What's in the Suitcase?

I spent yesterday making my final decisions for the Sicily travel wardrobe. I tried everything on, on Friday, photographed the outfits, removed a few items, added one, then packed them all in my suitcase. They fit with room to spare! I take a 25" wheeled suitcase, which I check in, and I carry on a medium size tote. No purses on my trips.

Here is the final storyboard:


I added back in the black twill ankle pants...the Eileen Fisher slim knit pants are quite dressy, and the microfiber pants are fairly wide. I normally don't take white items, but this trip promises to be a little more "civilized" than usual, we are staying in just a few good quality hotels with laundry facilities, and I have armed myself with a Tide-to-go and a bleach pen!

Some outfit pictures:

These items are all RTW from my daily wardrobe.
Since quite a few people have asked how I determine what my travel wardrobe will consist of, here are a few determining factors:

1. I wear on a trip what I wear at home. No clothes set aside for travel only.
2. I tend to "dress up" slightly; when I began traveling in India in the '90s, I found the best way to
   connect with the women (which is a huge reason why I went 7 times!) was to wear pretty clothes
   and jewelry. You don't need to speak each others' language to express admiration for color and style.
3. I don't take expensive jewelry or clothing; Chico's from eBay things work just fine! and I take scarves for color...
4. I usually wear black and white (you noticed?) with another color...lately red, in the past, a burgundy
   or plum.
5. I rarely wear anything that is heavy or stiff; the soft cotton, rayon or silk items pack easily and don't
   weigh very much.
6. I wear my passport, credit card and currency around my neck, under my clothes, in a lightweight silk
    neck pouch. I keep a small wallet in my tote for small amounts of currency. Nothing that would be
   devastating to lose.
7. I wash out undies in the shower. I usually take 2 bras, 4-6 pair of panties.

These are the items I've made, which you probably have seen on my blog already...

My jackets and vest have lots of pockets, inside and out, some sized to fit specific

things, like boarding passes, passport (when I have to have it ready

to show), lipstick, sunglasses, etc. 

I often wear a lightweight shirt over a tank top or shell; I find it's cooler and I spare the world the sight of my upper arms!

Just the shirt is going...linen doesn't pack too well, IMHO...rayon, cotton and silk, on the other hand, 

hang out nicely, sometimes with help from the shower steam.

The shoes that made the cut...they're all pretty light weight, rigorously tested for comfort, and go with all the clothes. The red ECCO's on the left are what I wear every day to walk my 4 miles.

The scarves, including a black pashmina that I take on the plane in case it's too cold.

And my bracelets (not ALL!) which are lightweight and don't set off the airport alarms...

This is what I'm wearing on the flight to Rome:

The pants (RTW) are knit ponte, the tee (also RTW) is silk knit, and I will put the jacket in the compartment above for the flight. I intend to be comfortable for 9+ hours!

If this looks too match-matchy for your taste, it could have been worse...I could have taken this tote

and this purse

I'll be starting up my travel blog, Where in the World Are We?, in the next few days...come along for the trip!