All the Mistakes I Made Packing For an Extended Work Trip
Fashion month musings that everyone can learn from.
Hello from Paris! This is my first time doing the full fashion month circuit, starting in New York aka my home base, then London, Milan, and now winding up in the City of Lights. Life has been a whirlwind and because of that, these newsletters are suffering a bit but we will be back in full capacity as of next week. I have so many ideas and I cannot wait to share them with you all.
In the meantime, I am also going to tease a very special newsletter that’ll be coming out tomorrow. Yes, there are two scheduled back-to-back this week. The second is, full disclosure, a paid post. Anytime that sort of thing happens please note that it is a bonus and will never replace my usual content. I know it can be a bit of a turn off to have a full sponsored post but this one is not with a fashion brand and is more of a general service story so stay tuned. I’m really excited to be working with this company and it’s been a fun experience! I hope you’ll love it as much as I do.
Anyway, let’s get into something that I just had a crash course in, which is packing for fashion month. Essentially this is one very long business trip, with absolutely no time to do laundry or dry cleaning. While the clothes might look a bit different from what most people would generally wear for work, the big overarching ideas and lessons I’ve taken away from these last two, going on three, weeks can apply to a lot of people. Basically, I’ve made a bunch of mistakes and I’m going to prevent you from doing the same if you ever have to take a long work trip.
Mistake 1: Trying to Predict the Weather
I didn’t properly plan out my outfits so I threw a bunch of stuff into two suitcases and hoped for the best. Who knew that Paris at the end of the September would be 80 degrees daily? Not stupid me who packed a bunch of blazers, thinking I could layer them and make new outfits out of existing pieces. There’s no foolproof solution for this but in retrospect, I would have packed more light layers like tanks and camisoles, that tend to absorb the bulk of the sweat. And then I’d only rely on two to three bulkier pieces for chillier days. That’s generally a good rule of thumb if you run warm like I do — no matter what time of year, I’d lean more on creative layering versus statement outerwear.
Mistake 2: There’s No Such Thing as Overpacking
This brings me to my second problem: I tried to save space, thinking that I could rewear things. Between the sweaty, non air-conditioned rooms and the accidental matcha to the face (my own doing today on the Metro), I have a lot of stinky, stained clothes with no time to do laundry. If there’s something you wear often like a favorite tank or blouse, try to bring some backups that look similar. You’ll be so glad you did.
Mistake 3: Make Your Shoes Make Sense
I brought four pairs of shoes: Margiela Tabis, Simone Rocha clear sandals, Sebago loafers, and Nike sneakers. I also bought a pair of really amazing, impractical Noir Kei Ninomiya x Repetto platform ballet flats. What didn’t I bring? Simple, evening appropriate heels. I was thinking too much about statement shoes and not about having one pair of classic heels that I could wear when I had more formal events. Also, the loafers were brand new and horribly painful because I didn’t actually try them on. When in doubt, try on your shoes and always bring a pair of pumps, even if they’re low heeled ones!
Mistake 4: Too Many Handbags
You really need two bags — a daytime one and an evening one. I brought four and I’ve literally only relied upon my Pleats Please Issey Miyake bag because it goes with everything. The others were a waste of space and I regret it greatly.
Mistake 5: Formulas Can Feel Formulaic
This is perhaps a lesson that may only apply to creative industries but I realized that I don’t feel my best when I wear the same pieces I’d wear on a regular day in New York City. Again, this is due to poor planning on my part but I should have brought with me stuff that don’t get a lot wear in my closet, instead of relying on outfit formulas. Business trips are a chance to impress colleagues and contacts you normally don’t get face time with so why not use this time to make a statement?
Despite all of these mistakes, there are a few pieces I really loved wearing so far and I’m so glad I packed and maybe uh…panic bought.
Perks and Mini is a cool Australian shop with their own in-house line. My friend Steff told me to check it out when we were in Sydney but I didn’t get a chance until Melbourne. I was so glad I went because I fell in love with this dress. I know, it’s SO colorful and unlike me but it was perfect when I tried it on. Yes, it’s on the sheer side with an open back, but I promise it actually covers a good amount. I added on nipple covers and bike shorts for modesty. One caveat: the sizing is TINY. I had to go up to a large for it to fit properly in my chest.
Incu is an Australian boutique chain that carries brands like Simone Rocha, Jacquemus, and Coperni to name a few but it was their in-house line that really caught my eye. These vegan leather trousers feel incredibly high quality and the best part is that they’re the perfect inseam length for that slouchy effect on me. Being 5’2” that almost NEVER happens. So if you’re short like me and looking for baggy leather trousers, please do yourself a favor and get these.
Worn with socks, these Simone Rocha sandals have been shockingly extremely comfortable. I’ve lasted 10k+ steps in them multiple days and the plastic is really pliant. I was fully expecting them to give me bloody feet but they’ve held up. I sized down to a 36 since her shoes run a bit large.
Okay, before you say what the fuck are you doing spending this much on shoes, to be fair these are MUCH cheaper in Europe. Are they the most comfortable? No, the back of these hurt like a bitch if you don’t wear socks but they look SO GOOD on, especially gathered around the ankle. I know these are not for everyone, like most of my shoe choices, but I will suffer some bloody feet for these flats. They just make me feel more like me, if that makes sense?
Remember I said how much I was into silver? I normally never go to Zara but I needed emergency tights and I also picked up these earrings. The tights were garbage but these hoops are a hit. They’re a bit on the heavy side but the shape feels fresh and sleek. It really made my outfits feel new again, which I desperately needed two weeks into this trip.
There will be a part two to this newsletter next week, when I return to New York City. And stay tuned for a very special send tomorrow. Thanks in advance for all of your support!
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