A Small, Basic Travel Capsule Wardrobe? Start with Art – Portrait of Woman in Green Hat by Picasso
August 16, 2024
She remembered the post – right here on The Vivienne Files – and was thinking of something a little bit different with the same painting!
I think every reader of The Vivienne Files thinks up their own versions of these wardrobes; that’s kind of the point! Put your own preferences in place of mine, or those of our heroine…
Her wardrobe is black and white. She’s just now starting to add a bit of taupe/brown to things. But she could see the merit of a blue shirt, or a green sweater, along with a scarf or two…
So for a trip – a fairly long trip – she decides to pack VERY light, but to give herself the feeling of a “bigger than it really is” travel capsule wardrobe. Three accent colors might do that!
Please note that this heroine is willing to have laundry done – or do it herself. If you make this adjustment to your travel planning, the amount of luggage you have to pack drops a LOT!
In order to keep her bag light, but to still give herself a feeling of choices, she’s decided to pack plenty of scarves. For those of us who love scarves, this might be smart – you can pack a half-dozen scarves in the space of one sweater…
She wants to start with her best “24 hour” outfit – denim on denim, with a lovely cardigan, a pretty scarf, and comfortable boots:
She’s going to a big city. She wants to look… nice. Not super-dressy, certainly not super-trendy, but nicely enough dressed that she can walk into most restaurants and snag a single table. Nice enough to feel special!
But how do you look great with just six garments in your bag?
This will fit into a bag that can go under the seat in front of her – assuming she’s flying!
My suggestions for her:
- almost all solid garments. The only print is her striped turtleneck, which is an easy print to wear with a black and white scarf;
- A scarf to help each accent garment dance happily with her neutrals;
- One color of shoes, in three different styles, to go with the three “bottoms” she takes with her (yes, her dress is counted as a bottom because it covers her lower half, and because it can be worn with a variety of tops);
- A second small handbag is a bonus – if you can fill it with undergarments, or pack it flat, it won’t take up too much space; and
- earrings that go with her neutrals, and with her accent colors. There’s literally nothing smaller to pack than earrings!
This is the kind of wardrobe in which it would be hard to put together a bad outfit. Not impossible, but tough.
But the scarves could go awry if you don’t open your eyes before breakfast!
This is far from all of her options, of course, but it’s a sample of what she might do:
I’m going to Europe in November for two weeks; could I manage with a travel capsule wardrobe this small? Or maybe I will pack nine garments, and have thirteen total…
Yes, I think my travel outfit might be four pieces: jeans, shirt, sweater vest, and blazer…
hmm….
love,
Janice
p.s. Five years ago, we flashback to a heroine who won an historic financial settlement, and went shopping! I think that occasional fantasy shopping can help one see what truly appeals…