The article provides wardrobe advice for travelers based on personal experiences and tips. The author emphasizes the importance of practical clothing choices, such as track pants for comfort during long flights, and suggests carrying versatile items like a warm wrap or stylish coat that serve multiple purposes. Key advice includes sticking to neutral colors, packing clothes that can be mixed and matched easily, and prioritizing natural fibers.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-14,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
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.
