Pack Like a Pro with These Essential Pieces for a Perfect Travel Capsule Wardrobe

Why Should I Have a Capsule Wardrobe?

If you are looking for less stress and more fun, then cutting down on the amount of clothing you bring on vacation eliminates a huge amount of hassle. If you are flying there is no need to check in a bag, meaning you save yourself money and buy yourself some time before and after your flight. While everyone else is waiting by the luggage carousel—you get to saunter past and head straight to the hotel. Packing and unpacking takes minutes, leaving you feeling relaxed and in full on holiday mode. 

How to Create a Capsule Wardrobe for Travel

Take the time to do some pre-planning and with a little bit of creativity—putting together a travel capsule wardrobe is well worth the effort. Schedule a couple of hours to go through your closet and see what you already have, do a try on session and then make a list of items you can add to complete your outfits. 

Invest in High-Quality Pieces

You want to choose pieces that will see you through not just this summer but many vacations to come. The only way to do that is by avoiding trends and cheap materials. Knowing what suits your shape and what you feel most comfortable is an almost guaranteed way of ensuring you will rewear a piece over and over again. 

Consider Versatility

Before investing in an item, think of at least three types of occasions where you could wear it. For example a slip dress can be paired with sandals for the beach, heels at night for dinner or with a white shirt over it for sightseeing. Choose a color palette of your 3 favorite shades so that everything works together and choose a multi-use scarf or sarong to add some vibrant prints. Stick with timeless silhouettes that are unlikely to go out of fashion. Lay out all the different outfit options before you travel and take photos on your phone to save you time deciding when you are finally on vacation. 

Pick the Right Fabrics

In addition to selecting the right styles and colors, you want your clothes to be low-maintenance—pieces that need little to no ironing.  Keep an eye out for garments made from lyocell and tencel as they are both eco-conscious and breathable, making them the perfect option for hot weather. Even in Summer, some destinations get chilly at night so including a cashmere sweater will have you covered whatever the temperature. To save space in your bag, wear it on the plane. 

Capsule Wardrobe Checklist

With just a few carefully selected pieces and some smart styling you should have enough outfit options for all your holiday activities. We trawled through the spring/summer collections to compile these essential picks to get you started. 

Clothes

Whether you want to spend your days lounging on the beach or strolling through art galleries, you are going to need a mix of both casual and formal clothing. A blazer such as this one from Massimo Dutti (Oversize Blazer $299) is light enough to keep you cool but also smart enough to elevate any outfit. We also love how the cut of this swimsuit from Zara Home (Swimsuit $70) means it can be worn as a bodysuit with either jeans or a skirt. Keep reading to find out what other clothing we’ll be throwing in our travel bag this summer.