When it comes to packing for a holiday I’m a bit of a ditherer. A pile of mostly unsuitable clothing gets dumped on the spare bed and over a couple of days pieces are eliminated until I have a capsule wardrobe of almost passable travel clothing.
Of course I’d like to get off a plane wearing kitten heels, dark glasses and a Prada ensemble (or similar) and have in my suitcase other stylish get-ups to see me emulating a Hollywood style icon as I swan in great gorgeousness through an exotic holiday.
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Hollywood Style? I wish!
BUT real life’s not really like that, is it?
If you’re anything like me, you want to feel comfortable on journeys. When I trot into the arrivals hall after a long flight I want shoes that will be kind to my swollen feet and ankles. When I’m marching up a whole lot of steps to a fort look-out I don’t want to get blisters, nor do I want clothing which is too tight or constricting over which my ample midriff hangs.
Dark glasses at the airport – hrmph! With my dodgy eyesight I need to see where I’m going when I reach the elevator with an overweight suitcase. And as for the designer wear, if there was any Dash in my stash, then it would be cossetted in my cupboard back home waiting for the ‘right occasion’. I know, I know, we shouldn’t do that, should we?
Trendy travel clothes to cross continents
So when W Lane invited me to choose some travel clothes as the basis of my going-out-togs for my trip around Europe I decided to challenge my aging and rather careless style outlook.
Yes, I braved taking my trendy daughter along with me, and she suggested that I base an outfit around a gorgeous lightweight (no need for ironing) jade jacket.
Jade! Ker-rikey! A bit bright wasn’t it?
But what a great move it was. And the outfit was my go-to smart choice when I needed to spruce up a bit.
Why choose a show pony?
As a show pony piece it gave me the option to team it with both smart and casual items on holiday, and then when we returned from our Expat Explore adventure around Europe and the Bike Cruise in Croatia with Katarina, I teemed it with lots of different things from a wider choice of clothes in my cupboard.
I found I could wear it with blue jeans, and skinny black jeggings, over a pretty summer dress which had the colour jade running through it, and I could wear it with my indigo cut-off pedal pushers. The colour goes really well with both navy and black.
Smart and oh-so-easy-to wear
I’ve become really fond of W Lane clothes because increasingly I find that they cater to older women who want to look smart but also demand a fair amount of ease about their clothing, and what I particularly like on the website is that if you select a particular item, then matching pieces will be suggested to go with it.
Here are some current items which I think would make great travel clothes and the colour Jade seems still very much ‘in’. Check out the W Lane Website for more options.
And below are a selection of tops that would maybe go well the black pants and the jackets above.
Adaptable travel clothing
The travelling outfit I chose from the Autumn range (for Spring in Europe) was smart and comfortable, so I wore it on lots of occasions including trotting around Paris, Dubrovnik, Prague and Venice, as you can see in the photos below.
Here’s what I liked, and some tips that I hope you’ll find helpful when you make your own choices.
- The jade jacket* was the Wow factor, and got lots of compliments but it was easy to wear and didn’t need ironing, so being rumpled up in my suitcase suited it perfectly!
- The green and navy blouse* matched the jacket and teemed up with it stylishly. The sleeves are three quarter length which means my less than sleek upper arms were discreetly covered. It’s slim fitting but not clingy which meant that a few holiday kilograms would not be a problem. Also, the cowl neckline was very flattering for spring and summer in Europe. Non-crease and I could wash it and just hang it up to dry.
- The fitted jacquard pants in navy* are comfortable and also non-crease. Although they would have liked a bit of a spruce-up iron after washing, they didn’t get one – I just folded them and placed them at the bottom of my suitcase under all the heavy items and they came out almost immaculate. I liked the fact that I could wear them with heels and ankle boots to dress up the outfit, but mostly (because we do SO much walking, up hill over dale, up clock towers, down mountainsides) I’m afraid to say that I made the complete style no-no and wore them with trainers much of the time because flats or ballet shoes just don’t do our kind of daytime activity. But all due credit to those pants, they took it well 😉
- The string of beads* were great to dress up the outfit if I wore it out at night.
5 Tips when choosing travel clothing
- Base several looks around one show-stopping item. The pistachio anorak in the photo above would be great for a winter look. You don’t always have to wear the show stopping item, but when you’re bored of your limited wardrobe on holiday I think it’s nice to feel ‘dressy’ again.
- Go for machine wash, non-iron, non crease clothing as far as possible.
- Take along two or three tops, and a couple of different bottoms which will go with the Wow item.
- Don’t forget to accessorise. Beads and earrings in matching colours to the main coloured item give a nice sparkly look for night-time. Although I don’t like scarves around my neck unless I’m cold, a scarf would be a good addition for day or night if you like wearing them.
- Shoes – I’m all for comfort, so I have to say pack the kind of shoes that will suit your kind of activity on holiday. For me it was trainers, sandals and a pair of ankle boots with a tiny wedge heel.
For more great tips on packing please check out this guest post I wrote for Nikki at Styling You.
Over to you Lifestylers … I bet you’ve got some great tips of your own to add. See you in the comments!
Disclaimer – Items marked with a * were supplied for editorial consideration by W Lane.
Totally agree ‘s all about the ability to mix and match a few essential items.
It’s the best strategy, hey Sally… If you can be disciplined enough 😉
That jade jacket really does have a wow factor. I can’t think of anything in my wardrobe that’s that exciting. Perhaps it will inspire me the next time I go shopping. I’m reading this as I prep for packing for a few days in California’s Wine Country. I hope to put these tips to good use.
Sounds like another fabulous adventure Michele – and hope the tips are useful as you sip your way around California’s wine country 🙂
We’ll be heading to Munich, Vienna and Budapest in September and this article is a good guide for packing for that trip. I had a wonderful no wrinkle, zip up, black cardigan that traveled with me all over the world until I left it in the breakfast room in a Copenhagen hotel—-bummer. I have a “go to” no wrinkle (or hardly wrinkle) slightly stretchy, but not tight, black slacks for airplanes—but I wish they had pockets. My true packing test came on a month long trip we took in January to southeast Asia that was 2 weeks of independent travel, followed by a 2 week cruise. I’m afraid, we were “that” couple in the matching trekking pants for some of the trip. I managed on the cruise thanks to a LBD (little black dress) that I tried to disguise with different accessories on multiple occasions. I suspect I didn’t fool anyone—-but, I’ll probably never see them again—-so, whatever. 😉
Ohh what a shame about that no wrinkle, zip up black cardigan, Suzanne! I think matching trekking pants have their time and day though, and we too have done that! Horses for courses as they say 😉 And yep, one little LBD goes a long way with accessories.
I always pack way too much. I’m going to attempt to be super organised for Problogger and a few trips I have shortly after that. Great tips! Rachel xx
Thanks Rachel! You always look fabulous, and I can’t wait to catch up with you at Problogger.
You were looking very smart on your holiday, Jo! I find choosing what to pack for a longer term trip to be a nightmare, but I get a bit better at it each time. On my most recent trip the one thing I regretted was packing brand new shoes instead of old trusty ones. I had to wear banddaids on my heels every time I wore my new ballet flats, and my new dressy boots took about two weeks to start feeling comfortable. I did so much walking and bike riding that there were many times when I wished I’d packed some trainers, or even hiking boots! I agree it’s a good idea to choose one piece that looks smart and feels comfortable, and goes with everything else – for me it was a navy blue jacket.
Great to see you back online again, btw! 🙂
Ohh Bonny I feel for you – there’s nothing worse than blisters, but at least the boots became comfortable in the end. Yes, I think we underestimate the amount of walking and going up and down steps we’re likely to do on a sightseeing holiday. Bet your navy blue jacket was a winner 🙂 Thanks! It’s great to back online 😉
I can always rely on you to show me the way to style town. You look so fabulous in that jacket and outfits.
Thank you Neva! I wonder if you have your own ‘show pony’ piece for travelling?
We just returned from Europe and I did take a few ‘show pony’ light sweaters for England weather to drape over my ‘out to pasture work horse’ shoulders.
Ha Ha Neva! I hope the ‘out to pasture work horse’ took well to the ‘show ponies’! Sounds like you packed a good combination of gear and were well prepared for the English weather! Thanks for popping by today 🙂
I love your jacket it’s a great colour on you to x
I can imagine you in a bright light jacket too Rae 🙂
I love that jade jacket; the colour is perfect for you. I agree that comfort during extended travel is paramount. I’m always amused when I see celebs getting off long-haul flights in tight leather trousers, denims, high heels. You can’t begin to imagine how uncomfortable some of that stuff must be during the flight.
Thanks Sandra 🙂 I know, they surely must travel in trakkies when they get on the plane and then change to get off? I guess they have loads of room in first class! Trouble is I’m not vain enough to and I’d never change in the tight confines of an economy class loo – eeeuw!
You looked wonderful in the green jacket. Much more glamorous than I look when travelling. Whatever I pack I find that I use one or two pieces that suit the weather wherever I am and the rest stays in the bag. Currently on the Sunshine Coast where it is a little cool, I have been wearing my calf length black jeans with summer tops and my warm jacket. The jeans are just off long enough to be washed and dried. 🙂
Thank you Jan! Your Sunshine Coast outfit sounds just the job for the weather there at the moment – I do know what you mean about having favourite stuff though. Point in case that it should be easy wash and no iron 😉