This is how a versatile holiday capsule wardrobe helped me put outfits together easily while in Cambodia and Vietnam for three weeks recently. Because when you’re on holiday, there’s no time to waste deciding what to wear every morning.
What My Holiday Capsule Wardrobe Included
(Summer Edition)
4 cotton dresses (olive, blue and white striped, green floral and black)
3 pairs of linen trousers (cream, white and black)
2 pairs of shorts (cycling, light denim)
1 shirt (white)
2 t-shirts (black and grey)
3 tank tops (white, black and cream)
2 waistcoats (long white and short cream)
1 scarf (for temple visits and if I felt cold on planes)
A light jacket (olive)
1 cover-up (off-white)
3 swimming togs (black, brown and green)
3 handbags (black, cream and olive)
Hats x2 (black and olive)
4 pairs of shoes (black studded sandals, cream sandals, beige jandals and cream trainers)
Related: One of the Best Trips We’ve Taken in New Zealand as a Middle-aged Couple
How I Decided What to Include
I chose a black, cream/white, and green/olive holiday capsule wardrobe colour theme, which made mixing and matching and putting outfits together so much easier.
I also chose footwear that was comfortable to walk in but also that I could wear with all the outfits. Because even just a shoe change can alter the look of an outfit. (See photos below.)
PRO TIP: Then I tried all the outfits, took photos of them, and saved them to a folder on my iPhone. That way, I could look at my phone before I got out of bed each morning and know exactly what I’d wear based on the day’s activity and the weather.
(You can click on any of the photos below to purchase similar items to what I wore.)
Linen is a good idea if you’re travelling to a warm climate (cotton works, too), and I opted for wide-leg pants for extra comfort and space for all the eating we did!
On one of our days in Vietnam, we did a cycle tour and regularly used the gym at our hotels, so I packed a pair of cycling shorts. These denim shorts are a good length for sightseeing days. I also took swimming togs in three colours (the ones pictured are a good price).
I always tend to pack too many pairs of shoes, so this time, I chose three pairs that I could wear with any of the outfits I packed. As I mentioned before, comfort is key, especially if you’re going to be doing lots of walking. Okay, I did cheat by having a pair of sandals made in Vietnam, and I then threw them in the mix, too.
The two smaller bags I took on our trip were both crossbody bags and matched my shoes, so they worked well, bringing all my outfits together while still being practical. I used my trusty black Longchamp bag (that I’ve had for many years) as hand luggage when flying or when I needed to lug around more items during day activities.
Below are a few photos from our trip showing exactly how I wore my holiday capsule wardrobe and put different outfits together.
Dresses with different shoes and bags
Pants with different accessories, shoes and bags
Shorts with different tops and shoes
What I would do differently
I would have taken more shirts to wear open over my tank tops or possibly some cotton short-sleeved button-up shirts. And I forgot to take my anti-frizz hair spray, so I would have packed a big bottle of that!
But other than that, I was pleased with my outfit choices. I felt comfortable doing all our activities without compromising on style.
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