Let's Run Away Together
Four Travel-Themed Prompts to Inspire your Outfits this Week
When shopping for clothes, I’m a magpie. I’m drawn to anything brightly colored, sequined, or heavily patterned. If an item rests on the border of eye-catching and eyesore, I probably want it. If it’s outlandish, impractical, or verging on a costume from Little House on the Prairie, I probably want it. For me, there is no tedium like shopping for basics. If it doesn’t reflect the light, or billow in the breeze, I’m not interested.
There was a time, however, that travel, an activity that could utilize my sparkly, patterned, long and flowy wardrobe, instead brought out my inner utilitarian. I became austere. I became that person determined to convince others that a single carry-on was really, truly, all I needed! Who needed fun prints when I had a tidy pile of bland, square, neutrals? After every trip, I would return home, stare at photos of myself in wonderful places wearing horrible shorts, and I was always, always, filled with regret.
For our first wedding anniversary, my husband and I took a trip to Italy and Paris. I was determined to dress as fabulously as our itinerary. I packed bright floral skirts, and breezy dresses, and polka dots for Paris. In the end, footwear was the only area of my travel wardrobe that wasn’t practical enough. Ultimately, having a fantastical travel wardrobe, blisters and all, only amplified my experience.
Now that we have kids, packing is far more complicated. Their travel wardrobes need to satisfy three different categories:
Practical/Durable - Will their clothes protect them from the elements? Will they hold up to being hand-scrubbed in the sink?
Photogenic - in twenty years, looking back at trip photos, will my kids say, “Why the hell did you put me in that?”
Fun! - Just as I enjoyed my Italian wardrobe, I want them to be excited about what they wear on holiday, too. Whimsy for all!
Last month, we went to Portugal, and I used a packing method that I had previously poo-pooed: color palettes. I restricted myself to three colors, with a few oddball choices. This method was transformational. Even with a constrained palette, my outfits still felt as fun and fantastical as our Italy trip, but I was able to get dressed quickly, without much thought (a necessity when traveling with kids!). On top of that, this coordinated collection revealed outfits to me that I had never considered! This method was also fabulous for my kids, because no matter what combination of their clothes got dirty, they always looked somewhat put together. It felt like a little window inside my brain had swung open and said, “Look at all of these options!”
In honor of this revelation, this week’s outfits prompts are all inspired by packing for travel, even if (especially if!) you’re staying home.
"Living out of a suitcase” often carries a connotation of discomfort and inconvenience, but really, it’s not so different than a capsule wardrobe. Can you pack a capsule wardrobe for the week ahead?
Below are four prompts, or capsule themes. Choose one that calls to you, or try all four over the next month. Stick to your capsule each week, just as if you were selecting your outfits from a suitcase.
(I’m no capsule aficionado, so the size and variety of each week’s capsule is up to you and your packing style. There are lots of resources for that online, and I can send you some, if you’d like.)
Color - Build your weekly capsule within a color palette. (3-4 colors worked well for me. A palette of two colors could be an interesting challenge.)
Destination - Choose an exotic, or not so exotic, location. Build your capsule like you are going to that place. Would you want to blend in with the locals? Would you be out in nature? In museums? In fancy cocktail bars? (Plan for your local weather.)
Story - Build your capsule around a focus sentence: [Your name] sets off for a week of [fill in the blank] and [fill in the blank]. Make your story as simple or elaborate as you like.
Persona - Release a side of yourself that doesn’t get as much air time, or try out something new. (An example: my son, Mateo, is a great artist. For our trip to Portugal, I brought him some clothes that reflected his artsy side.)
If these prompts inspire outfits for you, please share any (or all!!!) of them! Here on Substack, you can send me a DM or post them in the Costume Parade chat. You can also tag me on Instagram or Tiktok.
Bon voyage!
Your friend,
Rebecca