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.

To each her own, Dina. I prefer lightweight pants in really hot weather. I can't stand my legs sticking together! My favorites are linen and poly, absorbent but not wrinkly, with an elastic waist. Love 'em!

Ellen, yes, I tend to like a breeze down there when it's hot, but in Egypt, I did not want any bare leg showing, so gauze pants under a gauze tunic or dress was very comfortable. I guess the important feature is a loose waist and loosely woven material to allow some ventilation.

My trusty old, well worn raincoat! It goes with me everywhere we travel, and since we travel in spring has been a Godsend many times. It is long, khaki colored and the stereotype raincoat/trenchcoat type. <BR><BR>j

Aside from weddings, I've never worn a dress or skirt in my 18 trips to Ireland and the UK.

Besides my black blazer, the thing I can't do without is my black pashmina shawl.

My most valued piece of clothing I took to Rome was my thong bikini and walking down the streets in it. The Italian men went crazy. Especially at the Trevi Fountain

Don't flatter yourself so, sexy. Those Italian guys will go crazy over anything with boobs, including my grandma in her black schmatta and shawl.

Suzy, you gave me a good laugh. And yes I am definitely inclined to believe you. The sex drive of the Italian men is quite high. Just between you and me I was kidding about the thong. My fanny would have been covered in black and blue marks.<BR><BR>

When you say "fanny" I'm assuming you mean "bum", but oooh what an image you conjured up there ...

I'm going to be in Italy at the end of March (Rome to the Lake Como area). Will it be quite cool? Any suggestions-since I'm a southern California gal it's sometimes hard to prepare for "cold."Would you suggest a lined raincoat over a wool hip length coat?

Jeanette, we were in Italy at the end of April, and we were freezing!! Wear layers. (I'm from LA, too, and wear gloves in 60 degree weather!) It was in the low 50s then. I wore a sweater with a (California) heavy coat, and a scarf was a godsend.

I found that just plain water in a plastic spritz bottle (available at any drug store) works as well as Fabreze (sp?). Test it at home first to see if it works for you. Using local water lightens the load and you avoid spills.We were in Italy late March/early April 2000 and while it rained I was never freezing (Mid California girl). I was however glad to have my old trusty lightweight raincoat and Iwore most of the time a linen-like blazer with tank top and pants.Most of my wardrobe I didn't even unpack.

Jeanette: Plan to buy that scarf in Como!

Leave the Febreze on the store shelf at home. The stuff is toxic, and anyway you don't want it opening in flight and spilling all over everything. I hang things up to air out whenever possible and I keep 1-2 index cards that I've put lavender on in the pouches of my luggage (not next to clothes if you are using oil of lavendar -- will stain). My grandmother always packed those little packets of soap leaves more for the "sachet" value than to wash her hands, but I can't find them any more.

My most valued is my Sierra Travel Jacket from TIlley Endurables (www.tilley.com). 11 pockets to keep everything in

Sniffy,<BR><BR>Try Evelyn & Crabtree for those soap "leaves". I bought some there awhile ago, but I bet they still carry them.

I forgot to ask - to those who wear elastic waist band slacks/pants:<BR><BR>Is there a special kind you buy? I never buy them, b/c I feel like a blimp in them. All that gathering around the waist - front and back adds more "mass" to what is already there. ;-) I go for the flat front pants, which are more flattering,IMHO - unless maybe if one has a HUGE stomach????

Elsa, I'm pretty small, but also short (and short-waisted) so I also have to avoid pull-on trousers with lots of gathers round the waist. I buy pull-on trousers from Dorothy Perkins (in the UK - don't know if they're in the US) that are flat fronted and have a wide flat elastic waist that won't roll. They're also very inexpensive. These are the ones I get:<BR><BR>http://www.dorothyperkins.co.uk/cgi-bin/product.cgi?prodid=CG713<BR><BR>I'm sure there must be similar styles at other shops.

Thanks a lot, Me, for the suggestion. I will have to look for some wide band pull-ons, but first I have to try to open my mind regarding pull-ons ... and I'm having a VERY difficult time doing that. :-)

Flat-front vs. Pull-on: I too prefer flat-front, because I'm short and don't want extra material around waist & hips. <BR>I find that flat-front, non-elastic waisted pants are comfortable if they have an easy fit LOW-RISE cut (slightly below the waist) which is kind of trendy in the U.S. or in France. They don't bunch up around the waist and constrict, during long hours of sitting on trains/planes. A percentage of stretchable spandex/lycra in the fabric helps too, and keeps the pants from wrinkling.<BR><BR>If I do wear an elastic waist pant, I cut the pants lower and make a new casing slightly below the waist. I'm a professional seamstress, so that's no big deal to me. Otherwise, I'd find the pants waist reaching up to my midriff, or the crotch hanging down to my knees!<BR>