simplify life:
It’s time for another quick side-quest and I find myself thinking through the days we’ll be away, trying to plan my capsule wardrobe. We’ll be traveling for two days, and staying for three; so five days in total. The weather where we’re headed is going to be cooler in the mornings and evenings with a median temperature in the 50’s. During the days it will be warm and sunning, with the median temps in the mid-eighties. Clearly, I need to plan a good travel capsule wardrobe for this trip.
Choose an Autumnal Color Palette
It is easy to want to jump straight from summer swimsuits to sweater weather. However, the weather rarely cooperates with that desire. Even into the late summer and early fall days, you can experience warm sunny days depending on the area in which you live.
When putting together a good transitional fall travel capsule wardrobe, it’s good to begin with an autumnal color palette. This time of year calls for a few more neutrals and textures. Even if you’re planning to wear shorts and tank tops, you can work in those autumnal colors that feel appropriate for this time of year.
These tweed shorts are absolutely amazing. The front is flat with beautiful buttons, the back has an elastic waistband, and a zipper. They are stunning on, and when paired with an animal print blouse and neutral ballet flats, this outfit is perfect for sightseeing, lunch, or tourist activities. For cooler mornings, or evenings, this structured cardigan provides style and warmth to complete the look.
Being sure to pack items in a color family allows you multiple choices to pair separates together to create many different looks.
Plan Your Activities
If your travel schedule includes a day or two of outdoor activities, you’ll certainly want to be prepared. We often work in a day or two of hiking whenever possible. However, because those hiking days often take us right into dinner, I like to be as prepared as possible. Choosing outdoor wear that can easily transition to dinner isn’t always simple, but believe me, with a couple of easy tweaks, it can be accomplished!
For a morning of hiking, a pair of comfortable, breathable joggers are a must. Naturally, you would pair this with a great walking shoe or hiking boot. I like to layer my tops for a day of hiking in case weather gets exceptionally warm. Where a long sleeved t-shirt is great for cooler mornings, layering a tank top underneath will provide you options in case the sun comes out and warms up the day.
When the hiking is done and you’re properly famished, having a long trench style or duster style sweater provides a great transition for going into a casual restaurant. These sweaters can cover your leggings or joggers sufficiently, and look very put together with a t-shirt or tank top. However, they aren’t so dressy to look out of sorts with a good structured trainer.
Remember Style and Comfort
There is a lot to be said for personal style. Everyone has one, even if they don’t know it. If anyone has ever said to you, “Oh that’s so YOU…” Then you have a personal style. When planning a transitional travel capsule, keep in mind your personal style, but remember comfort as well.
So many times I have planned the ‘perfect’ travel wardrobe only to arrive and find that those perfect shoes, weren’t so perfect for sightseeing. Or that perfect sweater wasn’t enough to ward off the chill. So while putting together your color palette and planning for your activities, remember to keep comfort top of mind.
For days of travel, I typically opt for layered pieces. Personally, I like dresses for travel days. They are easy to layer on a sweater or blazer, look good when we stop for meals, and are comfortable whether we are driving or flying. I also like this option because one item takes up less space in my luggage than packing three or four items for an outfit.
A typical travel day outfit could potentially look like this: A comfortable short sleeved wrap dress, a pair of ballet flats or sandals, and a cardigan.
Prepare to Mix and Match
The purpose in planning a travel capsule wardrobe is ultimately to pack less, and have more. When planning your trip, think through your style, your comfort options, your activities and your color palette. But ultimately you want to be sure you have multiple options with the pieces you’re taking.
For example, the black joggers could easily be worn with the crochet sweater and sandals for a dressed down casual day. The denim skirt could be paired with the blouse and trench style cardigan. The tweed shorts could be paired with the black cardigan and black trainers.
Preparing your wardrobe with basics that mix and match well, planning for comfort, and remembering your personal style will guarantee you’ll arrive at your destination ready for anything, and looking amazing!
xo, Billie
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