It's time for a first! My good friend V is traveling to Europe for three weeks and asked me to help her pack. I've never tried to pick out clothes for a trip for anyone besides myself. It was a new and really fun experience. (Although I kept exclaiming, "I feel like it's weird because I'm just dressing you like me! But she insisted she liked it.)
We discussed her trip, the places she was visiting and activities she was planning and we came up with a plan -
Here are the Countries/Cities she & her husband are visiting:
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Paris, France
- Montpellier, France
- Monte Carlo, Monaco
- Milan, Italy
- Rome, Italy
- Travel days (planes & trains)
- Sightseeing with lots of walking
- Churches
- Nice dinners
- Shopping
- Beach
- Hiking, Biking
- Be able to accommodate cold a/c and really hot days
The method:
- Basics - First we picked some basics pieces to lay the foundation for the trip. We
tried to pick her favorite go-to clothes. Clothes she said she wears over and
over. The ones that go with almost everything.
For the basics in this capsule wardrobe we chose a white shirt, white blouse, white cardigan, white cropped pants, black asymmetrical tank, black shorts, jeans and black pants.
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For this set of interest pieces we picked two teal dresses, a striped maxi dress, two patterned skirts, orangy/red cropped pants, green sweater, a burgundy cardigan, a striped shirt and three fun tanks.
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For this capsule wardrobe we chose two necklaces, one gold watch and some fun bracelets. For shoes we chose white sandals, pink flats and black Tom's.
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Hope you enjoy!!
*****
Here's a couple of FAQ's I've gotten over the course of the past few 'One Suitcase' posts:
- Do you wear all outfits when you pack a suitcase like this?
- Not typically. I just like to have extra options when I travel. Most times I'll have 30 options for a two week business trip. Just nice to know they're there! :)
- What about toiletries & undergarments & tech accessories - why aren't they listed?
- For me, the most difficult part of packing for a trip is trying pare down
to a small set of clothing pieces to maximize the number of outfits
that I can create. The easier part of the packing process is adding the
necessary undergarments, tech accessories and
toiletries once I've decided on clothing. So for me the focus of the one
suitcase posts have been around harder concept of the clothes.
But, don't worry - the amount of clothes I'm listing in these posts leaves enough room for that stuff! All I would do to complete this suitcase is to top it off with a small packing cube with undergarments and my small makeup bag by placing them both on top of the clothes. And then my liquids & tech items go in my purse for easy access in airport security. Here's an overview of traveling post I did that has a bit of that info. But the internet is full of much more comprehensive packing lists then I'm posting. - How come the individual item pictures don't match your actual clothes?
- I just try to find as close as possible images from googling to use for the example graphics. Many times I can't find the original items. So I just do my best.
- How can you re-wear clothing pieces so many times without getting smelly?
- Re-wearing clothing works better when the weather isn't too hot. So it's less effective in high temperatures or with any athletic activity. Luckily my job typically has offices with freezing A/Cs so it helps lessen the sweating likelihood.
I also usually pack a travel sized fabric refresher - like Downey Wrinkle Releaser - for light refreshes.
But, most often, for a really long trip, I just resign myself to the cost of sending out my laundry (or finding a laundry mat) for the benefit of having a light suitcase for the duration of the trip. I think it's totally worth that extra cost to not die every time you have to carry your bag...
*****
- Business Casual clothes here
- Summer Vacation clothes here
- Winter Vacation clothes here
- Spring Business Casual clothes here
- Mini Getaway clothes here





This is so exciting! I was in Italy for a little over 2 weeks last year at this time. I would have loved you inspiration. I could only bring one suit case since the cars are so small thanks for this post.
ReplyDeleteHope you find it helpful for your next trip!
DeleteYay! I'm so excited to see this :)
ReplyDeleteYay - hope you enjoyed!
DeleteThese are my favorite posts! Thanks for another great one! I can't wait to see all the outfits.
ReplyDeleteYay - hope you enjoyed!
Delete