From personal experience, I know that there are usually two extremes for travel packing: the bare minimum or “everything but the kitchen sink”. Whether you are a carry-on-only minimalist or a chronic over-packer, a capsule wardrobe is the perfect way to pack if you are planning a trip that’s longer than a little weekend away. I tried it out for my recent road trip through Ireland and it saved space in my luggage, time in picking out outfits, and eliminated the stress of not wearing an item that made the transatlantic journey with me. Learn all about my travel capsule wardrobe for Ireland in this post.
What Is A Capsule Wardrobe?
You may be thinking: Amanda, what the f*ck is a capsule wardrobe and why on Earth do I need one for my travels? I’ll tell you! A capsule wardrobe is a curated collection of clothing, shoes and accessories that can easily be mixed and matched to create a bunch of different outfits. Why do you need one for your next long trip? Having a capsule wardrobe will help maximize your luggage space because you’ll be packing versatile items that can be worn multiple ways instead of a bunch of random things that you’ll only wear once on your trip. Sounds great, right?!
Building My Travel Capsule Wardrobe
Our road trip through Ireland was filled with an ass-load of different activities, from a fancy brunch and afternoon tea to hiking and pub hopping around Dublin. I knew I would be packing a few extra fun things (cue big white gown and a swimsuit) and a lot of cozy layers to ward off the coastal wind and rain. Knowing that, I tried to build a capsule wardrobe that was filled with a lot of versatile pieces that could be worn several different ways. Pieces that could be dressed up, dressed down, and easily transition from day to night looks.
What Was In My Luggage?
Like I mentioned above, we crammed a lot into our ten-day Ireland trip, and since we planned a wide variety of types of things to do, I packed a wide variety of types of clothing and shoes. While what I packed worked perfectly for me, my travel capsule wardrobe definitely has room to be altered and slimmed down for a trip that may not require so much variety.
- Shirts and blouses: A couple tees, a vest, and a couple button-up shirts made their way into my bags, all of which were neutral and easy to layer under any coat or sweater.
- Sweaters: Is it a travel capsule wardrobe for Ireland without a few sweaters? I packed a couple warm knits and purchased a traditional Irish Aran Sweater when I got there.
- Pants and skirts: A pair of skinny and a pair of comfy straight legged denim were in my bag along with a simple black mini skirt and an adorable pleated maxi skirt.
- Dressy pieces: For our fancy brunches and nice evening dinners, I brought a billowy dress, a ruffled strapless top, and a simple pair of ivory trousers to mix and match with my other items.
- Coats and jackets: Three outer layers made their way to Ireland with me. I packed a leather moto jacket, a waxed parka, and a long waterproof trench coat.
- Warm weather accessories: Obviously, I packed a lot of warm accessories like beanies, a blanket scarf, boot socks, and arm warmers.
- Shoes: Is four pairs of shoes too many to pack for a trip? If so, OOPS! I brought a pair of hiking boots, wear-with-anything white sneakers, tall riding boots and a dressy pair of heels. All of them were worn more than once, especially both pairs of waterproofed boots.
My Favorite Ireland Outfits
I had a ton of fun planning and putting together outfits for this travel capsule wardrobe. I mixed and I matched and I thought out looks that would compliment, not contrast, the beauty of the scenery around me. Scroll through some of my favorite Ireland looks and check out how I utilized some of the same pieces for different outings.
For A Casual Evening Around Galway
For an evening spent walking around Galway’s city center, and it’s Latin Quarter, I wanted an outfit that was comfortable, warm, and (of course) cute! I bought this pleated polka dot skirt during one of Anthropologie’s sale-on-all-sale-items sales and knew that I needed to bring it with me to Ireland. I paired it with a simple white tee, a leather jacket, a beanie and my white sneakers. Perfection!
For An Afternoon Exploring Kylemore Abbey
Kylemore Abbey was one place that I was looking forward to visiting most on this trip. The grounds are pretty expansive, so I wore my super comfortable riding boots to make sure my feet were well supported. I paired the boots with my cozy cashmere boot socks, a beautiful Sezane wool knit, and the waxed parka that I pretty much lived in on this trip. The resulting look was another really comfortable outfit and cute, too, right?!
For A Really Rainy Day In Kinsale
For this day, we had planned a morning at Blarney Castle and an afternoon in Kinsale. It absolutely pissed rain and this outfit took that weather like a champ. I was so warm thanks to my beautiful, brown, handknit wool sweater and my trusty Dr. Martens were waterproofed and ready for action. Paired with my waxed parka (again), the outfit kept me reasonably dry considering how much rain we were walking through.
For A Magical Night At Glenlo Abbey
Glenlo Abbey is an incredibly special hotel with an absolutely magical restaurant on the property called Pullman Restaurant. We planned very few formal dinners and this was one of them, so we dressed for the occasion. An all white ensemble paired with a leather jacket had me feeling like a million bucks and although the cute ruffled top wasn’t the most versatile piece in my travel capsule wardrobe, it was worth the space it took up in my luggage.
For A Beautiful Brunch In Dublin
This was another dressy outfit that was packed for one of only a couple fancy outings we had planned. I saved suitcase space by wearing the same ivory heels and the dress easily transitioned into a more flexible outfit by pairing it with my parka and tall riding boots. Brunch just feels brunch-ier in a cute dress, does it not?
For A Blustery Day With Baby Lambs
Last, but certainly not least, is this outfit that was worn while holding baby lambs. You read that right, baby f*cking lambs! We also drove the Slea Head Loop and bopped around Dingle, so I knew I wanted to wear something warm and comfortable. It was SO windy that day, so a cozy scarf and sweater were perfect for the occasion. The baby lambs loved nibbling on my scarf, and my parka, and my boots. I let them do it and have the teeth marks to remember them by!
The Looks I Planned Out
Now that I have shared my favorite looks of the trip, it’s time to share all the other looks that were possible with this capsule wardrobe. Some of these I wore, and others I didn’t, but it really shows the options that are possible with just a handful of staple pieces of clothing. There are so many more looks that I could come up with, and I walked away from this capsule wardrobe thinking I could probably dress myself for an entire fall season with these clothing items alone.
The Items I Packed
You have seen the looks, now here is a full roundup of all the items that made their way to Ireland with me. I tried to wear everything (apart from the few dressier pieces) at least twice to justify bringing them, which I thought was a great way to ensure that my capsule wardrobe was indeed versatile. Let’s browse!
I have a tendency to lean to either of the two packing extremes. Sometimes I am an expert in minimal packing, squeezing everything into a carry on, and other times I come home thinking “why did I pack all these crap?!”. For this Ireland trip, I had hoped that building a capsule wardrobe would land me somewhere in the middle, especially knowing that the bulky warm layers I needed would take up a lot of luggage space. Hopefully the idea of a capsule wardrobe has inspired you for your next long getaway, or even for a seasonal ensemble!
xoA
Over To You
Have you ever planned a travel capsule wardrobe? If so, what were some of your staple pieces and what did you think of the one I put together for my trip to Ireland? Not a traveler? Have you ever built a capsule wardrobe for your everyday attire? Let me know all about it in the comments below!
