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This style guide will teach you exactly how to create a travel capsule wardrobe full of every item you will ever need. A capsule wardrobe for travel doesn’t just stop at choosing clothes to pack. There are many other factors to consider, such as garment care and selecting the right colours for seasonal travel. Creating a capsule wardrobe (or several for different occasions) will save you time, stress and money. They give structure to a wardrobe and help you to define your personal style. Have you got your pen and paper ready for this lesson?
How to Create a Travel Capsule Wardrobe
A capsule wardrobe is a collection of cleverly coordinated items of clothing and accessories that you can effortlessly mix and match. Learn more about the original 29-item capsule wardrobe here. Creating a travel capsule wardrobe is different to piecing together items for any other capsule closet. Travel really takes its toll on your skin, so it is important to ensure that your capsule wardrobe for travel only contains items that suit your skin tone. Essentially, when building a capsule wardrobe you must create a colour palette using corresponding tones. This can be very difficult if you are not sure what you’re doing. For best results consult my online colour analysis consultation services to have a personalised colour palette created just for you. A personalised colour palette will contain a selection of personalised colour shades that will always flatter your complexion even when you’re not wearing make-up or when you’re not feeling your best.
The checklist below is a general idea on how to create a travel capsule wardrobe for all seasons and weather conditions. I have pulled together general tones which tend to suit most skin tones. While it is always best to seek colour advice from an expert in order to build your own personalised capsule wardrobe, this travel capsule wardrobe checklist is a great place to start.
Shop the Look
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The outfits featured in this post are from Femme Luxe. Femme Luxe offers a fantastic range of white dresses, black dresses and denim shorts – which are perfect for building a timeless travel capsule wardrobe full of everything you need!
How to Create a Travel Capsule Wardrobe for Summer
When building your summer travel capsule wardrobe try to stick to cool tones. Cool tones will highlight a tan, disguise any redness or blemishes and will make your skin took radiant. What you choose to add to your summer capsule collection is completely up to you. However, I’d recommend sticking with lightweight, moveable materials and textures to keep you feeling cool and comfortable. Don’t believe the myth that black and white are not for the summer. Black and white are excellent clothing colour choices for a summer wardrobe because they hide a multitude of sins, including dreaded wet patches! Black and white garments are two equally good options for summer days when you’re in and out of the sea and in need of a quick cover-up, as well as for hot days when you don’t want any dreaded sweat patches appearing!
Colours to Wear that Will Highlight a Summer Glow
It doesn’t matter whether your skin tone type is cool or warm because here the same rule applies for everyone. Cooler tones such as aqua, blue, turquoise, lime green, and peppermint are all shades that will flatter your skin tone after sun exposure. These shades will highlight a healthy summer glow without showing up any redness or unwanted undertones in your skin. I would highly recommend choosing one of these shades when choosing swimwear especially! If you do happen to get a little sunburn, wearing garments in aqua, blue, turquoise, lime green, or peppermint will counteract any redness in your skin, instead giving the illusion of a golden tan. *Note: this is NOT an alternative to correct skin protection – always wear sun cream and avoid getting sunburnt at all costs!
Colours NOT to Add to Your Travel Capsule Wardrobe
The quick colour test: take an item in one of the cool colours mentioned above. Place the fabric against your skin and notice how your skin looks cool, blemish free and radiant. Now take an item in red, pink, orange, yellow or brown – these are usually classed as warm tones. Do the same here; place the colour against your skin. This time you will see that your skin looks slightly flushed, there are red undertones and blemishes are more noticeable. Red, pink, orange, yellow or brown are perfect for giving your pale skin a boost during cooler months, but they are unforgiving on tired, jet-lagged and suntanned skin. The more your skin is exposed to sun, the redder your skin will look when wearing any of these warm tones.
How to Create a Travel Capsule Wardrobe for Winter
Layering is key for all kinds of packing. This might sound like more hard work because it means possible packing more items of clothing but actually it’s not. Instead of packing just a couple of heavy items such as thick jumpers, use this suitcase space to hold several lighter layers. This layering tip will help to keep you warm and gives you more outfit options. Plus, lighter layers are easier to wash should you need to refresh your clothing while travelling.
The Best Cabin Case for Convenient Travel
Another issue for many weekend travellers is finding the best type of travel case that caters to your specific needs. The majority of people taking short breaks away don’t need to check their suitcases in to the luggage compartment when flying. A cabin case is sufficient but finding the perfect cabin case that is small enough yet highly functional is no easy task. This is why I recommend The Travel Hack Cabin Case by Cabin Max – a product born as the result of top UK travel blogger Monica Stott teaming with quality luggage company Cabin Max. The Travel Hack Cabin Case provides its owner with everything they’ll ever need when travelling for any possible reason. No matter whether you’re travelling on business and need easy access to your tablet or laptop, or in need of a spacious compartment for packing all of your home comforts, this is the bag you need!
Here are some of the many benefits to the Travel Hack Cabin Case:
• It’s lightweight – just 2kg when empty
• It has been made to meet the specific size regulations set by most airlines, so it’s guaranteed to fit in the hold as cabin baggage
• The main compartment of the case is 28 litres!
• It holds A LOT! As well as the huge main compartment, there are lots of other smaller compartments for packing smaller possessions
• The variety of small compartments, as well as its main 28-litre compartment is perfect for organising your belongings. So it easier for when you have to access liquids, cosmetics and electrical items when passing through security checks.
• On top of the case there is an additional easy-to-access large compartment which is perfect for carrying your handbag.
• There is also a well-padded pocket for carrying laptops and tablets – wide enough for you to access your laptop with ease whenever you need. No struggling to remove or pack the laptop like with most laptop pockets!
• For the fashion conscious: the case is black and rose gold! The main colour is black and the zips are an elegant shade of rose gold.
• This Travel Hack Cabin Case also offers all of the standard handle options to carry or pull the case along.
Garment SOS Travel Kit
An SOS garment kit for travelling is a small but essential repair kit that enables you to repair and clean up your clothes on the go. Have you ever been caught out when a button has popped off your shirt? Have you ever had a terrible spillage that could potentially stain? Of course you have, this is why it’s best to always be prepared. While you may be prepared for these incidents when you’re at home, you probably don’t give these matters a second thought when packing your suitcase. Ironically, when travelling most people tend to spend more time out and about, eating, drinking, exploring and generally being more active. The risk of wardrobe malfunctions is much higher when travelling, so here’s what to pack in your style SOS kit so that you’re always well prepared:
- Mini sewing kit (although many hotels do provide these)
- Fabric adhesive tape (the no-sew solution for wardrobe emergencies)
- Wet wipes (for freshening up garments on the go, for polishing shoes, and cleaning bags/luggage. Of course, they can also be used as a hand wipe and for removing make-up)
- Foldable shoes (small, lightweight flats that you can easily slip into at any time)
- Garment guards (protect your modesty and your garments from sweat patches on your clothes when in hot climates) – STYLE SECRET: these are a favourite among the attendees of red carpet events!
- A waterproof cape to protect you from the rain is also a very small and convenient essential!
Clever Packing Tips
- Lay out all of the items you plan to pack before piling them into your suitcase. This will help you to gain perspective on what you need and what can be left behind.
- In need of an iron? Why not use your hair straighteners instead! These work just as well. In fact, they work so well that I even use my hair straighteners for all of my iron-on transfers!
- When you’re limited on luggage space, utilise every corner of space available to you.
- Boots and shoes are great for storing rolled up garments.
- Boots offer reasonable protection and space-saving for hair straighteners and hair brushes.
- When packing clothing, fold each garment so that it’s as flat as possible rather than creating a narrow, high stack of clothing in your suitcase.
- Alternatively, rolling up your items of clothing, as well as towels and other fabrics is a fast and easy storage solution.
Useful Links
How to Create a Classic Capsule Wardrobe
AD – this post is part of a paid partnership with Femme Luxe but all opinions are our own.