Now that I've been here a month, there are a few changes I would make to my wardrobe.

Some items I have already purchased, like the boots, jacket. I bought a new purple sweater to replace the one that I brought, as it developed a hole about a week into the trip. It was at least 5 years old (and not of superior quality) and was bound to need to be replaced. I also bought a polka dot blouse to replace the white one I brought, for similar reasons as the purple sweater. New items I already have are noted with a green border. Items that I would like but have not purchased and will likely not purchase, are noted with a pink border.

The list now includes 21 items of clothing, plus accessories, shoes and workout wear. The additional item is the jacket, which I planned to bring but forgot.


In this list I have replaced my boot cut jeans with some black skinny jeans. I have my eye on some Second Clothing Yoga Jeans which feel like wearing leggings rather than denim. I tried them on when I replaced my ripped slim blue jeans and cropped blue jeans, but just couldn't justify buying three pairs of jeans in one shopping trip.

I have also replaced some of the shirts with more classic tee shirts. While the shirts I brought are fine, I have found I just want to wear my simple tee shirt - I only have one!

Finally I should have brought my black tights. Given the weather they would extend my ability to wear my dresses and skirt further into the fall. I may break down and buy some here - they're not exactly bank breakers!

In packing for my 10 week trip, I got inspiration from the one suitcase series on Outfit Posts and used the theories outlined in Chic Minimalism for your Wardrobe from Minimalist Beauty. There is also a story in my family that after a dance trip to Scotland, all of the mothers told their daughters that they needed to pack like my aunt - her bag was light and easy to carry, and yet she looked put-together for the whole trip!

I'm still working on getting my at-home wardrobe minimized, and this trip has been a great experiment in how to be comfortable and put-together with the minimum number of clothes.

The theory is to bring basic pieces to lay the foundation, such as neutral tops and jeans, then to add some interesting pieces to complement these basics. I kept these interesting pieces in general colour palette that suits me, including bright teals, blues and pinks. Finally, I added some accessories to go with all of the outfit. As noted in the one suitcase series, " Jewelry, belts and scarves take up very little room and can dramatically alter how an outfit looks." Plus, given the weather variation I was expecting, scarves can really warm up and outfit, hence the excessive number of scarves!

So, without further ado, I packed and brought the following 20 items of clothing (and one forgotten jacket), plus accessories, shoes and workout wear with me, in my Heys 26" spinner without needing to use the expandable portion. The suitcase, which included 4 bottles of beer (a gift) and my toiletries, weighed 22 kg (48 lbs), 1 kg below the allowance. I wore my maxi dress, wrap, teal sarong/scarf and ballet flats on the plane, and brought a pair of socks with me for warmth.


The biggest struggle I had was with shoes. I wish I had brought my black ankle boots, which were on my original packing list but were eliminated. I was having trouble justifying bringing 7 pairs of shoes! Of course this includes my slippers and running shoes, which I don't think should be included in the count, as neither is appropriate to wear out here.

I will try to do some outfit posts showing all the ways the above can be put together, just don't hold your breath. I never realized how time consuming that kind of post could be! This one has taken at least a week to finish!

Also stay tuned to what I wish I had packed - an edit of the above photo showing those items which I have purchased while here, as well as a few edits to things that I think would have fit better, now that I've been living with these items for a month.