn't take full-length photos of them all. Of the 12 outfit photos below, some are only "different" because I added a jacket... so technically there's only 9 outfits.
1st row, 1st outfit was what I called my "travel outfit" because I wore this every time we moved on to a new city. I chose all black because I didn't want to deal with dirt, grime, and whatever else I'd encounter while traveling. 2nd row, 4th outfit was also another repeat offender. It's a little bit preppy and a whole lot of comfortable. 3rd row, 1st outfit was one that I felt very "European" in -- probably due to the scarf, haha.

One last topic I want to touch upon is how I packed my camera for vacation. I normally carry my camera around in a triangular camera bag, which has plenty of padding, is bulky (though doesn't have enough room to store an extra lens), and has a zippered opening. I was looking for something smaller that can fit inside my purse and with easy access -- kind of like a purse organizer for cameras, if you will.

Camaroo camera inserts were exactly what I was looking for. These inserts are available in five sizes, which should be suitable for most cameras out in the current market: compact, micro four third/mirrorless, DSLR 1.0 (what I bought), DSLR 2.0, and DSLR 3.0. I just measured my camera's dimensions and chose the insert that is slightly larger.
I really like how the various parts (lid, cylindrical-shaped compartment for the lens) can be removed and/or adjusted using velcro. For sightseeing days, I generally left the lid off and only placed it back during heavy travel. I felt the insert had sufficient padding, but don't really know how well it would protect the camera if had I dropped it. I loved how I can adjust the positioning of the lens protector compartment to make room for an extra lens and battery charger on the sides.
The insert took up about half the space in my Longchamp large Le Pliage tote. However, I was still able to fit the usual essentials (wallet, sunglasses, passport, etc) my red jacket in the remaining space.

Additional electronic items that I also stuffed into my suitcase include: different types of adapters (one for England, one for France/Italy) and a power strip (many hotel rooms only had one available outlet.)