Away to Europe!

Hello to all my Curvy Queens out there!

I am up, up, up and away! I love traveling it is one of the most exciting and rewarding activities on earth. This summer I will be and have been traveling a number of places. Starting off with London and Dublin. I have definitely been taking advantage of the shopping here. So, my next few posts will surround the topics of travel and fashion in and around the UK in general!!!

So, I will start with how and what I packed. I know many struggle with packing, especially with extended trips of longer durations. Seeing as I will be traveling for over 5 weeks I fall squarely in this category. Packing always seems to be an extensive chore! I have detailed a couple tips for packing capsule style that will help any traveler this Summer!

Capsule Wardrobes:

Many of you may be familiar with capsule wardrobes. A capsule wardrobe is basically, a controlled wardrobe where you limit that amount of clothing that you work with and learn to not only rotate what you wear but rework it into different looks. Seeing how many different ways you can wear a  shirt. For example, the shirt could be worn simply with trousers and tennis shoes, or tucked into a skirt with sandals, or over a dress with flats.

The first thing I always do is Google the recommend amount of clothing to take on a long trip and then reduce it by ¼. So for example most online sources recommended taking 10 pairs of pants and 10-12 shirts, 2 jackets, 3 sweaters, and 4 pairs of shoes. I reduced and adjusted these amounts by about ¼. I only packed 8 Bottoms, including skirts, and shorts; and 9 shirts. I did pack 2 jackets simply because I am traveling to London and it is just ridiculous not to bring a regular jacket for windy days and an actual rain coat for when the gate of heave decide to open in a downpour.

Now why reduce the amount to bring you ask? Well, ultimately because I know that when I get there I will be spending a great deal of time and $$$ shopping! It is one of the things that I love the most about traveling. So to accommodate this increase in items and to help in making space in my bag on the way back, I pack less.

The following are a few example Capsule wardrobes that I found on Pinterest.com! The first few are just a basic capsule wardrobe and the next few are specifically designed for vacationing! I know many of you are traveling this summer to many warmer places so there is one geared toward sunnier locations!  I hope you enjoy! ;)

Tip 1: Mix up how you wear each item. 

In the capsule above, notice how the blue jean dress is worn with different shoes, purse and accessories (like the scarf), giving the outfit a fresh look each time!

Tip 2: Plan ahead... at least a little bit!
I admit I'm not the best at this, but sometimes writting or drawing ou when your going to wear what helps in making sure one item doesn't pop up to often!

Tip: 3 Accessorize!!!!
One thing that can add to the look of capsule wardrobes is accessories! One necklace can change the whole look of an outfit! So, don't forget to include some matching and versitial jewelry. (Note: Always be carefull to pack non-expensive jewelry or costume jewelry in case it gets lost on your trip!)

As shown above there are several different ways to do capsule wardrobes for many different purposes, maybe just to travel or even for the whole summer, or even year! The best use you can get out of any capsule wardrobe is to be creative and try new things! And remember where ever you travel to you might just find great fashion and add to your capsule from there!

Good Luck packing and Enjoy your fun in the sun!

Signed, Curvy Queen V!

Note: All Capsule Wardrobes from Pinterest are owned by their creaters and not by me. All Tips, and Opinons are my own.