Get Ready for Takeoff With Your Perfect Travel Capsule Wardrobe
Whether traveling for business or pleasure, by plane or by train, domestic or international, going somewhere new is always a welcome change of scenery. But before we get to the relaxing part - you know, the one with the screaming kids and nagging partner - we need to endure the most stressful part of planning a trip: packing for it.
Anyone who happened to catch me dragging a 50 pound suitcase through the cobblestone streets of Florence last summer would have assumed it was my first ever international vacation. You would think someone blessed with their first intercontinental flight at just 40 days old would know how to pack for a two month-long trip in just a backpack by now.
So who am I to teach you how to pack? Clearly, practice has not made perfect. And yet all my trips since have been stress free…well, at least in terms of my carry-on bag. That is because no amount of trips can teach you to pack for every possible destination, but a system for building a travel capsule wardrobe can.
You’ll be happy to hear you don’t need to go on 500 trips to learn how to pack. All you need is the Indyx app (available for free on iOS or Android) and a few helpful techniques.
Whether you tend to overpack (like me) or you don't pack the right things (also, like me), a travel capsule wardrobe will make sure you’re ready for everything your trip has in store, no more and no less.
What Is A Travel Capsule Wardrobe?
A travel capsule wardrobe is a super curated collection of versatile items that can easily mix and match to create many outfits for a specific trip, making it easy to pack light without sacrificing style.
Let’s break down that definition:
Super curated
Exactly how curated should be relative to the length of your trip and your personal willingness to expand from a backpack, to a carry-on, to a full-on suitcase. You might be able to do even more than you think with less! Believe it or not, just 15 items is enough to create over 40 different outfits, which is more than enough for even a two-week trip.
Versatile
My definition of versatile is that the pieces themselves each have several uses or potential ways to be styled. A button down shirt isn’t just a top, it can be used during a chilly night as an extra layer or by itself, as a beach cover up. Your silk midi skirt can be dressed down to walk around town or dressed up for a nice dinner.
Mix-and-match
Lastly, the capsule needs to be evaluated for how it all works together to make new outfits. How well your clothes mix and match is the key factor to being able to create endless outfits from a few items effortlessly.
Why Do I Need A Travel Capsule Wardrobe?
If you’re wondering why you can’t just shove as many clothes as possible into a suitcase and hope a) the bag doesn’t explode and b) you’ll happen to have the right ingredients for good outfits on your trip, let’s explain why the advantages of a travel capsule extend beyond just the time spent lugging your bag around.
It helps you enjoy the actual vacation
Whether you prefer to go see every historic relic in the city or lounge by the pool while enjoying a variety of mini umbrella-garnished drinks, the last thing you want to spend your time doing is stressing about what to wear.
A well curated travel capsule wardrobe means you don’t need to spend time styling or thinking about what will go with what. The only dilemma you’ll have is which one looks more amazing - and gives you mental space back to…you know, actually enjoy the trip you paid for.
It guarantees stylish outfits
Since all of your outfits will mix and match, you don’t have to worry about whether or not you look good. If you’re running late for a guided tour or can’t be bothered to think about what you’ll wear to the all-you-can-eat buffet, nearly anything you throw on out of your suitcase will look great. When you have curated the right pieces, looking stylish is an effortless, pain-free process.
It allows you to travel light
There are obviously also some significant benefits for your luggage situation: a travel capsule allows you to pack less, lightening the load and making space for other things. You don’t have to be a travel pro to know that skipping the baggage claim is a gamechanger. Or, you can use that extra space to add some trinkets you pickup along your travels. And as someone who grew up in a house with an ancient chinese dresser and a five by five Tanzanian painting of a lion, you might need that extra space because you never know what you’ll find.
What Items Should I Put In My Travel Capsule?
The term “capsule wardrobe” has been used ad-nauseum, and I for one can’t look at another set of beige, white and navy “basics” that feel boring and restrictive. We aren’t in the business of listing out the “25 essential items you must buy for any trip”. Like with most things, the one-size-fits-all model just doesn’t work.
Learn more about how to create a personalized capsule wardrobe that actually fits your needs
At Indyx, we believe that capsule wardrobes - whether for your day-to-day life, or for travel - should be entirely individual and as beige (or not) as you want to make it, which for me personally is zero beige items.
In short: we’re not going to present you with a simple checklist of all the specific items you “should” include in your travel capsule. What we will do is share the thought process behind how to curate a travel capsule wardrobe that works perfectly for you, without sacrificing your unique style.
While designing your own travel capsule wardrobe may require more thought upfront, it will prevent you from buying “essentials” that aren’t actually essential to you, save you time during your trip, and get you way better pictures for your Instagram. Which is what we all want at the end of the day, right?
How To Build Your Travel Capsule Wardrobe
On to what you’re really here for: building your travel wardrobe. The key thing to remember is that there are no hard and fast rules, only suggestions you can adapt to your needs.
1. Understand any specific requirements for your destination
Fashion faux pas are regrettable enough, but wearing something considered disrespectful or offensive in a host country is far worse. Researching where you’re going and the customs of the place are essential.
For example, many countries require you cover your legs and arms when visiting holy places, including the United Arab Emirates and the Vatican. In other places, wearing flip flops to a nice restaurant is simply not acceptable…speaking as a European, we will judge you.
The second key area of research is safety. Even though I grew up in Brazil, I would always advise visitors to only wear crossbody bags as they are much harder to steal. A small shoulder bag, while cute and my preferred style, are extremely easy to grab.
You’ll of course also want to do a quick check of the weather for when you’ll be there. San Francisco is a classic example, where tourists are commonly spotted in the summer wearing just-purchased “San Francisco” sweatshirts not because they fell in love with the stylish design but because they are completely caught off-guard by our 50 degree June gloom.
2. Consider what activities you’ll be doing
There are two types of travelers: those who plan every activity, meal and bathroom break and those that want to see where the journey takes them. The problem is that sometimes the journey will take you to a muddy park in heels. We can all benefit from *some* degree of planning.
You don’t need to know exactly which days you’re going to be doing each activity but having a general idea of whether you’ll need 2 sightseeing looks, or 3 dinner outfits, or shoes for a countryside bike ride is the only way to pack effectively. This is the last step in setting your capsule wardrobe parameters, and the best way to have a foundation that won’t fail you during your trip.
3. Narrow down your color palette
It doesn’t have to be fifty shades of beige or black or taupe or, well - gray. Your color palette doesn’t have to be neutral, it just has to be cohesive. It can be helpful to think about sticking to a single tone: pastel, jeweled, earthy, etc.
That being said…neutrals are very useful because they are very easy to mix-and-match. It is a good idea to make sure that you have at least one top and one bottom that will go with all the other colors you’ve chosen. Having one white top and a pair of black jeans will ensure you can create at least one outfit with everything you bring.
4. Stick to your everyday style
Repeat after me: you do not need to go shopping! You don’t need a Cottagecore white linen dress or a large floppy beach hat for the South of France when you prefer a minimalist urban wardrobe. Let’s leave dressing for the stereotype of the destination to those that travel by private jet.
5. Start with a baseline selection of items in a 5-4-3-2-1 ratio
Considering the parameters set out above, get into your closet (or, digital wardrobe!) and start pulling individual items that fit the bill. But, how many of each?
Rules can feel restrictive, so let’s think of this as the “5-4-3-2-1 suggestion”. This is a rough ratio of the items you should bring on a 1-2 week trip : 5 tops, 4 bottoms, 3 layers, 2 shoes, 1 dress. This combination is a good starting point for maximizing the number of outfits from a small amount of pieces.
But, if you choose to take 2 layers and 2 dresses instead, or 6 tops and 3 shoes, you can totally do that, nobody is stopping you. This isn’t supposed to stress you out but rather give you a benchmark from which to build.
6. Practice styling outfits
We pack in items, but live life in outfits - so, the next thing to do is start testing whether your initial selection of items works well to actually give you a variety of outfits!
A great way to do this is to head over to the Indyx app and start building outfits around the activities you have listed out. Stick to the basics, and leave accessorizing for later.
With each item you add to create an outfit, create two more outfits using that item, striving for a total of at least three outfits per item, all from within the same capsule. Try creating outfits of different formality: some dressed up and others dressed down with each item as a test of their versatility.
If you notice that you’re not using certain items very much, then that might be a signal to remove it from the travel capsule and replace it with something more useful. This part of the process is a bit like solving a puzzle - but, we promise there is a good solution!
Once you have your base outfits pretty well figured out, you want to play around with shoes and accessories. It’s a good idea to take one pair of more elegant shoes that you can still get away with wearing during the day, and another pair of more casual, comfortable shoes. But again, this is just a suggestion, which may or may not work for your trip. If you’re going to Nashville, you may want to make room for two pairs of cowboy boots!
If you are having trouble with this step of the process, an Indyx stylist would be happy to help. The Lookbook is the perfect solution to work 1:1 with a professional stylist to plan your perfect capsule wardrobe for you!
7. Generate your packing list
Once you’ve built all of your outfits in the Indyx app, head over to your Dashboard and then click on Packing List. Once you’ve created your trip, you can add all the outfits you built and it will automatically add all of the items in those outfits to a packing list. As you pack, you can just check off each item. Nothing is forgotten and you’ll pull off an admirable feat: packing without making a huge mess!
Read our guide on how to adapt the travel capsule concept to a trip to Europe, where dressing up a bit is de rigueur, if you’ll pardon our French.
Example: A Travel Capsule Wardrobe for a Long Weekend in Los Angeles
In full transparency: I have no such upcoming trip to sunny LA from dreary London, but I believe in manifestation, and what better way than to plan out my outfits? Let’s go step-by-step through the process above as an example.
1. The Destination
Sticking to the tourist attractions and restaurants in the surrounding areas, LA is relatively safe. It’s a very liberal city and there are no restrictions on what I should and shouldn’t wear. However, if I do go out at night to a trendy spot with my friends I will need dressier clothes.
2. Activities
I’ll be spending most of my time with friends and I’ve gathered these are the main activities I need to plan for:
2 Beach days
Griffith Observatory and shopping
Visiting LACMA and the Getty Center
2 Dinners out with friends
1 Party night
In total I need to plan for eight outfits, 4 during the day and 4 at night.
3. Color pallette
I’m going to stick to my normal cool neutral palette: mostly blacks and whites with some statement pieces in deeper jeweled tones.
4. Stick to your style
Repeat after me: I will not buy new clothes. I have enough clothes. I don’t need more clothes.
5. Selecting items
Since I’m only going for 4 days, I don’t need the full 15 items. So, I’m going to adapt the “5-4-3-2-1 suggestion” to work for my needs into a 3-2-1-2 ratio. Which means I am only taking 8 items - 3 tops, 2 bottoms, 1 layer, 2 shoes - plus two swimsuits, one pair of sunglasses and one bag.
6. Building Outfits
I’m going to start out by building my beach outfits because I want to make sure what I use as a cover up I can then dress up for a different occasion. The last thing I will create is the party outfit as it is the one I will most likely need a separate top for.
Daytime Looks
Evening Looks
7. My Packing List
And there you have it, eight completely different outfits from just eight items! And while so far my manifestation has not led to any concrete plans for a trip, when it does surely happen I’ll have all my outfits ready. The universe just needs to deliver me an amazing last-minute flight deal, and could pack within just a minute's notice (if need be).
While we can’t take away the stress of spending time with family or the inevitable issues that come up in a group trip, we can make sure you have great outfits. And the best part is that you will have all your outfits at your fingertips in the Indyx app for free on iOS or Android. All there is left to say now is bon voyage!
FAQ
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When planning your outfits, use the Indyx app to add them to your trip packing list and it will automatically add all of the items to a Packing List you can quickly check off as you pack them into your luggage. While with a travel capsule wardrobe you’ll bring just the right amount of clothes, if you’re looking to minimize your space, rolling your clothes is the most space efficient way to pack. Keep your shoes at the bottom and try to wear your bulkiest pieces as you travel.
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The first step to build your Travel capsule Wardrobe is to do some destination research, understand any cultural sensitivities and be aware of any safety precautions you should be taking. Then plan your activities and inform yourself on the weather while you’ll be there so you are prepared for any situation. The next step is to decide on your color palette, whether it’s neutrals or shades of neon. Then, follow the 5-4-3-2-1 suggestion of 5 tops, 4 bottoms, 3 layers, 2 shoes and 1 dress as a general guideline when packing. As you build outfits around your activities, keep editing to reduce items as much as you can. This will involve a lot of swapping, but you can comfortably do it from the couch on the Indyx app while watching Netflix.
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You want to be able to build enough outfits for as many days as you’ll be there plus 3-5 evening outfits, depending on how often you plan to go to dinner or out in the evening. For example, for a week-long trip to the beach you want to be able to build 10–12 outfits.
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Follow the same outline for any travel capsule wardrobe but you want to focus on versatile pieces. You can use a pashmina as a beach cover up, a nice shawl for a chilly night or even make it into a top. Shorts can be used during the day but also dressed up for a restaurant.
Rebecca is a fashion stylist and writer, recently graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, and currently living in London. She enjoys reading, skiing and having people cook for her.
