“Why do you have so much luggage?” I asked my father recently when he had packed two suitcases for a 3-day conference in Nice. “Business attire darling: suits, shoes, something smart-casual for the evenings and I can’t repeat clothes”, he said in an annoyed but resigned tone. Such a pain to pack for business.
You want to be comfortable and not look like a loser at the same time. But the more stylishly you dress — although you may look great — you may not feel that great at security check when you beep and are asked to strip, or on the flight when your big earrings keep poking you as you try to sleep.
Here are some pointers from a piece that tells you how to edit your wardrobe to a minimum when traveling for business in order to avoid hassles at security and make it for a week maintaining a token of style:
- So that you don’t ding: change your suit buttons to plastic so you won’t beep, get a plastic watch — for e.g. Swatch — plastic yet stylish and acceptable; don’t wear a belt; put all your jewelery in your handbag until you pass security.
- So that you won’t have to strip: wear slip on shoes — no boots or laces! Don’t wear many layers, or a hat.
- So that you can look stylish without having too much luggage: Limit your color palette so that everything matches with everything. Take dark colors — they don’t get dirty quickly and you can wear them twice. For women: carry multifunctional accessories and shoes! And remember, your hotel will have same day laundry facilities — plan to use them!
Unfortunately, there is no way to shed laptop gear unless you buy a BlackBerry or an iPhone.