One small (but very cute) suitcase.
What to pack for a weekend is made much more complicated when that weekend involves a single small suitcase, 5 hours on a plane, and 4 days of all-day conference.
Me, I’m spending the weekend with a great group of colleagues at a conference for educators. I have one suitcase and need to make it through four days worth of professional-yet-casual outfits. What do I bring?
1. Pack a plaid shirt and a cotton/synthetic tie. The plaid shirt will hide plane wrinkles, the tie won’t get creased once you wear it and throw it in your suitcase.
2. I think of colors as belonging to camps (more on that, here). Decide whether you’re going for browns (yellow, green, orange, etc) or for blacks (red, white, blue, grey, purple). When travelling, I go for blacks. That means black shoes, black belt, and all the red, white, and blue I can stand.
Sorry for the frown. I was flying United.
3. Pack a grey, corduroy blazer and a grey sweater. Swap between them every day. They’ll match everything and keep you warm if your conference is in Pennsylvania in March.
Fair Isle is fair game for any conference. It stands out, but won’t attract unnecessary attention.
4. Find a tie which pops, and yet features a classic pattern, like this Fair Isle tie.
5. Dress classy, but be comfy.
6. Be on time for your sessions. Which reminds me…I’m late!