A Step by Step Guide to Build a Travel Capsule You Won't Get Bored Of

And my travel must-haves list!

Jun 03, 2025

I got to go on my first ever press trip last week. It was with Davines, my long time favourite hair brand, and I was blown away by their commitment to sustainability in every aspect of the business. I could go on about what impresses me about this brand, but that would be an entirely different newsletter and today I want to share something else that came out of that press trip:

My step by step method for packing a travel capsule that you’ll actually love to wear and not get tired of.

In yesterday’s Youtube video, I documented my entire process of building a travel capsule from scratch. Having just come back from the trip and being thoroughly satisfied with everything I brought, I thought it was sound enough to share the process I use every time I have to create a travel capsule I will actually want to wear. So let’s get into it!

STEP 1 - How do I Want to Feel?

We often start building outfits by asking ourselves how we want to look - which is fine! But especially for trips that are higher stakes like a work trip, I start by asking myself how I want to feel. If this is too vague for you, go through every activity in your itinerary and visualize yourself in that moment. Where are you, what are you doing, who are you with? How are you feeling? WHAT ARE YOU WEARING? This visualization exercise usually sparks a jumping off point for me. By imagining myself in these scenarios, I get to manifest the positive outcomes of the moment and will choose items that give me that feeling.

STEP 2 - Pull Items From Your Closet

Maybe this is a bit woo-woo, but give yourself a minute to visualize how you want to look and feel on your trip, and start pulling items that you could see yourself wearing based on that feeling. Don’t worry about things matching or whether they’ll fit in your suitcase yet. For example, for this trip I knew I wanted to feel confident, creative, and at ease. Using elements of style to translate these feelings to my closet, I pulled some go-to’s: tailored silhouettes with sharp, clean lines, and relaxed fits that created ease. I pulled my denim, button up shirts, and supplemented with some contrasting items like romantic blouses and bright sneakers.

STEP 3 - Guaranteed Variety in Your Travel Capsule

Sometimes when we pull our go-to’s, we feel like we’re wearing the same thing all the time. To avoid this, create variety through elements of style. Pulled 3 button up shirts with the same boyfriend silhouette? Make sure there is variance in colour and texture. Dark, light, rough, soft. Remember, you don’t need to pack everything or make decisions until you’ve tried everything on and tested outfits.

STEP 4 - Try it ALLLLL On

To pack well, we have to test our ideas and get dressed. I know that sounds wildly obvious, but it provides a framework to get started, which is usually where we struggle, yes? It spurs us into action instead of staring at our closets or the items we’ve pulled and getting overwhelmed.

This last step has two options.

The first option is for trips where you know you won’t have the bandwidth to play with your clothes (usually work trips). Go through each activity on the itinerary that would require its own outfit, and create a specific outfit for it.

Once you’ve landed on a winning outfit, take a picture and put those pieces on a separate rack or a separate part of your closet, or simply lay them on your bed.

Repeat this process until you’ve come up with outfits for each of your travel occasions. As you create more outfits, try to re-use items that have already been set aside from winning combos, and note which items are only being used for one occasion. If you’ve got an outfit with an item or two that aren’t being used anywhere else, or that don’t play well with the rest, swap those pieces out for items that have already been set aside from winning combos. This is when we edit some items out to create a more visually cohesive capsule. Of course, there might be an item or two that will only serve one purpose, and that’s OK!

Normally I don’t pack with specific outfits in mind. It can feel restrictive. I like to know i’ll be able to mix and match and switch things up if needed. But this process allows us to approach important situations with calm and confidence, while also giving us the freedom to change combinations up if needed. That’s why the editing part is important!

The second option is to take the items you pulled in step 2, and categorize them into different tops, bottoms, layers. Depending on the amount of time you’re spending away and if you have access to laundry, make sure I have at least 2 or 3 options for each category. 3 different options allows us to have variety, but not just any variety! We’ve got to be strategic. Here’s an example. If one of your categories is tank tops, make sure they each have different elements of style, to maximize the variety.

Instead of choosing tank tops that all have similar properties like this (darker palette, square/low neckline, thick strap and close to the body fit):

Choose tank tops that offer either a different shape, texture, or colour, like this (different shapes, textures and colours):

These are the elements that will yield maximum visual impact with the least amount of effort. IF you have too many items, eliminate the one with the element that is the most different out of all three. For shorter trips, 2 different options for each category is plenty.

CAVEAT: Sometimes we have a specific element of style that we love. For example, if you love high neck fitted tank tops, that’s great! You can stay consistent with the element of shape and add variety through other elements of style like colour or texture!

Extra Travel Capsule Wardrobe Tips:

Allow yourself one ‘just in case’ item. This could also be an item that doesn’t mix and match with anything else. If your suitcase isn’t closing, you already know that this is the item to edit out.
Give yourself time to pack. Try to do it a few days in advance so you’re not stress packing. This usually leads to last minute purchases and you not feeling our best!
Do you run hot or cold? If you run hot, your ratio of base layers to top layers should be greater - about 3:1. This will allow you to swap out your base layers, spot clean them and rewear. If you run cold, your ratio of base layers to top layers should be more balanced, about 2:1. Give yourself more top layer options so you don’t get bored of wearing the same cardigan or denim jacket, but save on space with fewer base layers. Choose top layers that can be worn on their own too! (ie; a cardigan as a sweater!)
IF you want a colourful capsule - choose where you want it: tops or bottoms. You can have a rainbow of tops if your bottoms are neutral and vice versa. But if you’ve got colour in both tops and bottoms, it’s a lot harder to mix and match.
Remember that neutrals don’t have to be black or white! Grey, khaki and ecru are EXCELLENT neutralizers for colour and print!

My Must Have Travel Edit List!

I never leave home without these things, no matter the climate or destination.

Davines Love Shampoo / Daviness Love Conditioner / Davines Milk / Sleepmask (I still have mine but this one from Lilysilk is so cute!) / Weleda Skinfood / Merit blush balm (I use this on my eyes, bridge of nose, lips, AND cheeks - it’s the button up shirt of makeup for me!) / Nuda water bottle (I recently lost mine to an Italian police officer lol so have my eye on this one)

vintage silk scarf / sunnies (love these) / bold earrings / button up shirt (you know I love Power of My People - use Alyssa10 for a discount - I make a commission if you do this!) / swimsuit (Organic Basics just came out with this one and it’s so fun!) / cloth tote (we get so many of these for free with purchases these days, no need to be fancy - use what you have!) / laundry strips

I hope this helps reduce some of the anxiety we all get when packing for a trip! These tips should allow you to focus on having FUN and being present in the moment while still feeling like yourself!

Have a great month of June!

Alyssa