Introducing Addressed, a weekly column where we’ll, ahem, address the joys (and tribulations!) of getting dressed. We’ll look at runway and real-life trends, talk to people whose style we love, and, most importantly, answer your fashion queries. Download the Vogue app and find our Style Advice section to submit your question.
A Vogue editor asks: I’ve recently been doing a lot of work-related weekend trips and have realized I don’t know how to pack a chic, fun, versatile carry-on. How do I make sure I’m covering all the bases for parties, work meetings and events, a night out or two, and a day of vibing in the city? Help, please!
This question really couldn’t come at a better time. In the last month I went on two 48-hour trips in quick succession—one to Puerto Rico to interview Bad Bunny for Vogue Mexico and another to Los Angeles to interview Simon Porte Jacquemus about the opening of his new flagship—and it hit me that I finally have the “packing a carry-on bag” thing down to a science. I managed this by removing the fantasy element inherent in packing a bag to travel somewhere new.
Now, I am certainly not advocating to do away with fantasy completely—that’s one of the best parts of going on vacation! But notice how it’s the best part of going on vacation and not a quick work trip. A quick work trip is about efficiency, feeling confident in the clothes that you packed, and having a few extras in case something comes up last minute. Meaning you should pack outfits that you know you feel good in and that convey the necessary image for the moment: Do you need to look ultraprofessional or put together yet approachable? Do you need a totally devastating look that will turn you into the best-dressed person your traveling companions have ever seen, or is this the time to pull out something classic to not call attention to yourself? These are the important questions before you start packing.
Fashion people love a packing list. I am thinking of not just Joan Didion’s oft-invoked list from her book The White Album (which includes stockings, two pairs of shoes, two skirts, and a sweater along with a typewriter, a bottle of bourbon, toothpaste, and a toothbrush) but also the new Kim Gordon song “Bye Bye,” whose lyrics are half to-do list (“Call the vet / Call the groomer / Call the dogsitter”) and half packing list (“blue jeans, cardigan, purse, passport, pajamas”). Once you’ve answered the essential questions above, it’s helpful to write down everything you might want to bring. Think of it as a guide for when you actually start putting stuff in your suitcase.
For both of my two-day, three-night trips, where I needed to look “put together but cool,” I brought: one pair of cargo pants (worn on the flight), one pair of jeans or khakis, two everyday tops (groovy tees from Eckhaus Latta that are elevated but unfussy), one nicer top that in a pinch can dress up the pants for going out in the evening, an extra top to wear on the return flight, one nice dress for dinner, a small bag that can be worn daytime and nighttime, a pair of sneakers or whatever I wear on the plane, a pair of nice flats, a pair of heels, and a jacket (plus underwear, pajamas, etc). Together they constituted two daytime outfits and two nighttime outfits with different degrees of dressiness, plus travel outfits. (On previous trips where I needed to be dressier, the list has looked more or less the same, just with skirts instead of pants and perhaps one extra dress.) Everything easily fit in my carry-on bag with room to spare.
The pieces that make up your daily outfits will likely differ, but the math is simple. The bottom line is that you should pack in an exacting and ruthless manner—though I’m a fan of throwing in a piece on a whim! Especially if you are a person who dresses according to mood, it’s helpful to know you have something in your suitcase whose entire purpose is to bring joy.
If you’re taking a trip over three nights—let’s say five to seven nights—that’s when you can let a little bit of the fantasy seep in because, well, a bigger suitcase has room for dreams. I still recommend you pack in outfits, but now you can start adding alternatives as well, like an extra top for a pair of pants you want to wear or vice versa, and this is absolutely the time to pack that one suit you love and have never worn before but are sure you’ll wear it this time.
Now, when it comes to shoes, just pack however many you think work. I can only keep the number manageable when it’s a quick trip—for a longer trip I feel like I need at least five? I admit one of the pairs will often come back unworn, but better safe than sorry! Or should I say better chic than saving money on an overweight suitcase!
