One most valued piece of travel clothing
 

We are are traveling to Southern Spain this May. I'm curious what your most valued piece of travel clothing is? You know... that one piece that you just couldn't do without. If you lost your luggage you could bear to wear this one piece day-in, day-out.<BR><BR>Why do you love it so much? Why is it so versatile and where did you get it?

My black not-really-linen blazer/jacket. It's always a LITTLE wrinkled so it doesn't look too bad when it's been sat in for a few hours on a train. It goes over slacks, skirt, dress; it has pockets; it covers up stains; it warms me up when it's sweater-weather but looks less casual that a sweater; with a scarf or jewelry it's dressed up; without it's dressed down. <BR><BR>I think I got it at a local dept. store (Federated chain) but look around in all the catalogues -- they all have something like it. Choose the style that looks best on you but try to find one that you can wear buttoned or unbuttoned. Carry an extra button.<BR>

A white synthetic blend poet's blouse from jjill.com and a long black synthetic blend skirt. I wore these two pieces so much on my last trip to Europe that it seems from the photos as if I had packed nothing else. They both washed and dried beautifully, and the white shirt had this kind of wrinkly look to it so I didn't even have to worry about ironing.

Stretch pullover tunics (one black, one blue and white striped) from Norm Thompson. They wash in the tub every night, drip dry in an hour, look stylish, are very cool, don't wrinkle, and roll up to the size of a pair of socks in my carry-on.<BR><BR>Lived in them last summer with a pair of cool-max pants and a skirt of the same material.

Not a piece of clothing, but it is indipensible for those of us who do wear clothes--a travel-size bottle of Febreeze. It makes traveling so much easier that you'll never know how you got along without it.

My indispensable article is a black silk sweater set that I wear with scarves and the cardigan is warm enough that I wear it with everything else, I can fold it into my purse or often wrap it around the purse strap, I have used it for years to travel. Judy

I loved my red stretch button-front blouse. It was close-fitting enough to look polished, didn't need to be tucked in, didn't wrinkle, washed/dried in a couple of hours, could be worn as a cardigan, and the cherry color brightened up photos with dull monotones. Like almost all my travel clothes, I found it in a thrift store, Buffalo Exchange.

Long, black knit skirt:wool in cold weather, cotton otherwise.

A black rayon knee-length, bias-cut shift dress. I can wash it in the sink and it dries in an hour, wrinkles just fall out of it, and I can wear it as a dress, tucked into a skirt or pair of trousers as a shirt, or to sleep in. Bought it for &pound;10 at a discount store - it was originally a dark blue floral print, but I dyed it black. I don't know how I'll get along without it when it finally wears out.

A black rayon knee-length, bias-cut shift dress. I can wash it in the sink and it dries in an hour, wrinkles just fall out of it, and I can wear it as a dress, tucked into a skirt or pair of trousers as a shirt, or to sleep in. Bought it for &pound;10 at a discount store - it was originally a dark blue floral print, but I dyed it black. I don't know how I'll get along without it when it finally wears out.

A black blazer--the wool one in cool weather, linen mix in warmer weather. Wear it with jeans, slacks, skirts. Dresses anything up or down. Oh, and I agree with the poster who said don't forget the Fabreze!

You're all wrong. Clearly the one most valued piece of travel clothing are (comfortable) SHOES.<BR>Shame on you all (Vergogna) for not having THE right answer.<BR>ciao

You may be right, "wrong", but the subject of travel shoes has already been covered exhaustively in recent months. I for one like to hear about above-the-ankle travel clothing, as well, and how it affects one's happiness and comfort.

My must take is a pair of black pants that are of a woven fabric, pull-on instead of zippered(gives a little breathing room) They are comfortable on the plane, can be worn with a variety of tops all year round, and look good enough for dinner or a show with a dressier top(sweater or blazer. I take two pair, and I'm set for a week. They wash and dry easily, or can be freshened with febreeze.

My black cotton flat-front cropped pants. They are a little longer than most capri pants, below mid-calf but several inches above the ankle, and look a little dressier than most capri pants but are extremely lightweight and comfortable and pack down to nothing. They have a little bit of "stretch" in them and show no wrinkles. They're fitted but not tight, in a very flattering cut, with a little notch at the bottom on the outside of each leg which gives them a little flair. Perfect for sightseeing because they cover the knees (so you can wear them in churches/temples) but are still cool & comfy even when it's hot & humid. They look great with any shoes from casual walking shoes to sandals to mules & heels. I've worn them with pearls & silk sweater sets and I've worn them with a t-shirt and tennies. I got them at Ann Taylor two summers ago, one pair in black and one pair in khaki, and liked them so much that when I saw them in the store last summer I bought two more pairs. And if they have them this year I might buy them again! I pretty much live in them spring through fall.

My black traveler's pants from www.chicos.com. I wear them every day to work too. Light, classy, elastic waistband and they roll up into a small ball with no wrinkling. You can dress them up with a silk blouse and dress them down with a linen shirt. I'm buying two more pairs for my trip to Paris in May.

Another vote for pull-on, no wrinkle black pants!

I'm concerned about all the comments of skirts/dresses. We are going to London for 3 nights and Ireland for 9 nights in May -- I wasn't dreaming of taking anything but pants -- do I need to reconsider?

Don't worry about skirts or dresses -- black pants go everywhere!

Skirts/dresses are great in very hot weather, much more comfortable than pants, but London in may, no problem there.