We have not done any real traveling since before 2020, but are headed for Europe soon for a two week excursion. One suitcase and one carry-on are plenty for me to wrangle. I really admire people who can go for that long with a carry-on alone, I just can't pare down that much. Shoes changes alone would fill up a carry-on bag, and frequent changes of shoes makes such a difference when you will be doing a lot of walking.
Anyway, here is what I intend to take. It is mostly sewn by me - some made specifically for this trip, some pulled from the closet, and a few store-bought pieces.
I originally thought the colors would revolve around indigo, classic color for jeans and one that I happen to look good in, but when shopping for jeans, I ended up buying stretch twill. One pair is teal and the other natural. To my surprise, I had enough things that would work with both of them and ended up with a gray/natural/teal color palette.
Tops: The first two are knits, pulled from the closet. The teal Knipmode one is a medium weight rayon blend with princess seams and grown-on sleeves. The Ottobre one is a narrow natural/black horizontal stripe, boxy with set-in sleeves.
The others are all woven. That Ottobre vertical stripe doesn't bear much resemblance to the original pattern, which fit so nicely and had just the right amount of ease that I have changed it up again and again. The Ballad and Marley were sewn to round out this wardrobe. Both are lightweight cottons. The Aria also came from the closet and is a cotton oxford cloth.
Pants:
Pictures of pants on hangers don't convey a lot of information. The first two Simplicity have flat fronts and gathered back waists. The leg is just barely on the slim side. The black pair is cotton/poly and the gray is a light cotton that will be good on the hottest days.
The Burda pair is from an old magazine and is my all-time most sewn pattern. Whether I gain or lose weight, my basic shape does not change and all I have to do is trace off a different size of this pattern and it fits. These are straight leg, made in a gray RPL and will probably be worn for the days on the plane.
The next two are the purchased stretch twill jeans. They fit pretty closely, with a straight leg. I really like the current fuller leg pant styles and especially the funky barrel leg ones, but I can't wear the same tops with them that I wear with jeans, so none of them are going on the trip. For a condensed wardrobe like this, you get more mix & match versatility if you stick to one silhouette.
The last pair is tan RPL, made in case I want a nicer pair of pants for dinner some evenings. They are made from Sewing Workshop's Helix pattern, with the legs cut just a little bit wider so they are not a skinny pant, although they have a close and neat fit at the hip and waist.
Layers:
Rain-repelling hooded jacket from REI. Plenty of zippered pockets.
Light-weight linen topper was sewn AGES ago from an out-of-print Cutting Line Designs pattern. I have worn this for decades and it shows that good quality linen just keeps getting better and better. I really should make this pattern up again because this jacket gets worn so much - not because it is worn out.
Shoes - two pairs of sandals and one pair of sneakers, all with super arch support.
Happy end of summer to anyone reading!
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