Capsule Wardrobes and How to Use Them for Travel
If social media is any indication, it’s clear that many people are itching to get back to travelling. Every day I see more and more students posting about their study abroad experiences and friends and families alike visiting each other around the globe. For the U.K. alone, VisitBritain.org has forecasted that inbound tourism in 2022 will continue to increase after February, with only a slight dip in predictions due to the Omicron variant of Covid-19 during the holiday season.
As a student currently studying abroad in London, I find myself looking to Ryanair for value flights to other European cities. The biggest challenge with these tickets? Only having a backpack included in the ticket price to sustain days of traveling.
The one bag limit is a bit daunting for a chronic over-packer like me. But by creating a capsule wardrobe, I have found that packing a week’s worth of essentials in just one backpack is a breeze.
What is a Capsule Wardrobe?
Coined by Susie Faux in the 1970s, a “capsule wardrobe” is one that is comprised of interchangeable clothing pieces. It’s meant to be minimalist and neutral so that each piece can be paired with another within the wardrobe.
When packing travel clothes, attempting to construct a capsule wardrobe is a great solution to the lack of space problem. A pair of jeans, trousers, or a skirt could be paired with several tops to fit numerous occasions and weather conditions. While neutrality is the goal, I find that it can be a bit drab. The friend I’m traveling with often wears a colourful headscarf to accessorise, while I chose to bring a floral dress to complement my neutral tops.
By only packing neutral (primarily black and white) tops, I was able to create a capsule wardrobe with only a few distinct pieces. Each top can be paired with either the floral skirt – which is actually a dress that can be worn on its own, but folded into a skirt – or a pair of jeans. Photos: Chelsea Henderson
Less Is More
With a capsule wardrobe, even if you have less clothing items than you normally would have, the possibilities are endless for the outfits you could create. This method also leaves you with space for which you can pack your other miscellaneous essentials. For me, things like the bare minimum of toiletries, my laptop, assorted chargers, and cords, as well as travel outlet adaptors all had their rightful place in my backpack. While I love travelling with my tarot cards, they unfortunately don’t make the cut this time!
No matter what you do, travelling with a capsule wardrobe may seem risky. Maybe you’ll run out of outfits you’d originally planned with your staple clothing pieces, or you think you’re lacking an outfit for a particular activity or event. But in the end, you have to trust yourself to pack intuitively and approach the situation creatively when you’re running low on clothes.
In the end, I was able to fit all my clothes, toiletries, and miscellaneous items into my backpack. Photo: Chelsea Henderson
Ready to Jet
Now, you’re ready to set off on your upcoming value-price flight! Perhaps you’ve even discovered that you enjoy having a capsule wardrobe and that it’s something you’d like to implement in your daily life. A January 2022 Harper’s Bazaar article discussed this concept, explaining how many are turning to this method with sustainability in mind. Having less can truly be more, and you can create a functional, stylish wardrobe with fewer, intentional pieces. Happy traveling!
The capsule wardrobe in action! For my first full day in Athens (above), I paired my jeans with one of my black tops, alongside my trusty, well-loved Chelsea boots from Dr. Martens. My second day (below), I paired my long-sleeve black shirt and my dress-turned-skirt together. The tops are interchangeable in these outfits. Photos: Chelsea Henderson
