Summer 2015

Packing A Holiday Capsule Wardrobe

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Summer 2015

How to Pack a versatile holiday capsule wardrobe

Most of us overpack for our holidays, lugging with us every pair of sandals we own to go with every item of summer clothing in our stuffed wardrobes. Others will rush out and buy a completely new wardrobe without considering whether what they are buying is actually right for the trip.

But follow my 6 step plan to easily create, and pack, a holiday capsule wardrobe that will give you plenty of outfit options without taking your whole summer wardrobe!

STEP 1

The biggest mistake most of us make is not having a plan which should include answering the following questions:

How long are you going for - for a two week break it really isn’t necessary to pack 6 pairs of shoes and 6 dresses, you can halve that and with a cleverly co-ordinated capsule wardrobe still wear a different outfit every day.

Have you researched the location - are there any restrictions to what you can wear in the location you are travelling to? Do you need to have covered arms or legs for religious or cultural reasons?

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What will the weather be like - is the weather a fairly constant temperature or is it more like the UK with potential scorching temperatures one day and rain the next?

How you will spend your time - is it a sightseeing trip or a lazy beach vacation. Do you need comfortable walking shoes or swim wear?

What restrictions are there on luggage - is it carry on only or are you travelling by car and able to pack more? (by the way this shouldn’t be an excuse to pack your whole wardrobe either!)

Once you have got the answer to these questions you will have a good idea of what you need.

STEP 2

Work out how many outfits you will roughly need in each category:

General day - including for sightseeing or day trips

Day activities - the special clothing for hiking, golfing, or whatever activities you will be doing (Remember that if you are doing physical activities and are likely to get hot you may want to pack extra tops if you don’t plan on doing any laundry while you are away.)

Beach or pool day - how many days will you spend in swimwear and coverups?

Evening - casual dining

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Evening - dressy evenings for smarter restaurants or evening outings

For the purposes of this example I am assuming a 14 day break in a warm climate with approximately 50% of the time spent sightseeing and 50% at the beach or pool. Evenings will be split between casual meals in relaxed restaurants and some more dressy restaurant meals.

Outfits needed:

7 general day outfits

7 pool/beach day outfits

7 casual evening outfits

7 dressy evening outfits

This doesn’t mean that you need 14 different day or evening outfits, you may wear a dress twice or swap around accessories to make the outfit different.

STEP 3

Next it’s time to choose a colour scheme and this is the essential step that means you won’t need a pair of shoes that go with a specific dress but nothing else in your suitcase.

Keeping to a colour scheme doesn’t mean it has to be boring. You can include prints and differing shades of the same colour to add

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variety but it means that your accessories will work with several outfits and nothing is redundant after only one wear.

Think about including 1 or 2 neutral colours, 1 - 3 accent colours and prints that include the neutrals and/or accent colours.

Here’s an example:

Neutrals - White and Navy

Accents - Bright Blue, Candy Pink, Hot Pink

Prints - Navy/White stripe, Navy/White floral, Bright Blue/White, Hot Pink/White.

Choose key pieces in a neutral - for this example I have included white shorts and skirt as well as white trousers for the evening so that they can all be mixed with the accents and prints. Choose tops in the

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accent colours and dresses in the prints. Include accessories in the neutral colour(s) and in one of the accents.

STEP 4

Start creating groups of 3. This is the easiest way to create a capsule wardrobe.

Choose 3 tops, for example, one neutral (White or Navy) one accent (Candy, Hot Pink or Bright Blue) and either a print or a second accent or neutral.

I have two sets of 3 tops, one set predominantly for the day and one set predominantly for the evening.

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Then do the same with your bottoms and dresses. You might adjust depending on the pieces you have - in the example below I have two bottom pieces in white and one in a print and instead of three dresses I have two and a jumpsuit (all prints) plus an extra pair of white trousers for the evening.

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Once you have all your individual pieces do the same with shoes and bags. Again I have bent the rules slightly here with 4 pairs of shoes, one pair of heels in a neutral (Navy) for evening, a pair of neutral (White) wedges for day or evening, flat neutral sandals (Navy and White) and a pair of espadrilles in an accent (Candy Pink).

For bags I have two beach bag/totes in the Bright Blue and Candy accents (but if space is limited swap these for one in either White or Navy) and two clutch bags in neutral Navy and accent Hot Pink.

I’ve included 4 sets of swimwear that can all be rinsed out and worn again, but as they pack so small if you really feel the need for a different beach outfit every day then just tuck extra swimsuits or bikinis in your packed handbags and shoes.

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All the pieces:

As you can see the pieces above aren’t an excessive amount to pack for a two week break. It’s not too minimal either, you still have plenty of choices.

I haven’t included travel wear here so you could wear the sandals and use one of the tote bags for the journey.

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STEP 5

Now start creating outfits to double check that you have everything you need. At this point you may actually remove items too if you are only going to use them for one outfit, instead see if there is another way to make the outfit work so that you aren’t taking things you will only wear once.

Put together day and evening outfits, thinking about the different activities you identified in step 2.

Example day outfits:

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As well as the swim and beach wear:

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Example evening outfits:

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Once you are happy that you have everything you need it’s time for the final step - packing.

STEP 6

Packing is easy once you know how to do it. You have probably read different ideas, like folding with tissue paper or leaving the legs of trousers out over the edge of the case and folding them in last, But the one that works for me and that I find gives me the most space is the rolling method.

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Group each set of items into their threes. Lay them out on top of each other lengthwise and roll each group of three.

Put shorter rolls like cami tops or vests at the ends of the bag or case and longer rolls of dresses or trousers down the length.

Pack jewellery into your clutch bags to protect it and then use the bags to fill gaps. Fill the spare tote with underwear so it doesn’t get

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crushed. You can do the same with your hat, fill the hollow with underwear and then pack around it.

Save any handbag or shoe dust bags and pack your shoes inside them for protection and to prevent buckles from snagging any of your delicate clothes.

Bikinis and swimsuits can also fill gaps and corners. In the example above I would roll the two kaftans with the spare pair of trousers.

The beauty of this method is that if you are travelling around you don’t need to keep packing and unpacking. If you want a top you simply remove that roll from your case rather than having to dig right through it.

As clothes get dirty during your holiday roll three dirty pieces together and put them back in your case.

I also find that this prevents too many hard crease lines. For any items that are creased turn on your shower, hang the item in the shower or bathroom and shut the door to allow the steam to release the creases.

Finally - you don’t have to follow the plan religiously it is a holiday after all so if you want to add another pair of shoes and you have the room for them, then go ahead. What this should do though is prevent you from taking a load of clothes that you don’t wear.

If you would like me to create a beautiful holiday wardrobe for you - you can order here.

Bon Voyage!

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If you have questions get in touch:

maria@lookingstylish.co.uk

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