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You are here: Home / Outfits By Occasion / Occasion: Vacation - Beach / one suitcase: beach vacation capsule wardrobe

one suitcase: beach vacation capsule wardrobe

December 1, 2012 By MK

Here we go again with a new One Suitcase series!!

Due to multiple request (and the fact I’m headed on vacation over Christmas break!) I decided to put together a One Suitcase beach vacation series! This capsule will have super casual looks for a tropical climate that work for activities like lounging at the beach, doing the tourist thing, going to dinner and just general enjoyment of the laid-back beach vacation lifestyle. 🙂

Post 1/10 –
Between my job & my love of seeing new places around the world I spend a fair amount of time living out of a suitcase. From all the experience I have gained from hauling myself & my stuff all over the place I have learned just how valuable packing smart & packing light is to your sanity. And I think I have gotten pretty good at selecting just my few favorite pieces of clothing to bring and stretching their use though multiple outfits for multiple activities as I travel. So for this second installment of the one suitcase feature I’m going to try out a beach vacation capsule wardrobe. Above are the 16 pieces I will use to create 40 outfit options for this trip!!

The purpose of the “One Suitcase” feature is to try to show you how you can pare down your packing list when you travel without sacrificing the number or variety of outfits you have for the range of activities your trip may entail. I have learned through trial and error (and the pain of lugging wayyy too big a suitcase) that by packing a few favorite & versatile pieces of clothing I can mix and match the items into a surprising number of outfit options. You just have to do a little planning up front. Hopefully the posts this week will show you my method and help you find the potential of the clothes you already have in your closet!

The method:

  1. Basics – First I pick some basics pieces to lay the foundation for the trip. I try to pick my favorite go-to clothes. Clothes I know I wear over and over. The ones that go with almost everything. For me, this usually involves  laying out my favorite jeans, basic shorts and a pair of super comfy wedges.

    For the basics in this capsule wardrobe I have chosen whites & navys/blues as the base colors. I packed my favorite jeans, white & black shorts, white button down shirt, chambray button down shirt, a navy & a white cardigan and a white strapless dress.

  2. Interest – Second, I add a few interesting pieces to compliment the subtle basics. I look for pops of color or fun patterns that will make the basic pieces more exciting. I try to grab items that will compliment each other or at least be somewhat in the same color scheme. For me, I’d usually go for a striped top, a dress, few colored dresses and an interesting blouse that would go with both cardigans.

    For this capsule wardrobe I chose a pink t-shirt, a striped tank, a teal tank, an ikat tank, an ikat coverup, a teal maxi dress, an ikat skirt and a green & yellow dress. (I went super casual with this capsule – if I were headed on a cruise or something with a few slightly fancier dress code events – I’d swap one of these cotton dresses with a dressier dress.)

  3. Accessories & Shoes – Finally, I add some accessories to complete the outfits. Jewelry, belts and scarves take up very little room and can dramatically alter how an outfit looks. Unfortunately, shoes is the area I still struggle with. I always want to bring just one more pair. But I’ve learned to limit myself to only either blacks or browns (depending on my clothes) and then nude/beige shoes go with everything.

    For this capsule wardrobe I chose three necklaces, one gold watch, white fedora hat, brown belt and a teal clear beach bag.  For shoes I packed silver flip flops, gladiator flats, favorite wedges and a pair of sneakers.

Over the next eight days I’m going to show you 40 outfits that I put together with these 16 pieces. I will share five outfits each day listing what pieces they are built from and where I would wear them. And then on the last day I will post a big downloadable image that includes the all the individual 16 pieces and all the 40 put together outfits for easy reference.

Hope you enjoy!

      You can check out my first One Suitcase feature with Business Casual clothes here:

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      Filed Under: Occasion: Vacation - Beach, One Suitcase

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      Reader Interactions

      Comments

      1. Alison Burtt says

        December 1, 2012 at 1:31 pm

        I am so in love with you right now! Thank you thank you thank you!

      2. Christopher n Annaliza Rogers says

        December 1, 2012 at 3:20 pm

        YAY! We are going on a cruise in 2 weeks. This will definitely help.

      3. Redfingerpaint says

        December 2, 2012 at 12:11 am

        Way to kick off December! I love the One Suitcase series!

      4. tm11 says

        December 3, 2012 at 1:37 am

        I love this series! I love your entire blog actually! 😀

      5. Sonarisa says

        December 3, 2012 at 12:43 pm

        I love the One Suitcase series! It makes my packing so much easier. Would you be willing to pull together some ideas for a long ski trip? If it was just skiing, I would be fine; but I'm going to have a couple formal dinners and a bridal shower as well. Please help me with your superior style!

      6. vodkainfusedlemonade says

        December 3, 2012 at 4:42 pm

        LOve this blog. I am getting better at packing but I will definitely keep your post series in mind next time I travel some place warm.

        Agi:)

        vodkainfusedlemonade.wordpress.com

      7. Kavi says

        December 4, 2012 at 6:13 pm

        LOVE your One Suitcase posts! I think a lot of people will benefit from your wardrobe tips. Hope you do more of them!

      8. MK says

        December 4, 2012 at 7:00 pm

        Yay! I'm so happy to get such a positive response! 🙂

        Sonarisa, I might get to go skiing at the end of February – if I do – I will definitely try to do another one of these!!

      9. whereforeartistry says

        December 5, 2012 at 3:08 pm

        Thank you so much for doing a series like this! I love seeing how to mix and match pieces to create a great wardrobe, but sometimes I lack the inspiration to make it work. This will definitely help me for travel and work!

      10. BikerCandy says

        December 10, 2012 at 8:46 pm

        Oh this is such perfect timing! I leave for Belize on Saturday so I'm packing tonight and I'm definitely using your post as a guide! Awesome advice!!!! Thanks so much!

      11. MK says

        December 12, 2012 at 12:59 am

        Yay! Glad you like the post! 🙂

      12. Mickey James says

        April 23, 2013 at 1:25 pm

        I’m surely coming again to read these articles and blogs
        http://www.vacanzemarinadimassa.com/

      13. Anonymous says

        May 30, 2013 at 1:44 pm

        Where did you get that gold necklace? I've been looking for something in that style for forever! Love it!

      14. Anonymous says

        July 2, 2014 at 7:14 pm

        You are amazing! Consider yourself a life saver to us not so organised individuals. Thank you!

      15. Dennisse says

        January 1, 2015 at 2:48 am

        I love this. I'm such an over packer. This is going to help me

      16. Karen Aidi says

        February 4, 2015 at 12:44 am

        Thank you so much for taking the time to create this beach series!–and all of the other one-suitcase masterpieces. I'm wondering what you do for sleep clothing. Do you take pj's or do you use a t-shirt or cover-up for this purpose? I love the formulaic approach to packing; I'm going to try this for a trip to Kuaui in less than a week. I've tried everything on and I'm trying to keep to just the 16 pieces.

      17. Rachel Benson says

        March 3, 2015 at 4:13 am

        Your tips on how to pack for vacation in one suitcase will be so helpful. My husband really wants to go on a Hawaiian vacation and it seems like we always have way too much luggage. Your suggestion to pack items that can be worn in different combinations is a wonderful idea. http://www.breakers-hawaii.com/rooms-rates/

      18. __ saranakin __ says

        March 10, 2015 at 12:50 pm

        Wow! I just discovered your blog & I absolutely love it!

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      Hi, I’m MK. Welcome to my blog! :)

      I'm a 37 year old Software Engineer/Project Manager for big corporate company, a wife, a mom of a 3 year old daughter and as a hobby I post what I wear to this blog. I live in Florida but I frequently travel all over for work.

      Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Contact me at:
      [email protected]

      Disclosure: Compensated Affiliate (I may make a few cents when you click a link in my posts.)

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      I'm a 36 year old Software Engineer/Project Manager for big corporate company, a wife, a mom of a 2 year old daughter and as a hobby I post what I wear to this blog. I live in Florida but I frequently travel all over for work.

      Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Contact me at:
      [email protected]

      Disclosure: Compensated Affiliate (I may make a few cents when you click a link in my posts.)

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