Traveling Light - The Clothes

The final post on Traveling Light - The Clothes.  This one is a little trickier as it varies so much from trip to trip depending on location and season and itinerary, and with each person's individual style.  But this will give you an idea and maybe a few tips on the amount and type of items to pack.  

First the shoes - because they can take up a lot of room, and they absolutely, positively, MUST BE COMFORTABLE or you will not be able to fully enjoy your vacation.  I have a strict three pair limit, and one of these pairs is a pair of flip-flops.  Below are the shoes I took for Chile.   

 

The flip-flops are old, I think from Gap.  Used as slippers around the hotel room, as sandals beach side or pool side, and in a pinch, because of the gold trim, can be swapped out for one of the other pairs for a casual dinner. 

In the middle, and in the picture below, are my trusty Merrells.  I have taken a variation of these on every vacation that I can remember.  They serve as hiking shoes and general sight-seeing shoes, without the stereotypical white tennis shoe tourist look.  These are at least the third pair of this type of shoe I have had.  I especially like the non-tie bungee lace - easy for slipping on and off in airport security.  Because these are the biggest shoes that I pack, these are the ones that I wear on the plane.

Finally, on the right, for this trip I packed a pair of AGL ballet flats.  While the flip-flops and Merrells are my vacation standards, this third pair can vary between a pair of good walking sandals in the summer, ballet flats, or maybe a pair of low booties.  For this trip I went back and forth between the ballet flats and a pair of black, western low booties.  In the end, I settled on the ballet flats, but really, either one would have worked for this trip.

The Bottoms

A pair of skinny jeans, a pair of gray jeans, a charcoal skirt, and what you don't see, a pair of black yoga pants that I wore on the plane.

Two Long Sleeve Tops 

A bright blue Under Armour and a charcoal quarter-zip from C9 by Champion with cute detailing.  Either one could be layered if needed.

Tanks, T's, Cardis and Scarves

Three scarves - a solid bright blue from Ann Taylor (although it doesn't look like it, it's a close match to the UA long sleeve); cranberry, purple, gray and black circles; and black, gray and white leopard print (H&M).

Tanks - Nordstroms gray & white ruffled stripe, Missomo white and bright blue, very old cranberry with a ruffled front from Gap.

T's - just two - a bright pink Zella and a cosmo pink Missomo Rounded V-neck.

Long sleeve Nike black dri-fit T - another travel favorite - layer over or under, or wear with your jeans and some jewelry and dress it up for a casual dinner.  Also works good for a pajama top.

Two cardigans - J Crew long merino wool in pink and a Merona classic cardigan in white with gray polka-dots

Worn on the plane with the black Athleta yoga pants, another Missomo tank, this time in gray, and a maroon zippered sweater hoodie from Eileen Fisher, along with the circle scarf.

Two Dress-Up Options

A Talbots black silky tunic with buttons half way down the front - packs up extremely small, and a light gray cardigan scattered with silver sequins - works over the white, blue or cranberry tanks, or the black long sleeve T.

My experience has proven this to be a perfect combination. 

On the left is my favorite North Face black fleece jacket.  On the right, a very light weight North Face wind and rain shell.  Together these give me all kinds of options.  If it's a little chilly - wear just the fleece.  If its rainy but not cold, just the shell.  And if the weather turns really nasty, layer the two together.  In the pocket of the wind shell is a light weight Brooks dri-fit black headband to cover my ears.  It stays in there, ready to go, all year round so that it is ready when needed.

And a few Odds & Ends

A swimsuit, a pair of REI rain pants, lingerie and accessories.

The swim suit and the rain pants are the only two items that I don't mind packing and not using.  The swim suit because there is just nothing else you can substitute for it, and it's hard to find one you like.  Besides, it doesn't take up much room.  And if you don't need the rain pants, that's awesome...it means it didn't rain on your vacation!  Throw in pair of warm gloves, a little bit of jewelry, a belt, your bras and panties, and Smartwool socks (keep your feet dry, warm, and you can wear them over and over without any nasty stink), and you are good to go.

Hope this helps you when you are packing for your next trip, and if you have any packing tips... please share them!