Contrary to popular opinion, we think of packing light as more of a learned skill than an art form — especially when packing for the beach or any other warm-weather destination. Not only are the clothes themselves less bulky, you really need fewer of them, so it’s comparatively easy to throw together a mix of fewer, lighter things. Still, we have tips! Read on for those.
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We made a sample wardrobe for you
from these tips, see
Beach Bag No. 1 : 8 garments, 20+ looks
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And we’ve also put together an entire Beach Wear edit for you — that also works for summer anywhere, weddings, or year-round beach life — from which we’ve pulled the outfits above (and more to come).
The key to packing light for any destination is keeping it simple and color coordinated, with a heavy emphasis on clothes that can multi-task. Here’s how we suggest approaching it:
1. Pick one color family — or two that go together — and mix in a few neutrals. (Denim is a neutral! We always travel with jeans or jean shorts, and a light denim or chambray shirt.) Make everything as mix-and-match as possible. So even if you’re getting dressed in the dark, whatever you pull on is almost guaranteed to go together.
2. Choose garments that can be dressed up or down, and serve multiple functions. We especially love our MXH Chore Jacket for the beach in lightweight fabrics. You can wear it on the plane to combat the aggressive air conditioning, as a super chic (White Lotus-worthy) swimsuit cover-up, anywhere you need to keep the sun off your shoulders, and also out to dinner. Truly the star of the travel wardrobe.
3. Embrace sets! One step beyond color-coordination is pieces that literally match, and can be worn together as well as mixing with the other pieces in your suitcase (or wardrobe). We’ve included a half-dozen matched sets of our Chore Jacket and MXH Shorts in the Beach Wear collection, but you can always find more Chore Jackets here and more Shorts here. And both are available Made to Order in your choice of fabric — we’d love to make a custom set just for you!
4. When it comes to quantity, for the beach especially, we think divide by at least two. You really don’t need a whole outfit (or more) for every day of your trip. If you’re going for 6-7 days, for example, take 3 tops and 3 bottoms, plus a dress and a jacket and/or scarf. If they all go together — or at minimum, if each top works with 2 of the bottoms — you can recombine those things into more than 6 outfits, so even if you’re doing wardrobe changes from day to evening, for example, you’ve got plenty to work with. For longer trips, if you’re really well-coordinated, you can divide by three or four. (I.e., for 12-14 days, 4 tops and 4 bottoms, etc.)
5. Never leave home without a scarf. A swimsuit (or two) goes without saying if you’re headed to the beach — or a pool situation — but a scarf is another essential multi-tasker. You can wear it as a sarong to and from the beach/pool, around your shoulders when the evening gets breezy or the restaurant is chilly, and it also doubles as a blanket on the plane. We particularly love Language of the Birds gauze scarves for this.
6. Keep shoes to a minimum. Even though sandals take up so much less suitcase space than other shoes, part of the draw of a beach vacation is barefoot time, and shoes can really weigh you down. Wear walking shoes on the plane; pack one pair of cool sandals or slides (we love colorful Calla shoes for this) for when you're out and about and one pair of flip-flops for the beach; and you’re good to go. If you’re a nightlife person, maybe add a pair of dressier sandals for evening.
7. Include something really special. Whether it’s an eye-catching jacket or scarf, a little metallic top, the quintessential straw bag that makes everything else look cuter, or whatever you put on that makes you feel great, pop that into your suitcase and put it to good use.
If you need assistance putting together your perfect travel wardrobe, feel free to reach out to us! We love planning travel wardrobes and would love to help.
