Europe Capsule Wardrobe

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Recently, one of my blog readers, Pam, reached out to me to ask for help building a capsule wardrobe for her upcoming trip to Europe this summer.

Europe capsule wardrobe?  No problem.  Just as long as you promise to bring me along, k?

Pam’s trip sounds wonderful!  She’s visiting Europe with her husband and his family, and will be making stops in Paris and throughout Italy.  She’ll be traveling for an entire month (lucky girl!) and will be coming all the way from Australia.

Update: If you’re looking for more examples of a capsule wardrobe, check out this 2022 fall travel capsule wardrobe I put together!

Looking for Advice on Packing for a Trip to Europe?

Preparing for a trip to Europe can be overwhelming! Fortunately I’ve put together a few posts that will help! Check out my top tips on packing for Europe, and of course the 40 travel essentials that every woman needs!

How to Build a Europe Capsule Wardrobe

Here’s the lowdown on my packing strategy for building Pam’s Europe capsule wardrobe. Check out the graphic below for how it all came together!

In general, I tried to pick clothes that could be easily laundered, since chances are that she’ll do laundry at least once during such a long trip.  Also – it’s going to be HOT in the summer, so I’ve stuck to mostly warm weather clothes, but also added a few layering pieces that she could wear on the plane coming from Australia where it’ll be winter.

I stuck to mostly neutrals for tops.  This is one of my favorite tips for building a capsule wardrobe!  This way you can wear your tops with pretty much anything.   The tops can all be dressed up or down, and they have cute feminine details so that they still look polished on their own.

I added some interest with bottoms by including black lace-trimmed shorts as well as a watermelon-colored pair.  For more conservative areas, there’s also a knee-length skirt and lightweight cargo pants.

I threw in a few dresses, again mostly in neutral colors so they’d go with any of the layering pieces.  They’re casual enough to wear during the daytime, but she can dress them up at night for dinners with her husband.

Lastly – the accessories.  This is where I added some color with a few fun pieces.

First the tote bag.  Guys, this might be my favorite tote for travel EVER.  Why?  Ummm…cuz it’s REVERSIBLE!  And you know how I feel about reversible things.  The pattern is shown in the collage, but it reverses to be a brown leather tote.  YES.

Pro Travel Tip: These days, travel can be more uncertain than ever. Check for any COVID-related restrictions at your destination, and never travel without travel insurance! I recommend SafetyWing, because they have flexible + affordable insurance plans, and also cover COVID-related impacts on your trip (not all companies do)!

There’s also a cross-body bag that’s perfect for walking around, and a scarf to bring with her when she’s visiting what I generally call Places in Europe Where One’s Shoulders Must Be Covered.

As for shoes: a comfy sandal that is great for day or night, along with a neutral pair of sneakers for heavy walking days.

Pam’s Europe Capsule Wardrobe

Tops (L to R, top to bottom): stripes, gray, white, black, gray, stripes, ivory

Bottoms (L to R): cargos, black, skirt, pink

Dresses (L to R): gray, navy, black, white

Warm Layers (L to R): green, ivory, blue

Shoes & Accessories (L to R): cross-body, sneakers, sandals, tote, scarf, sunglasses

The Extras

A few other things to toss in her bag if there’s room: one more pair of shoes, another pair of pants for the flight, and some jewelry.  As for necklaces, see my post on the Rule of Three Necklaces for some ideas!

Also – a few more tops!  These get dirty faster than bottoms so it’s great to have extra.

More Packing Ideas

For other capsule wardrobe ideas, you can also check out this post on a capsule wardrobe for Jennifer’s trip to Asia this summer.

I love helping with packing advice!  Need help for an upcoming trip?  Email me and I will do my best to help!

Have a wonderful trip, Pam!  I can’t wait to hear all about it!

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