I'm a Podcast Host Known for My Chic Sense of Style—13 Items I Swear By

The first time I met Paige DeSorbo, I knew she was my type of girl. The two of us share a friend in common: Ciara Miller, model, podcast host, It girl, and DeSorbo's castmate on Bravo's hit show Summer House. After dinner one night, Miller and I went to have a drink in the West Village, where we were greeted by DeSorbo, her boyfriend and fellow Bravolebrity Craig Conover, and several of their friends and castmates. DeSorbo was exactly how you would expect her to be, well-dressed, hilarious, and extremely easy to talk to. It's no surprise her podcast Giggly Squad, which she hosts with comedian and friend Hannah Berner, is as popular as it is. The duo has sold out several live shows nationwide and has amassed quite a listenership. 

Over the summer, I saw DeSorbo take a European adventure to Italy, and while watching her Instagram Stories of gorgeous views, stylish outfits, and plates of pasta, I figured she must have the best packing hacks in the game. DeSorbo rose to popularity not only for her hilarious confessionals and witty one-liners on Summer House but also because of her strong sense of personal style. DeSorbo has this very New York, elevated-yet-fun way of dressing that people can't seem to get enough of. With her busy schedule filming for Bravo, recording for her podcast, hosting for Amazon, and much more, I knew DeSorbo was the person to ask when it comes to items that make packing/traveling that much easier. Plus, I've always wanted to pick her brain about her personal style. 

So I tapped DeSorbo for tips on developing her own sense of style, what she's loving right now, and, of course, the travel items she swears by. The best part? A lot of them are surprisingly affordable. 

Keep scrolling to read me and DeSorbo's conversation and shop her travel essentials.

Where do you get your style inspiration from?

Honestly, my biggest style icon is my mom. I've watched her go through different stages in life, and I've always been very obsessed with how she stays so true to her personal style but in different age ranges. She's always my final word on if I like something or not, and her style is very classic chic but also a little bit trendy. I feel like that would describe mine as well. I love wearing trendy things and out-of-the-box things that people are like, "What? She doesn't look good." I like that.

What trends right now?

I'm also loving that just a white tank top is a full outfit. I think that is just the best thing ever because you really only have to think about what you're wearing on the bottom. Trends recently have been very jewelry focused, and I'm very into that because I feel like it's such an easy way to change up one outfit with changing out your jewelry.

How would you describe your personal style?

I think my personal style is always changing. I'm not just saying this because the Barbie movie just came out, but I feel like sometimes I am a Barbie. I'll wake up one day and be like, "Oh my God, I'm feeling very grunge. I'm feeling a cargo pant and sneakers," and then the next day, I might wake up and be like, "I think I want to look like I'm going to a law office, and I want to wear tweed." So I think every day I'm a completely different person in. It all depends on my mood. 

What kind of things do you consider or take into consideration when you're dressing for camera or when you're going on tour for your podcast?

When I'm on tour with Giggly Squad, I always have girls asking me, "What are we wearing to the show?" … Whatever you would wear out on a girl's night out is what I would recommend wearing to a Giggly Squad live show. That's the vibe of our shows. It's like you're out with 3000 of your closest girlfriends, and you're getting drinks with them. But for myself, I think I get a little glitzier and a little more glam for Giggly Squad since I'm onstage. 

I definitely think about which certain things that will look really good on camera. I think a pop of color is really good. I go against my own brand in the summer, and I try not to wear a lot of black on camera. That is my one thing because I think I wear it so much all year round, but I really just switch it out, and I wear all white all summer.

I've never been a blue girly. For whatever reason this summer, I'm very into light blue. I also think brunettes look good in blue. I feel like blondes have said that they've claimed blue, but I feel like we brunettes can also dabble if we want to. Also, Asta Resort has really great bathing suits and bathing suit cover-ups. So I've been really obsessed with them for a year now.

I picked this Free People white minidress because it's at a great price point. I know linen is so hard to wear in the summer because it gets wrinkled so easily, but it looks just so cute and effortless. It gives me that Sofia Richie vibe when wearing an all-linen outfit. I thought this little dress was easy to wear on vacation or even as a bathing suit cover-up. But you can also pair it with heels, wear it out, or pair it with sandals to wear to lunch. I just think there's just a lot of things you can do with a simple white linen dress.

Another thing that I never used to gravitate toward is a little kitten heel. I used to say, "You're either wearing a flat, or you're wearing a high heel—grow up." I'm not sure what happened, but as I'm getting older, I am obsessed with the kitten heel. I wear them the most with pants, but I also think they look so cute with a little sundress, and I think it elevates your outfit, figuratively and literally. Just the switch with two inches on your heel. It's hard when you live in New York. You walk so much, so you're not gonna put a big heel on, but some days, I'm like, "I can't show up in a flat."

I bought a bag two years ago in Italy, and I was like, "I'll never use it, but I'm buying it because I'm here," and I use it all the time. I think little bags are so cute to wear, specifically to pack and bring on vacation. They will go with any swimsuit or sundress, but they'll also go with your nighttime looks. My number one pet peeve is taking all of my things out of one bag and putting it in another. I hate doing that. So when I go on vacation or I'm packing for a weekend or something, I like to bring bags that I know I can use with multiple things so I don't have to constantly swap the contents of my bag from one to the other.

I’m a big packing-cube girl. I think packing cubes honestly makes it easier for me when I get home from a trip because I know what's clean, what's dirty, what needs to be put away, what's in each section. If you're a girl that really stresses out about her outfits, it's really easy to pack each outfit in a cube. I mean, you could go as far as labeling them. I'm not opposed to it. I just think packing cubes are key for the anxious girl who's traveling. It helps you feel at ease.

I feel like I go through at least one handheld steamer a summer, and this one is by far the best one I've ever had. I brought it to Italy with me. I, unfortunately, burnt it right up by plugging it into the wrong outlet and was so distraught that I ordered another one immediately. But it is seriously one of the best ones and so easy to pack, and I just think [it's] a staple. 

These are so good for flying. You never have to use airline headphones ever again. You just plug it right in, connect it to your headphones, and you can watch on the airplane. It makes it really easy to watch something on your iPad or laptop with two people.

This is life-changing. If you're a person who has big tote bags and is traveling, this is for you. It's so easy to just pick it up, put it in a different bag, and then everything is organized. You never have to rummage through your bag to look for something, and if you're traveling and you have a long travel day, you need a lot of things during that day. This gives everything in your purse a home, and it lives so perfectly in there. You can also change the size of them, so you can get smaller sizes. But you can take things out, make it skinnier, and they're just so good. I don't know how I lived without one.

This is a very Barbie Tangle Teezer. I think they're a British brand. I'd gotten one in a PR package, and then once I started using it, I told everyone about it and realized they were on Amazon. I never used to be a girl that brushed my hair, which is a weird thing. I just never really brushed my hair. … In the past two years with TikTok and everything and everyone rosemary-oiling their hair and other home remedies for haircare, I got into brushes more and more. This one is just the perfect travel one. Plus, it's cute. Using it feels almost like a head massage. It feels and it's comparable to those really super-expensive brushes, but [it's] not even half the price.

I’m on a plane a lot, and my skin will get really dry. Trust me—I've tried all the creams. I have all the lotions. But the Youth to the People Superfood Air-Whip Moisture Cream is the moisturizer I've used for five years now, and it's really the only thing that ever saves my skin when I get off of a plane. I don't know what it is about it. It's just the deepest moisturizer without feeling oily or clogging your pores or breaking out the next day, and I just think it's the best moisturizer when you're really, really dry.

Like everyone else, I am very into sunscreen these days. We love SPF. I honestly think that these really are the best sunscreens. Plus, [they have] the cutest packaging, and they're so easy to just throw in your bag.

When I would travel, I used to just rely on the mirrors that were in hotel rooms to do my makeup. You know I love the bed, so if I can sit in the bed and do my makeup without having to go into the bathroom that has horrible lighting, then that's what I'm gonna do. So I love a portable mirror. No more bad lighting in bathrooms or having to sit on the floor. Now, it's like you have your own mirror sitting wherever you want. Find your lighting and you're good to go.

I think everyone needs just a good beach bag each summer. It's a good way to switch up your style, and I don't think beach bags are just for the beach. I think they're cute as an everyday tote. I chose this one because it works for the beach or for when I head back to NYC.