How To Style A Capsule Wardrobe For Travel
Travelling with endless bags is never fun. That’s facts, right? However, struggling to put outfits together with limited clothing is also not fun. Who wants to be stressed when on holiday because they have nothing to wear? Not me lol. That’s why the concept of a capsule wardrobe becomes truly game-changing. Essentially, the whole idea is to focus on timeless and staple pieces which are versatile. Although, once you’ve gathered a selection of clothes which fit the criteria, half the battle is finding combinations for them. Even more so when you’re travelling only with hand-luggage. To help out, I wanted to share my recent capsule wardrobe for a trip I took in September/October. Not that I needed any excuse to link fashion with travel…
If you’re after another version of this post, head over to my capsule wardrobe for 3 days in Lanzarote.
Now let’s set the scene a bit. Imagine you’re going on a trip to a warmer climate around September/October time for 5 days. You’ve only got a small bag with you and you’re already planning on wearing your trusty leather/faux leather jacket to the airport. So what on earth do you take with you?
Besides the obvious, plenty of underwear and socks, look at items which you can majorly put to WORK. We need clothes to look effortlessly cool in multiple combinations. We also need to be practical and take laundry sachets. I always have some in my bag when travelling, so that I can wash my clothes and let dry on the balcony. You know what? I even have laundry sachets in my everyday bag. You never know when you’re going to spill something down you….
Below, you’ll find my capsule wardrobe list for the scenario mentioned above. Of course, feel free to switch out any items you don’t like or don’t have.
Leather Jacket – Shirt Jacket – Casual Dress – Waist Belt
Silk/Satin Shirt – Crop Top – Plain Tops x3 – Long Sleeved Top
Silk/Satin Shorts – Cycle Shorts – Black Trousers/Leggings
Trainers x1 – Chunky Boots x1
The Results…
- Chunky Boots + Casual Bodycon Dress + Shirt Jacket.
- Chunky Boots + Casual Bodycon Dress + Long Sleeve Top.
- Cycle Shorts + Crop Top + Trainers.
- Trainers + Cycle Shorts + Crop Top + Silk/Satin Shirt (Worn open)
- Trainers + Plain Top + Silk/Satin Floaty Shorts + Waist Belt.
- Satin/Silk Floaty Shorts + Satin/Silk Shirt + Chunky Boots.
- Plain Top + Satin/Silk Floaty Shorts + Chunky Boots + Jacket.
- Black Trousers + Silk/Satin Shirt + Waist Belt + Trainers.
- Plain Top + Bodycon Dress (Over the top of the dress to look like a skirt) + Trainers + Jacket.
- Jacket + Black Trousers/Leggings + Crop Top + Trainers.
As you can see, 10 outfit ideas have just been formed with the basics I’ve packed. Pretty simple right? Although, another tip for maximising use from a capsule wardrobe is to mix + match fabrics. By incorporating various textures, items become easier to dress up for evenings. This is why I prefer packing satin/silk pieces, for example. Whilst these do tend to wrinkle more, they don’t take up much space. That’s a win if you ask me *wink face*
If you’re struggling to organise your baggage when travelling, purchase elastic bands immediately. Trust me, there is nothing better to roll your clothes with. The fact everything stays neat and easy to navigate? A bonus.
I’m no fashionista (and honestly, I wear the same two pairs of pants and shirts for most trips!), but your style is GOALS! I don’t care too much about packing any particular clothes for travel, as long as I’m reusing the same underwear or start smelling bad, haha…very ingenious way of how to pack light, yet travel stylishly with your post, though!
*not reusing the same underwear, whoops!
Thank you so much! That’s really kind of you 🙂