Packing for a Business Trip to Paris

I’m giddy with excitement for my trip to Paris in March.

!!!!!!!

See?

As excited as I am, I’m also trying to balance my enthusiasm with a dose of practicality (what’s that?) by thinking waaaaay ahead about what I’ll need to bring along with me.  But don’t be fooled – it’s really just so that I have time to shop for anything I’m missing – ha!

I’ll be in Paris for about a week and am planning to bring only a carry on bag.  So….how does that work, exactly?

Here’s the lowdown on my strategy for packing for a business trip to Paris:

It’ll likely be a chilly 45 – 50 degrees in Paris while I’m there, so I will definitely be packing outfits that are warm enough for strolling around the city.  The hard part?  Most of my warm clothes are black and gray.  So even though it’ll be “spring” in Paris, I won’t really be rocking pastels and florals.  I’m going to just tell myself that black is a French staple no matter the season.

I’m traveling for business but I’ll have a bit of time for myself as well over the weekend.  My work outfits will be almost entirely comprised of pieces from my business travel capsule wardrobe.

For this specific trip, I’ll need to wear a suit for at least three days, and honestly that makes the packing so much easier.  My black suit that consists of a dress, skirt, pants and jacket gives me enough options to cover this, and I’ll probably bring black ballet flats to wear with it, since I’ll be walking quite a bit, and accessorize with my usual travel jewelry.

On the plane, I’m planning to wear a variation of one of my usual business travel outfits.  I’ll definitely have on my favorite stretchy black skinnies.  Since it’s always freezing cold on overnight flights, I’m also planning to layer up a bit more than usual, and also possibly wear some boots – which as far as I’m concerned, is the only way to pack them!

For casual evenings and my free days on the weekend, I’m planning to bring another favorite pair of stretchy jeans (I’m strategically thinking ahead to all of the food I plan to consume).

As for tops I’d like to be able to mix, match and layer.  I picked up a few new cozy sweaters during the holiday sales (this and this) and they will both be coming with me.  It wouldn’t be a Paris trip without some stripes, so I’ve been checking out options like this and this.

I’ve also been scoping other bloggers’ style on recent Paris trips.  Check out Hallie, Jacey and Jessica for some perfect Paris inspiration!

I’ll be posting more specifics on my packing as the trip gets closer, so stay tuned for more details.