Priya Raj / Business Insider
I've never been a light packer, and also find it overwhelming to put together outfits while on my vacation.
Earlier this month, I took a three-stop trip through Italy, starting in Rome, traveling through Florence, and finishing in Venice. As the trip progressed, the weather was due to get colder and I wanted to dress practically but also look stylish.
I previously wrote about building a French-inspired capsule wardrobe and it got me thinking about building a capsule wardrobe that also fits in my hand luggage.
Because I was traveling by train, I didn't want to lug large suitcases on and off platforms. I also had some items stolen out of a checked bag during my summer travels but didn't take out travel insurance, so other than a couple hundred dollars of compensation, the airline wasn't able to do much else.
So now, I prefer to travel with hand luggage only where possible.
I enlisted the help of Neda Kalantar, a stylist who offers services for vacation styling, to help me figure out if I could dress well with minimal luggage.
Neda Kalantar
The first step was sharing all the details about me and my intended trip. This included sending Kalantar my sizes and some pictures of myself as well as where I was traveling, when, and what I'd be doing.
In total, it took around two weeks from Kalantar sending me the questionnaire to providing the final looks for my trip, which also gave me ample time to shop for some pieces she recommended.
Kalantar told Business Insider that she goes through location tags of the destination on Instagram to see what the aesthetic of that city is to create outfits that fit the atmosphere.
She asked me about my personal style, my favorite brands, any garments I don't like to wear, and any bloggers whose style I particularly liked. I also had to collate a Pinterest board with outfit inspiration that she could refer to.
After a few days, Kalantar came back with a list of potential garments we could work with.
I didn't want to go out and buy a whole new wardrobe for this trip, so she asked me to take pictures of any pieces I had that were on the list and she'd figure out how we could incorporate them.
She typically charges $300 CAD for this service, around $220.
Priya Raj / Business Insider
Kalantar sent me a PDF including a packing list, daily daytime and nighttime outfits, and a shopping list for the pieces I didn't have that she thought I was missing with suggestions of items in good quality fabrics like wool.
In the first step when learning more about me, she asked how much I'd typically spend on items like a pair of jeans or a pair of shoes, so she was able to judge what I'd be comfortable spending.
She then asked me to check if the pieces would fit in my carry-on luggage allowance, and I was set to go.
My final packing list was: a black skirt, black wide-leg pants, dark-wash jeans, beige wide-leg pants, a white shirt, a black long-sleeve bodysuit, a white long-sleeve top, a black coat, a white boucle jacket, fleece tights, white sneakers, and black boots. And it was six pounds under my luggage allowance.
Kalantar said it was important for all the pieces to work together as we were working with limited luggage space.
She put together a neutral color palette of cream, beige, and black with a pop of cherry red to keep it on trend. She added that ensuring the outfits would be warm and functional was a priority.
I shared that I'd be doing lots of sightseeing and walking, and so she fit the wardrobe around this with outfits that were "as comfortable as possible," while still being chic.
Priya Raj / Business Insider, Neda Kalantar
Though I struggle with packing, dressing up daily on vacation is even worse. By the end of my trips, I'm usually wearing whatever's clean — even if the outfit doesn't look good.
Kalantar's guide showed me what to wear, with the daytime and evening outfits being easy to transition between so it wouldn't take too much time to get ready for dinner.
They still made it look as though I had put in effort for every day and night of my trip. Some of my favorite outfits were ones I wore at the end of the trip, which never happened before.
Kalantar said if you're traveling during the summer, stick to cotton and linen pieces to keep cool, while wool and heat tech thermals from Uniqlo are perfect for winter vacations.
She said she noticed many of her clients don't have simple basics; I for one did not own a pair of black wide-leg pants until Kalantar suggested it.
She said when people say they have "nothing to wear," it's usually because they only have loud, bold pieces in their closet, so focus on buying basics like a nice white tee or a simple black skirt.
I had to travel again for a few days the night I arrived back from Italy, and the capsule closet theory made packing so much easier.
Now, I don't pack anything that I can't wear more than once unless it's for a special event.
It also showed me how much stuff I have. I used to feel like I had nothing to wear, but after seeing how easily I was able to style almost 12 outfits with only a carry-on suitcase, it's made me think twice before buying any more clothes.
