City break packing: looking good with minimal luggage and variable weather

[OMGitsnotgood]

I travel a lot so am generally pretty good at packing, as in can pack enough for the trip with minimal luggage. However, other people always seem so more well dressed than I do so thought I’d ask for input.

4 night break in March, arrive early so fullish first day.

European city, temperature avg for time of year is 12C but currently 15C with a month to go, so layers needed to cover range of weather. Will also take a waterproof.

Will be sightseeing and hopefully doing some walking, will probably travel in walking shoes and pack trainers.

I like to dress up a little in the evening but still fairly casual. Take a little makeup to glam up a bit.

We are only taking carry on, so one case 56 x 45 x 25 and a rucksack.

I don't mind a little handwashing , although it's not always easy to get things dry overnight so don't want to rely on that.too much. Will probably wash what I travel in to wear on the return as a minimum.

What would you pack in the above situation to look effortlessly ‘well put together’ ?

Thank you

When you say ‘walking’ do you mean hiking? Will you need proper outdoor gear alongside your clothes for exploring the city? I’ve personally never managed to make my walking boots look stylish in the city but I’ve never really felt that I need them outside of rural/muddy settings. My best shoes for a city break are actually a pair of good quality proper leather shoes (my current ones are either brogues or monkstraps from Cheaneys but I used to wear Clark’s all the time). I’ve always found them as (if not more) comfortable than trainers and they lend themselves much more easily to dressing up. They also stand up better to wet weather in my experience.

I’m currently away in an Italian city where the temperature has swung from around 5 to 20 over the course of the day. Layers are your friend! I’ve mostly been wearing a floaty jumpsuit (onjenu but via Vinted! Roll up easily and don’t require ironing) with a skinny thermal or camisole underneath, a cropped cashmere cardigan (again Vinted) then a shacket and scarf with leather trainers or a skinny thermal with a loose dress (one hundred stars…Vinted) plus the cardigan/shacket with brogues. Cross body leather bag with a nice canvas tote to pop layers in when too hot. I’ve also got a collection of big earrings and big sunglasses. If it was wet I’d swap the shacket for a trench coat/brolly. I also have a couple of dresses that I’ve changed into for evening meals (with the cardigan and monkstraps) but they’re not a necessity (I’m just pregnant and want to make the most of them while they still fit…). I flew in a black t-shirt dress and black jumper which I’ll probably wear on the way back.

Basically a tote bag and layers are my main tip!

Thank you @Salacia. Yes as per OP, layers are key for these trips.. I can pack for the trip ok, but am looking to up my game to look a bit smarter for sightseeing/evenings. I've picked up some good tips from your response thank you.

By 'walking' I do mean 6-10 mile walks in the surrounding area. Will just need my walking shoes rather than boots I think, unless it rains between now and then. Not very glam so won't be wearing them other than when walking and possibly will have to travelling in them f I can't get them in my bag. Hope I can!

We've just back from a little break like that. I wore white trainers day and night as they can be dressed up, wore one pair of jeans and one packed.
A top for each day and a top for each evening. I took a hoody and a light weight coat I'd wear in autumn and a brolly.

Had a great time and was perfectly dressed and appropriately all weekend

I had the same wishes when I visited Madrid recently. I followed this article to a tee and it worked perfectly!

www.whowhatwear.co.uk/city-break-outfits/slide2

I think if you’re aiming for smarter/more out together then it’s all about accessories and outerwear (certainly for me!). Then it doesn’t really matter if all you’ve got underneath is jeans and a t-shirt.

• Cross body leather bag or leather backpack rather than a more outdoorsy/casual one. Museum shops often have nice tote bags to use for layers and souvenir shopping
• Big scarf which can be used as an extra layer (pashmina size but with a bit more weight to it - in the summer I use a large thin cotton scarf for added sun protection).
• Interesting jewellery (or do what I do and use it as an excuse to buy something whilst there…) - as I said in my last post I like big earrings but whatever suits your style best.
• Silk scarf to tie in my hair if it’s got messed up by travelling/to add a bit of interest to an otherwise plain outfit.
• Sunglasses that suit your face shape.
• A coat that fits you nicely (if you’re looking at a trench or similar you may need to try a few, I find the proportions can be tricky) - I quite often take jackets to be altered, it doesn’t cost much but they always look better once tweaked.
• I don’t wear much make up but stick with a tinted moisturiser, minimal cream blush, highlighter and mascara. Tinted lip balm in my handbag. Don’t forget suncream!
• Clean trainers, polished shoes etc
• I usually time a haircut a few days before as it always makes me feel more confident.

Finally I like to still dress like me! A lot of the style blogs tell you what to wear if you want to fit in with French/Spanish/Italian style etc - I don’t really get this mindset, when I’m on holiday I want to look like me but on my best day (lots of colours and lots of vintage). I like to have got the right level of formality etc but I’m much more maximalist than the ‘classics’ suggested on a lot of the how to look French threads etc. If you feel like you’re playing dress up then I think you’ll feel uncomfortable and it’ll come across.

Also I’d love to be nosey and know where you’re going! Somewhere with scenic walks accessible from the city centre would really appeal to me!

General rules:

When I do city breaks, I generally avoid jeans. I find it easier to dress up/down if I'm wearing tailored trousers, so that's my top tip.

I tend to take a small bag with some nice jewellery (costume jewellery - to glam an outfit, not to show off any jewels! so a statement necklace or ear rings etc). Similarly, whatever make up options you like for a bit of glam - in my case, usually eye shadow and liner, in my sister's it would be red lipstick.

Shoes, for me, are always the hardest when packing light. But in winter I lean towards boots that can be worn for walking and/or at the very least on the plane. In the summer I just take some smarter/low heeled sandals.

One dress/skirt is always a good choice.

Then any tops/t-shirts etc all need to go with all the other items in your wardrobe. If it's winter, I'm probably wearing jumpers over the top but always have at least one smart tailored cardigan style that I can wear in the evening or to layer. If I KNOW I'm going to be going somewhere a little nicer, I've got a couple of no-iron lightweight jackets that are that little bit smarter but take up almost no space in my bag.

Thank you @Salacia, I think you've nailed what I am looking for. We're going to Sofia in Bulgaria, just to see somewhere a bit different.
Walking will be on Mount Vitosha, not sure how scenic it will be but DH wants to do it !

Thank you @GingerIsBest

I've got a couple of no-iron lightweight jackets that are that little bit smarter but take up almost no space in my bag.
Can you link to something like the jacket you describe? I always take a jacket, usually travel in it to save bag space but love the idea of the non- iron lightweight jacket you describe. No idea where to start looking however!

A jacket can lift an outfit in the way I am looking for, even if you've just a plain T shirt underneath. I always take a lightweight scarf too, for warmth on the plane / cool evenings but can also glam up an outfit

Im out of step but hate trainers. Footwear makes all the difference. I prefer comfy but elegant ankle boots which give a more polished look. The right ones can also be worn with dresses.

Both mine are old. One was from M&S and is my "summer" option as it's a sort of white/cream colour and I think I bought it at least 10 years ago! The other one is slightly more recent but also old - maybe 2 or 3 years. It's black from French Connection and very similar to this

Maybe something like this or this.

I guess synthetic or jersey fabric is what makes it lightweight and iron free?

I am not particularly stylish but have also been seriously considering investing in a few small scarves - liberty style ones that are like large handkerchiefs? They always feel like they'd work well to up an outfit at this time of year in an emergency. I saw some absolutely gorgeous silk ones at a market in Camden over Christmas.

Thank you so much for finding these links. I do have a jacket a bit like that, not sure how well it will travel but will try the crease test !

This is super helpful. Thank you for sharing!

Whether I'm away for a weekend or a week/fortnight I always try to plan what I wear so a top I've perhaps worn for a few evenings dinner (so a few hours at a time) I'll then wear a few days later as a day top.

For a fortnight away most of what I wear in the daytime second week is items I've worn for evenings the first week. Nit always in the same outfit form but I certainly try and mix and match to cut down on how much stuff I need to pack.