2 Easy Tips To Avoid A Disastrous Outfit On A Trip

You know when you put thoughts into what outfit to wear tomorrow, take the pieces out of your closet to lay them down together, and nod in satisfaction when they seem like they've come together?
And the next morning you look into the mirror after wearing the outfit, only to realise your supposedly carefully thought-out pieces did not "come together" after all?

All would be well if your entire closet is at your disposable that very morning but what if you were miles and miles away from home in a hotel room with only the content of your cabin-sized luggage to work with?

That was what happened to me recently. My initial outfit idea that was in my luggage was to match this polka dot hot pink top with these beige pants with a pair of leather mules and my lilac beaded bag. Sounds like a working combination, right? Except after ironing everything (and remember how I dislike ironing) and putting everything on, the mirror reflected me standing in a tied potato sack, somehow.

A hot pink tied potato sack, that is.
At least, that's how I felt!

I was due somewhere in less than an hour with train-ride in between so I had to think fast. Thankfully, after all the trips I've taken in the past (all of which required fast packing), I've learned two easy tips to avoid a potential disastrous outfit:

1. Try on each outfit before packing them

This gives you time to assess if the clothing items in your head really work together. If they don't, you can easily switch out a few things, pronto, until you create an ensemble that finally makes sense to you.

2. Bring extra clothes (as in overpack, yes!)

The is the tip I always seem to utilize because somehow I'm always involuntarily having to pack at short notice! (Also the perfect tip for procrastinators, like yours truly.) For this two-night staycation, I brought one extra pair of pants, an extra top, and even a spare pair of shoes plus handbag. They might sound a bit excessive but these four items could also create an entirely different outfit should I need to extend my stay (which has happened before, by the way.)


In the end, I stuck with the hot pink top (because I've ironed it, guys), then swap out those beige pants and beaded bag for the spare polka dot black pants and the chain bag. Not my first choice for an outfit but, hey, still better than the disastrous potato sack look!

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Of course, tip #1 works when I don't have to rush packing but between the two tips, I would recommend #1 more because not overpacking clothes means a lighter load — and more space too, which is excellent if you're on a special trip somewhere and want to bring gifts back home for your loved ones.

Have you ever experienced a style disaster when you were travelling far from home?

Wearing: Topshop hot pink polka dot tied top (worn on my birthday this year!)  |  H&M polka dot wide-leg pants  |  Zara suede mules  |  Topshop chain bag