Creating a Professional Travel Capsule
Over the last year, I have been lucky enough to travel for work more than once and I have to say while it does feel like an immense privilege, it can feel a little nerve-racking. Many things about professional travel can induce anxiety if you’re like me and tend to run a little on the anxious side. Some of the stressors often on my mind include conversing with colleagues I don’t know well yet, meeting new people, travel itinerary hiccups, owning your department, and representing a brand, just to name a few. Not to mention, figuring out what to wear while doing all of these things! While I can’t help ease your mind about most of these aspects of work travel, I can offer guidance when it comes to creating and packing a travel capsule wardrobe that will serve you well. That and what to do if you lose a work laptop while traveling, but that’s a story for another time, so let’s focus on the travel capsule wardrobe!
Neutral Palette
Your palette is the perfect place to start. When you’re working to get as many outfits out of as few pieces as possible, I recommend keeping your palette neutral, ensuring that you get the most mileage out of your suitcase. You want to make sure all the pieces you pack can work together harmoniously if you need them to, making your life easier when you’re in the thick of balancing work and travel and frankly don’t have a lot of time to put into thinking about what to wear. You should absolutely know how each piece will pair together before putting them into your luggage.
Versatile Pieces
You’ll notice there’s a theme here with a travel capsule wardrobe. You want to get the most out of the pieces you’re bringing with you. Versatility is key here. Think wardrobe basics that can lend themselves to a lot of different levels of dress. Some examples of this would be a white button-up shirt, neutral pants and blazer or a black textured skirt. Pieces like this allow you to easily play and shift pairings and will work with whatever the vibe is from day to night.
Light Layers
While I was travelling to Las Vegas this past March, it wasn’t quite Spring here in Toronto yet but was much warmer in the desert climate of Vegas. Not to mention cool mornings and evenings, sunny afternoons and conference rooms with a lot of AC. This is where light layers become so important. I highly recommend having a white t-shirt and/or tank with you to allow you to layer other pieces in your capsule. Again, this helps your pieces go the distance and pivot from event to event with ease. One of my favourite examples of this was wearing a black coated denim skirt, with a white tee, blazer and sneakers for a conference day session, and then the same skirt with a white tank top, white button-up shirt and heels to create an evening out look.
Variety of Accessories
While you want to ensure you’re packing light, it’s also important to pack a variety of accessories so that you can better align yourself with the vibe of each day on your trip. You have versatile pieces packed, so allow your accessories to complete the look. Looking back on my last trip, I had a variety of bags and jewelry to meet each event, session and outing I was expecting with the right energy. For example, a big tote for conference sessions, a backpack and leather belt bag for travel days and a clutch for evenings. However, one of my learnings when creating a travel capsule is that I could have brought one or two more pairs of shoes to allow for ultimate versatility in looks. Style is your business card before you even open your mouth, so it’s so important to always put your best shoe forward. Sorry, I couldn’t resist that one!
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