Check Your Closet For ‘New’ Travel Wardrobe
Imagine the elegance of traveling with six or seven wardrobe trunks, neatly packed with silk suits and straw hats for a trip to Paris.
Yeah, right - if you’re Princess Diana.
“Diana has the luxury of having an entourage of people to carry her luggage,” says Kathryn Bryan, owner of Kasal Image Consulting and Boutique in Fort Worth, Texas.
“Taking too much luggage is exhausting, and you risk losing something because you’ve got so much to keep track of. It’s good to be able to carry everything yourself.”
One trick to easy travel is a compact, organized wardrobe, made up of comfortable, wrinkle-free separates that coordinate, Bryan says, adding that many of these pieces should be in your closet. (Remember, people where you’re going don’t know your wardrobe like friends at home.)
“In traveling, we all have the same concerns, whether we go overseas or to the beach or to the city,” Bryan explains. “We’re concerned with ease, comfort and low maintenance, plus we want to look appropriate. If you’re dressed appropriately and feel comfortable, you’ll enjoy your trip more.”
Before deciding what to pack, take time to find out more about the destination, its climate, attractions and culture. Is the temperature 80 degrees during the day, but 50 degrees at night? What sort of sightseeing is there? Is dining done at nice restaurants or casual cafes?
Next, choose the base color scheme. Will it be black and white with accents of fuchsia, royal blue and other jewel tones? What about browns, tans and earth tones? How about navy and primary colors? Look through your closet and get creative.
“Most people don’t coordinate outfits together when they’re packing, so they get there and have one skirt that only goes with one top,” says Jo Ross-Reznikoff, manager of Kelley Moore Travel Services.
When you’re choosing the color scheme, shoes play a key factor. Nearly every trip calls for good walking shoes, whether sidewalk shopping, strolling the beach or going to and from a tour bus.
“If you’re walking on cobblestone streets in high heels, you’re going to look pretty foolish,” Bryan says. “If your feet hurt, you’re not going to want to do anything.”
Comfortable walking shoes could be black, brown, navy or tan leather styles with cushioned rubber soles, or they might be white tennis sneakers, whatever your taste. Take one or two pairs of other shoes, perhaps a casual sandal for the beach or a dressier shoe for dinner in the city. Limit shoes to three pairs.
Wrinkle-resistant clothes in dark colors, such as black jeans, brown khakis and blue denim skirts, are good choices because they show less dirt. Take along comfy cotton-knit shirts to wear with dark-colored bottoms and accessorize with necklaces, scarves and belts. White linen is a no-no unless you’re going on a tropical vacation or cruise. Even if there’s a washing machine, who wants to spend vacation doing laundry and ironing blouses?
Crinkled broomstick skirts, which come in a variety of colors and fabrics, are perfect for travel, Bryan says. They’re meant to look wrinkled, and they go casual with T-shirts and sandals or dressy with heeled mules, silk shells and pretty necklaces. For men, there are new wrinkle-free cotton slacks, shorts and shirts, made by Dockers, Haggar, J.C.Penney’s Hunt Club brand and others.
Lay out clothes one week beforehand to start coordinating outfits, visualizing each outing’s ensemble. Mix and match separates to wear one piece at least two, preferably three times.