Where My Travel Wardrobe Went Wrong . . .

Happy Monday, friends! Tomorrow, I’ll start discussing the highlights of my trip, beginning with my first stop (Lisbon, Portugal, and the surrounding towns). But today, we talk travel fashion.

When I prepared for my trip, I began by adopting a capsule wardrobe approach. I knew I wanted to function with one piece of luggage, and one wardrobe that had everything I needed to mix and match my ensembles. By the time I packed for my trip, I had the following wardrobe list:

• White t-shirt dress by Fensace
• White tank (thrifted, no tag: something similar can be found here)
• White skirt by Boohoo – no longer available 😦 (something similar can be found here)
• White short sleeve top by Forever 21 (thrifted – something similar can be found here)
• White slacks by Something Navy – no longer available 😦 (Here’s something similar – click here)
• Royal blue top on Amazon (couldn’t find the original link: here is a link to something similar)
• Khaki shorts by Old Navy (thrifted: something similar can be found here)
• Yellow playsuit by Collectif – no longer available 😦
• Royal blue dress by Mokuru
• Blue button down by Van Heusen (thrifted: something similar can be found here)
• Navy tank by Merona – no longer available 😦 (something similar can be found here)
• Blue jeans (mid rise skinnies) by Universal Threads
• Black patent Mary Janes by Enelauge
• Taupe flats by the Journee Collection (in case you don’t see your size, here’s something comparable)
• Gold doubled necklace by Pavoi
• Jade bracelet by AD Beads

If you want to see the ensembles in motion, here’s the video I posted, showing some of the outfit combinations and accessories:

Now, I’m overall pleased with the items I selected. But, looking back a bit, I realized there were a few things that could have created a better capsule wardrobe:

• Instead of my taupe flats, I really needed flat shoes with better grips on the soles. I had to walk very carefully when we toured, because my flats were slick on the bottom and I could have used the extra grip for touring on those well-worn stone surfaces.
• Denim shorts would have been a fantastic addition to this wardrobe, especially if they were tapered and knee-length.
• Another button-down top would have given me a little extra polish: it would have been even better if it was a sleeveless button-down so I could stay cool while I tooled around.
• Because Lisbon was unseasonably cool, I needed more long-sleeved tops. Having few long-sleeved options was a problem for me.
• Also, a jacket or cardigan would have been great and given me some additional wardrobe options.
• I really wish I’d thrown one other color into the mix, aside from yellow, white and royal/navy blue.
• As a Kibbe Soft Classic (SC), I would have benefited from a few pieces that had a bit more structure and symmetry. Less structured items = more comfort, easier maintenance, but opting for structured pieces would have ensured that I felt more like myself as I toured, and more put together.

I am glad that I had a capsule wardrobe that worked for my travels but, like anything else, there was room for improvement. I’ll do it even better next time!

*

*

*

*

*

This post contains affiliate links.