I used to look at clothes as an instrument of self-expression. When I was an angsty teen, I wore combat boots and overalls. Later, I moved on to heeled sandals and tight pants, and later still to professional blazers and matching skirts. As I’ve gotten older, I’m less interested in making a statement with my clothes and more and more interested in being comfortable. And when I travel, being comfortable means not just feeling good in the clothes that I wear, but also carrying as little as possible.
My rule for packing for a long trip (say, ten days to three weeks in Europe) is that every item I pack must coordinate with two other pieces. Usually, this means I pack a navy and blue capsule wardrobe. My base is one pair of navy pants, one pair of black pants, and one pair of jeans, which I wear on the plane. I pack a navy cardigan, a black cardigan, and a white cardigan. Then I pack lightweight sleeveless shirts that work with the blue and black base. If I’m traveling somewhere hot, I will add a reversible blue or black skirt.
On a recent trip to Ireland, it was so wet and windy that all of my carefully planned outfits were hidden beneath my three-in-one coat and raincoat in almost every photo. (This was after I was determined to pack different shirts than what I’d taken on my last three navy-and-black trips.) It was a reminder that sometimes it doesn’t matter what you’re wearing but who you’re with.
Leave a Reply