A reader asked me for some wardrobe advice on what to wear when travelling.
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reader → ask → what
I must confess I’m no genius at this: no matter how many times I go away I always get something wrong.
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I → confess → something
I pack with the philosophy to “always take something out” before I close the suitcase.
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I → pack → suitcase
Inevitably, it’s the one thing that I will need the most.
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I → ’ → that
These days, even the best planning is foiled by crazy weather patterns.
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planning → foil → patterns
I was in the Dolomites in June, where some of the Winter Olympics events were held, and I brought a thick jumper, warm pants and extra socks for the expected chill.
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I → hold → chill
But this was summer, and it was 38 degrees the entire time and I had to lug those unnecessary, bulky items all over Italy for three weeks.
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I → have → weeks
But small disasters aside, I do have some packing rules I strictly follow.
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I → have → rules
First, I never pack anything I’m not comfortable in at home.
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I → pack → home
I haven’t worn it at home for a reason, and it
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I → wear → reason
’s frustrating to be reminded of why when I’m away.
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I → ’ → why
I’m not afraid of track pants.
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I → ’m → pants
They’re great for a long flight as they are comfortable and warm.
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they → ’re → flight
I have a few variations of elastic-waisted pants I wear depending on the destination.
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I → have → destination
I can use them as exercise clothes when I land.
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I → use → clothes
My advice is not to wear pyjamas on the plane unless you’re five years old or in business class.
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you → wear → class
Or track suits, unless you’re in a team.
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you → ’re → team
And keep to natural fibres as much as you can – better for the planet, nicer for you.
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you → keep → you
Splurge on cashmere if you can.
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you → splurge → cashmere
The wrap doubles as a blanket, a pillow, a scarf in cold climates and a shawl in air-conditioning.
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wrap → double → conditioning
It covers all the wrinkles and crumbs from the trip and looks more elegant when I arrive at a hotel.
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I → cover → hotel
Men look good in wraps too.
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Men → look → wraps
I make lists sometimes and lay all my clothes on the bed before packing, especially for an unfamiliar destination.
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I → make → destination
If I’m travelling to a cool climate, I find a stylish coat also covers a multitude of sins.
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coat → travel → sins
You can pretty much wear anything underneath it and look respectable.
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You → wear → it
That even applies to Qantas pyjamas, which I once had to wear due to lost luggage.
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I → apply → luggage
Similarly, in spring, I always pack a lightweight navy raincoat I can roll up and tuck out of sight.
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I → pack → sight
I stick to one or two neutral colours so I can mix and match.
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I → stick → colours
I’m a black or navy person, because I’m always writing notes with a black felt-tipped pen and inevitably scrawl all over anything that’s white.
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that → ’m → anything
If I’m going to a hot climate, I pack five Indian cotton or fine linen dresses that I can wash in my room and hang to dry overnight.
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I → go → room
They take up almost no room and look dressed up in any hotel lobby or bar.
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They → take → lobby
Of course, if you’re male and not inclined towards wearing frocks, the principle still applies – keep it simple and so easy that any piece you pull out in a rush looks fine with any other.
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you → ’re → other
I don’t bring any jewellery I’d hate to lose, and I stick to three pairs of shoes if I can, including the sneakers I wear on the plane.
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I → bring → plane
I have found that silk scarves multi-task well.
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scarves → find → ?
They weigh nothing, dress up a top and offer sun protection.
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They → weigh → protection
A sarong is helpful in more situations than you would imagine.
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you → imagine → situations
Someone once advised me to always bring an evening gown in case I got invited to a ball at the last minute.
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I → advise → minute
However unlikely that is, I think the principle of packing one thing that’s dressy enough to carry you through an unexpected party invitation is sound.
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that → think → invitation
I also tuck in an extra bag for evenings.
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I → tuck → evenings
The possibilities are endless, and you’ll end up with a bag of clothing you never wear.
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you → end → clothing
…and 4 more, not listed.
The Aporia
