The Secrets of the Perfect Travel Capsule Wardrobe
Sunday, May 26, 2024
When you're traveling, the last thing you want to worry about is deciding what to wear. Whether you’re heading on a month-long adventure or a quick weekend getaway, mastering the art of a capsule wardrobe can transform your travel experience. In this blog post, we’ll unlock the secrets to building the perfect travel capsule wardrobe, helping you maximize the functionality of your travel wardrobe. From selecting the right pieces to optimizing your outfit combinations, you’ll learn how to travel with confidence and ease.
Secret #1: Check the weather
It's easy to make assumptions about the weather in a certain place. For example, I traveled to southwest Florida in mid-April and assumed that it was going to be hot. After a quick check of the weather, however, it turned out it was going to range from the mid-60s to low 80s each day and that it would be windy. Given that I was going to be indoors most of the time at a women's entrepreneurship conference, I primarily opted for t-shirts and lightweight short-sleeve sweaters instead of summer dresses (I tend to run cold).
Remember to check for rain too! While you can always buy an umbrella at your destination, it's good to be prepared. If it looks like constant rain on your trip, it can impact what you decide to bring (goodbye all white outfit).
Secret #2: Bring no more than three pairs of shoes
Shoes take up valuable real estate in your luggage and are possibly the heaviest items that you bring on your travels. My suggestion is to bring no more than three pairs of shoes (and this includes the shoes you are wearing). If you are flying, wear the bulkiest pair of shoes on the plane. You should bring a pair of comfortable walking shoes and a pair that can be worn for nicer occasions. On some occasions, one pair of shoes might fit both of these criteria but generally this isn't the case. The third pair of shoes is usually for a specific activity, like beach shoes, hiking boots, or dance shoes (if you're like me and traveling to a dance competition). These were the three pairs of shoes that I brought with me on my Florida trip:
Secret #3: Pick a color palette
With the perfect travel capsule wardrobe, all items would ideally mix and match together. This isn't always possible, though, depending on the number and types of activities you plan to engage in on your trip. Still, one of the ways that you can maximize the versatility of your travel wardrobe is by picking a color palette. Sticking to a minimalist color palette of neutrals while traveling is the simplest as all pieces should work beautifully by default. On my recent trip to Florida, I decided to stick with a palette of primarily blue and white. The three pairs of pants that I brought were all blue (two navy and one denim). Three of the tops were navy blue and/or white. When your bottoms are neutral, it's easy to wear whatever color top you want and still look put together. For my Florida trip, I decided to throw in some tropical color with a sweater in fern green and another in bright yellow.
Secret #4: Fabrics matter
Ask yourself the following questions about the items that you're considering bringing on your travels:
- Are they wrinkle-resistant?
- Are they temperature regulating?
- Do they dry quickly?
- Are they odor resistant?
Ideally, you should be able to answer "yes" to one or more of these questions for each of the items that you plan to bring. I recently got back from nearly two weeks in Portugal. None of the places where I stayed had an iron or steamer, but that didn't matter because I intentionally brought items that I knew never wrinkle or don't wrinkle if packed correctly. Cashmere and merino wool are two of my favorite fabrics for being both wrinkle-resistant and temperature regulating (keeping you both cool in warm weather and warm in cooler weather). I wore the Quince Mongolian Cashmere Tee in raspberry for several days, and it never wrinkled or smelled and kept me warm on those cool Porto mornings and cool in the warmer Porto afternoons.
The pants that I'm wearing in the photo above are nylon. One of the benefits of nylon is its ability to dry quickly. I brought two pairs of nylon joggers to Portugal (both from Albion Fit). It rained rather heavily while I was walking through the historic city center of Porto on a food tour. The nylon pants below dried very quickly and I managed to stay warm and dry!
Secret #5: Layering
When packing for travel, it's important to consider the versatility of the items you bring and how they can be mixed and matched in different ways for different occasions. The shoes you wear and/or the completer piece you choose can easily change the tone of an outfit. For example, on my recent trip to Florida, I spent most of the first day traveling but had a welcome reception for the women's entrepreneurship conference that same evening, and I knew that I probably wouldn't have time to change beforehand. The welcome reception didn't have a defined dress code, so I chose the navy pret-a-pedi crop pant from White House Black Market with a green cashmere-blend elbow-sleeve sweater as something that would travel well and keep me warm while in transit. On the plane, I wore it with my trusty denim jacket that I've had for probably close to a decade and the Featherweight Cashmere Silk Frayed Edge Scarf from Quince in light gray.
Before heading to the reception, I removed my jean jacket and quickly swapped out my white slip-ons for a pair of the Vivaia Aria Pointed-Toe Breathable Mesh Ballet Flats in Almond. The color, texture and slight puff sleeve detail of the sweater added visual interest, the pointed toed flats were comfortable and cooling yet also dressy, and the cashmere-cotton blend was perfect for a spring Florida evening.
Mastering the art of the perfect travel capsule wardrobe is about embracing simplicity and versatility. By selecting multi-functional pieces in the right fabrics for the climate that you're traveling to and adhering to a cohesive color palette, you can create a compact yet comprehensive wardrobe that meets all your travel needs. This approach not only streamlines packing but also ensures you're prepared for a variety of occasions and weather conditions, making your travels more enjoyable and stress-free. So, as you embark on your next adventure, remember that the secret to effortless and stylish travel lies in a well-curated capsule wardrobe. Happy travels!
If you'd like to get more content delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter on our home page (see Home link below).
We'd also love to know what other content you'd like to read about. Email us your suggestions at: info@thefashioneaseta.com.
Hi, I'm Roxanne!
Style Coach and Educator/ 12 Season Color Analyst
My goal with The Fashioneaseta is to help busy working women create a sense of ease in how they dress so that they look and feel their best while also saving time and money in the process. Let me help you create a wardrobe that you love of stylish, comfortable, multi-functional pieces that are a true reflection of you.
Get Our Best Selling Product!
You just read about this...
Super excited about this product? We are, too! We just wrote this whole blog post that mentions it.
Ready to buy it? Get access to the Product here:
PAGES
SOCIAL
