How to Travel Light and Get Many Different Outfit Looks

Double duty (or even triple duty) items are the key to packing light when traveling.  You don't have the luxury of bringing your entire closet on the trip with you, so you should plan you're looks so that you can get the most variety of use out of each piece you bring.  Stick to a complimentary color palette.  I'm not saying to simply go neutral because that's just boring, but make sure all of the pieces are in the same color palette so that when mixed and worn together they won't clash.  Mixing and matching different pieces is the key to packing less but looking unique everyday of your trip (even if it's a long trip).

Leggings:

• wear under shorts, skirts, or a dress
• wear as bottoms
• wear as work out gear
• wear as pjs or on lazy days

Pics from Pretty Vintage, Posh 24, and Chictopia.

Dress:

• an easy 1 piece outfit
• wear a top over it and the bottom can show as a skirt
• tuck it into a bottom and it can show as a top
• wear a top or leggings under it for a different look

Pics from Sydne Style, and Hello Hue blogs.

 

Tank/Tees:

• wear as a top
• as a layer of an outfit (under or over another piece)
• wear as workout gear
• wear as pjs

Pics from blogs Pride and Pearls, Rachel the Hat, and Daily Sugar.

Sarong (large sheer wrap):

• wear over swim suit
• wear as a skirt
• wear as a top
• wear as a vest
• wear as a dress
• also can be a scarf, to liven up a plain top

Picture from Your Next Scarf blog. Google for more ways to wear a sarong, there are tons!

Honorable mentions: 

• Skirts can be worn at least 2  ways; as a skirt, or as a top.  If the skirt is mid length it will be a cute tunic to wear with leggings.  If the skirt is a maxi it can turn into a dress which will give you some of the additional dress options above.  Don't be afraid to belt the waist if you need to add shape to a skirt that you're wearing as a top.  Great example is in the picture below from the Tanvii blog.

 

• Oversized Tees can be made into a variety of looks for a top.  Wear it long and untucked as a tunic, or tucked into bottoms.  Tie a knot in the front, back, or side to change the look and make the oversized tee more fitted.  Roll up the sleeves for a muscle tank type of look.  Maybe near the end of the trip you may want to change the tee completely and take scissors to it.  Do a quick (and permanent) restyle using one of the tutorials found all over the internet and youtube.  My suggestion (because it's the easiest) is to simply change the neckline.  Check out the pics below from Violet Street blog and Teen to 30 Stuck in Between, as well as their links for even more ways to style an oversized tee.

   

*Accessories are your friend. They're small additions to luggage but make big impacts on outfits!

As for shoes, I'd stick to one of each type (flat, sandal, flipflop, dress, gym).  If you want to bring more than one, the best space saver is a flat (open or closed toe) since they are...flat, thus take up less space.  Also, master the art of packing around shoes.  Stuff things inside the shoe as well as around heels.  Theres a helpful post about picking necessary shoes on Suitcase Secrets where I found this nice pic.

 

Any ideas I didn't cover?  Happy travels!