STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

nicoley · Coach

common post but Questions about packing

Escrime · Kate Spade

It depends on how much you are willing to bring around with you and what your baggage weight limits are.

I just got back from a two week trip, and I didn't wear half of the stuff I packed (granted, I was also wearing a sports uniform for most of one week.)

What I do is a make a schedule of the days that I will be on my trip. Then I have a loose outline of what I think I will be doing. From there, I decide what to wear and see what can pieces of clothing can do double duty.

1. I usually pack one good pair of walking shoes, high heel ankle boots that I can wear with jeans or trousers, sneakers, and some dress shoes. I try to pack things that are able to look good with a lot of outfits as this takes up the most space and weight.

2. I usually try to pack a coat that isn't too casual in case I need to wear it to a business meeting or something similar, which is my black trench coat that has a warm liner that I can take off if it gets too warm. For dressier events, I usually have my pashmina for things like that, which I also use as a blanket on the plane. Hopefully, you'll go from taxi to building fairly quickly so you won't be too cold.

3. I like to bring 3 dresses, one for during the day, one black dress that can go from day to night and one that is a little dressier (usually black).

4. Thin layers of warm materials, such as thinsulate or cashmere. I have thin shirts/thin sweaters that I can layer, and the material helps keep me warm, but it isn't too bulky.

I usually do my list, get all my clothes ready, then remove as many articles as I can bear, go through the list again, pare down once more, and then I am good to go.

Then if I find that I REALLY need something, I can usually buy it.

Sorry for being so long-winded, but I hope that helped a little. :)

sarah3 · Nine West

I am not sure if Uggs are still popular in Europe, but if they are not, I would definitely skip packing those. They are too bulky, and if not trendy there, you'll stick out like a sore thumb. One of my biggests regrets is wearing all these icky graphic tees during a trip to Europe a few years ago - they look tacky in all my pictures and I felt like I was just screaming "touristy American" the whole time.

And maybe just go with the flat boots (for comfort) instead of the heels? Perhaps that would give you more room for a long and a short coat. Wear one coat on the plane so you only have to pack one.

Just some ideas....

-- Edited by sarah3 at 22:12, 2007-12-02

AllieGurl · Marc Jacobs

1. Empty duffle bag in the bottom of your suitcase (so you can put your new purchases in it and have room to bring your new goodies home!)

2. Flat Ridding Boots (that are comfy for walking- the dressier looking the better)

2. Nice "going out" heels.

3. Causual daytime walking shoes (no bulky or white sneakers!!!)

4. Dresses & Tights or leggings (again day to evening with a change in accessories)

5. cashmere sweaters (they can be dressy and causal )

6. a dark wash pair of jeans

7. a nice wool overcoat that can be worn with jeans OR dresses

8. Large daytime handbag to hold all your stuff

9. Clutch to use at night

HAVE FUN!!

cc · Marc Jacobs

nicoley wrote:
1. I have so many different shoes I want to bring for so many different occassions (site seeing, going out to eat, hanging out, etc..) what should i bring here is what I want to bring

flat black riding boots, uggs, high heel dressy boots, running shoes, high heeled mary janes
I don't think you need this many shoes. You should be fine with just the flat boots, sneakers and heels.
2. I have several winter coats I want to bring... but i sort of know i can only choose 1. But what do I do when I am wearing something dressy with a casual coat like wearing a short coat with a dress... it looks sort of weird. or when the coat doesnt match what im wearing
Do you have a long wool coat? That's my standard winter coat and it works for both jeans and dressier outfits.
3. how many dresses should i bring? right now I have about 3 or 4
It depends on how many dressy occasions you're going to and how you prefer to dress in the cold.
4. Sweaters take up so much room, but it will be freezing where im at.. any solutions to this?
It's annoying but if I were you I'd pick sweaters over dresses and shoes.
I guess it would be nice to know what everyone packs when they go out of the country.

I'm kind of insane about packing because I'm usually flying alone and can't deal with lugging a huge suitcase. When I go to Europe in the winter I usually bring:
-flat Cole Haan G Series boots for walking
-dressy flats (take up less space than heels)
-sneakers or a second pair of boots

-thick cashmere/angora hooded sweater (can layer it just over tank tops or over another sweater)
-black cardigan that can work w/ dressy outfits
-1 or 2 cashmere sweaters in a nice color
-1 or 2 casual sweaters
-cord or velvet blazer

-1 or 2 pairs of jeans
-1 or 2 cords
-denim skirt
-dressy skirt

-tights and leggings

And then a bunch of t-shirts, thin shirts and camisoles for layering. For bags I bring a tote and then a small clutch and I bring a flashy necklace or earrings for dressing up my outfits at night. HTH!

-- Edited by cc at 22:28, 2007-12-02

littlebean · Kate Spade

I totally second cc's advice. The two things that I avoid like the plague when traveling are: (1) being physically uncomfortable due to not having warm enough or comfortable enough clothes and (2) being miserable while hauling my suitcase(s) around by myself. If you're anything like me, that means you should streamline your list of items. I would bring only one pair of boots, heels and walking shoes, and be sure that I had enough warm layers. A couple of versatile sweaters and coat -- which are dressy enough that you can wear them whenever/wherever -- are key.

Jamsicle · BCBG

Absolutely in for a good dark coat. All of the European women have sophisticated coats with a good cut- cashmere or something in that department. Its very helpful, even in places like Eastern Europe (where as I'm sure you already know a lot of coats get made for the international market- mine is like from Belarus or some such place), although there may be local trends going on right now that I don't know about.

I'd ditch the Uggs- too flavour of the moment weird, and I think they were big in Europe before they hit here if I am correct. They may be in, but ITA that I would hate to get stuck with them abroad if not. They're kind of a comfort thing like Birkenstocks IMO not so haute.

I'd leave some room in your trunks if you can afford to actually shop local and when you hit Paris to buy some stuff. Parisian fashion is about a year or two ahead of the rest of the world, so whatever they are wearing now will often be in in a year or two in your hometown when you get back. A great place to get tips for future fashion statements. The price of English woolens in Britain is actually quite attractive compared to America too (and knits are so in!), although it may have changed with what you can buy with the falling dollar. There's nothing like some chic local swag to a) help you blend in b) wow the american crowd.