Happy Sunday, ladies! I spent last week in Charleston with one of my oldest friends. A great trip; a great city; and great company. Given that so many of us are taking trips this summer, I thought I’d spend a post talking about how to build a travel capsule wardrobe.
Basic tips
When putting together a travel capsule wardrobe, I keep the following in mind:
- Pick a neutral color scheme. (I like black and white.)
- Add pops of color for contrast.
- Bring one or two dresses. (I love jumpsuits which are a nice alternative to a dress.)
For a warm-weather getaway:
- My suitcase is filled with swimsuits and coverups.
Over the years, I’ve put together tons of packing tips and tricks. So make sure to check them out, if you’re looking to maximize your luggage.
This travel capsule wardrobe
For today’s wardrobe, I’ve included
- 5 tops;
- 3 bottoms;
- 2 dresses;
- 4 pairs of shoes;
- 2 swimsuits;
- 1 pair of sunglasses;
That’s 17 different items, many of them with extremely small footprints. From those 17 items, I’ve put together 10 outfits broken down by category:
- day adventure;
- evening out;
- afternoon by the pool; and
- lounging in the hotel.
This is a pretty conservative capsule wardrobe, and although I’m excluding cosmetics and additional accessories today, I can see this travel capsule working easily for a 3-5 day vacation with a large(er) carry-on and tote bag.
The Summary
Today I’m showing you how to build a summer travel capsule wardrobe
I have 17 different items and came up with 10 different outfits, although you can put together more
All of the items are shoppable via a text or image widget
At the end of the post, I’ve included the luggage and travel cases I’m using this year
How to Build a Summer Travel Capsule Wardrobe
1. A Day Adventure
If you’re like me, when my vacation days are either spent out and about on an excursion (yes, shopping counts!) or by the pool. To kick things off, I’m giving you a few outfit ideas for a day adventure.
This aspect of the wardrobe centers around a single pair of shorts. Because I’ve stuck with a neutral-based wardrobe, I can mix and match any top I want and still have a cute, comfortable outfit.
Board: Split-Neck Cotton Tee (Talbots) | Camp Shirt (Ann Taylor) | Relaxed-Fit Short-Sleeve Linen Shirt (J.Crew) | The Metro Short (Ann Taylor) | Straw Tote (Talbots) | Alpargata Slip-On (Toms) | Leather Slide Sandal (Eileen Fisher)
Outfit Ideas
Shop the Boards
2. An Evening Out
Whether you’re staying at a resort or a friend’s lake house, there’s nothing like eating dinner outside with a perfect warm, summer breeze.
My evening wardrobe centers around two items: a black dress and a pair of linen pants. I always make sure to pack a dress when I travel. You always want to be able to dress-up for dinner at a nice restaurant.
Board: Split-Neck Cotton Tee (Talbots) | Camp Shirt (Ann Taylor) | Black Polly Dress (Tuckernuck) | TENCEL Linen Pants (Banana Republic) | Straw Tote (Talbots) | Parys Leather Espadrille (Vince Camuto, Nordstrom) | Nola Straw Shoulder Bag (J.McLaughlin)
Outfit Ideas
Shop the boards
3. An afternoon by the water
Whether you’re spending a morning by the hotel pool or all day at the beach, you’re going to want to pack a few swimsuits and a cover-up.
Notice, here, that instead of adding an extra bag to my capsule wardrobe, my straw tote is doubling up for both my day adventure and my afternoon by the water.
Board: Miraclesuit One Shoulder One Piece (Talbots) | Miraclesuit Blockbuster One Piece (Talbots) | Traputno Cover Up Dress (Talbots) | Straw Tote (Talbots) | Leather Slide Sandal (Eileen Fisher)
Outfit Ideas
Shop the boards
4. Lounging in the Hotel
Every vacation has downtime. Whether you’re spending that time in the hotel or at your kiddo’s home, it’s good to pack active/loungewear.
If you really want to conserve space in your suitcase, loungewear easily doubles as sleepwear. So make sure to pack a few knits and comfy shorts to maximize space.
Board: Ava T-Shirt (Zella, Nordstrom) | Work For It Easy Tank Top (Zella, Nordstrom) | Cotton Slub French Terry Shorts (Talbots) | Women’s Gripper Slipper (Bombas)
Outfit Ideas
Shop the boards
Luggage & Cases
1.
Chatelet Air 2.0 21″ Carry-On
2.
Colorblock Leather Field Tote
3.
Concourse 2-In-1 Cosmetic Cases
(shop more Mark & Graham pouches)
4.
Makeup Bag Organizer
5.
Medium Travel Jewelry Case
(shop more Mark and Graham jewelry cases)
In Case You Missed It
Yesterday, Kelly shared 6 Southern-inspired recipes perfect for Summer. Click the title or image below to read the article.
6 Southern Inspired Recipes for Summer
About The Author
Loved the gauze type long sleeve dress/coverup/ tunic in your first photo. It doesn’t appear on any of the shopping boards. What brand , store or where to buy? Thanks
sorry about that! here is a link to the dress: https://rstyle.me/+C-6zYx2YWqSCglwogqQt-A
Cute vacation clothes, but with the price of gas don’t know if we will be going anywhere this year.
Don’t like to fly. Will see.
it’s crazy how gas prices have soared. when i filled up my tank for Charleston it was $70.