A good traveling wardrobe
Real time lessons in what it takes to build a wardrobe ready for the special times
We left our house and pup in the capable hands of friends and are on a 5 week summer trip. I am profoundly grateful for the flexibility Cody’s semester-bound job affords us during the holiday months. This is the longest trip we’ve made, largely because about half of the time will be spent on a research trip for him in Rome. I’ll be joining him solo for 10 days, my first time in Italy!
As I was packing for this trip, something happened that I suspected would happen. It was the first time that my wardrobe made sense for travel. And it made sense for travel, because it finally made sense for my life and my body and my taste. I’m not a different person when I’m in a different location, so why was it that my wardrobe always seemed so wrong whenever it was time to travel, even for a weekend?
Traveling (or any kind of disruption of your normal life) has a way of accentuating the things that aren’t going well anyway. The truth is, I was always struggling with my wardrobe, but was able to somewhat cope with its disfunction when I was at home because the stakes seemed low. But when an event came up, even if it was just a Saturday morning baby shower, I would have a “wardrobe crisis.” It’s that common rub of unmet expectations and disconnection between the clothes you have and the life you want to live. In the end, I always blamed my body, when in actuality it was a cohesion problem. I simply didn’t have the wardrobe that made sense for me.
Be willing to question what you’ve always done. It might just not be working for you anymore.
When I was packing for our 5 week trip, the one major snag I hit was that I didn’t have a good warm layer. There was no one sweater or cardigan or even jacket that would work for everything I needed, like an airplane layer, or for summer nights or over a dress in air conditioning. I opted to not bring any warm layers except for one long sleeve t-shirt, thinking I’d rather not pack something bulky that didn’t really fit the bill for me. When we had two surprisingly cold days in Cincinnati, I decided that despite my dislike of cardigans, I really needed to find one. I knew I needed something cropped and not too baggy. Cotton would be the best fabric for summer layering. My mind palace of clothing items told me to beeline it to Quince, where of course I found a great cropped cotton cardigan. This was the first “stepping out” for me: I was purchasing a cardigan, even though history told me I always look disheveled in one. And guess what? I love it! The 2nd biggest risk with this purchase was that I bought a size smaller than I normally buy, which I know is a big part of why it works for me. I have a fear of things being too small, and so I almost never size down. But I knew that I needed this cardigan to feel a little shrunken in order to be happy with it. I am so pleased, and also really like the way it looks buttoned all the way up like a sweater. The temptation to go buy it in more colors is real, but I’ll be going slow with this one and seeing what kind of longevity it has in my closet.
You don’t have to change everything at once (but here are some tips if you really do need to make some changes quickly)
The best style is built slowly and mindfully, and yet, what if you’re packing and you really don’t have what you need? Where should you even begin?
Start with one / It can feel like that hole in your wardrobe is so gaping, you need multiple pieces to fill it. But consider maybe just getting one, and making it good. When planning for Rome, I knew I needed a dress that covered my knees and shoulders. This is not my typical silhouette, so I searched for a good one-dress-solution that I enjoy wearing. I might wear it multiple days during my trip. I’m glad I didn’t buy 3 of the same style, or even stress about getting a lot of new dresses. One will suffice, and if I get there and find I need another one, I can always go shopping.
Consider your shoes / I think one of the most frequent holes in a travel wardrobe is our shoes. Most of us in the U.S. simply (and tragically IMO) don’t walk that much during our daily lives. Suddenly when faced with clocking 20k or more steps in a single day while also wanting to look great, we don’t know what to do. I’ve known for a while that my shoe situation was not ideal, but again, at home I could cope with that pretty well. There were a lot of shoes I wanted to purchase, but I prioritized what I would really need for comfort and that I also completely loved the style of. Since this is a summer trip, I purchased two new pairs of walkable sandals that I will also really enjoy using when I get home.
Is the vibe right? / Often when we’re trying to pick items for traveling, we throw all our style preferences out the window and try to get everything in the most technical fabrics, the most basic colors, and the most durable build. These are all great things to consider, especially when thinking about things like luggage or an item that will be worn most days of travel. But what if instead of a packable hiking jacket, you purchased a linen blazer? What if instead of shorts, you went for a cotton midi skirt? Obviously each unique location will require different considerations, but do you see what I mean? If all you have are basics in neutral colors, your outfits won’t feel very special. Opt for unique basics, and don’t be afraid of incorporating some of your favorite non-neutral colors into your travel wardrobe. If you already have what you need, but you want your vacation clothing to feel special, opt for a really fun nail polish color, and pick up a colorful scarf, bag, or piece of jewelry as a souvenir during your trip. Just one little splash of color or an interesting texture changes an entire outfit.
Your vacation pieces should work for your at-home life, too.
The temptation to buy all the things that seem perfect for the location you’re traveling to is strong. I definitely experienced that over the last few months when thinking about visiting Italy. What I did instead was think about the non-negotiables. The full-coverage dress, the sandals, and the 11th hour cardigan all made the essentials cut. But instead of feeling like I threw a lot of money away on trip prep, I feel like I just made my normal wardrobe that much more robust.
You see, the crisis induced clarity that an upcoming trip or event brings is a perfect time to identify true needs, not just the flashy items that often leave us still wanting more. Suddenly it’s crystal clear what your wardrobe is lacking. Focus on that thing, and try to get the color, the fabric, and the fit aligned with what works best for you and what you enjoy. Slowly but surely you’ll notice the what-will-I-wear panic happens less and less as you enjoy your wardrobe more and more.
To be fully transparent, my wardrobe still isn’t all I’d like it to be. I have a short list of items—mostly pants!—that I have been doing without for a while, so I’m hoping to enjoy a little shopping in Rome and find a few of those pieces as I go. To be continued!
Until soon,
MDS
