Are You Packing Creatively AND Pragmatically?

How do you pack for a locale where you’ll experience fluctuating weather conditions, dressing for myriad events where you need to feel interesting and sharp, but fully modern at the same time? Oh, you have limited luggage space - for no other reason that you don’t want to be the one dragging three large bags into reception. For some, the default is panicked overpacking with some rhyme and little reason, for others it’s settling on a shrunken capsule - a uniform assortment that just fits in your suitcase but not without sacrificing feeling clever. For a Creative Pragmatist, packing is a craft that can be easily mastered - if you are looking at your clothes through the right lens.

At the Tibi atelier, we’re in a constant state of packing - for everything from photoshoots to styling events across the globe. This week’s agenda is Paris Fashion Week. Before Amy travels, she takes to her Instagram Stories to share an inside look into her clever packing strategy. These Stories have become part of her own ritual - an exercise that helps her envision how she will be feeling once she is at her destination, while also allowing her to validate her logic through countless DM conversations. While we’re not all conducting a live style class prior to travelling (can you imagine???) the simple act of taking photographs in the closet of yourself while packing is an immensely helpful part of the process. It lets you feel and imagine where you’ll be going and importantly will serve as a visual reference when you land in a jet lagged fog and can hardly remember how to tie your shoes. In this Insider Report, we are going to unpack Amy’s suitcase for Paris and conduct a forensic analysis on just how hard these pieces will work.

The above flowchart contains the contents of Amy’s suitcase for her entire week-long trip. You will find that there are quite a few overlaps in terms of outfit composition - but you won’t find a look that feels basic. Let’s break down these looks and their respective components starting with the beginning of the day - breakfast at the hotel.

Getting dressed for “hotel breakfast” is nuanced - you’re not ready to be fully dressed for the day, but you’re not in your pajamas either. The key word here is ease without looking like you’re headed to the treadmill in leggings and a sports bra. Whether you’re in the 8th or the 11th arrondissement, that’s a hard pass. It’s the cozy sweater that you tied around your shoulders on the plane and the sweat pant that is chill enough for the couch but refined enough for a kitten heel at dinner that does the trick. The nylon cargo gives you the option to leave them as a wide leg pant or cinch the drawstrings to keep them off of the floor - refined, never fussy. These are pieces that give options throughout your trip. Swapping out the sweater for a blazer, or the Borg Sock ballet flat for the Seth Sneaker or a higher heel will radically alter the tone to match wherever the week take you.

1. Breakfast at the hotel

   1. Not quite dressed for the day but not in pajamas either. Somewhere in the middle.

2. Unpacking and setting up the studio

   1. A hands-on work day, layering for cold hotel room AC and breaking a sweat unpacking garment bags.

   2. Errands will be run -

3. Market appointments - an all day affair, comfort is key. Doubling down on pieces that feel sharp, smart, and interesting.

4. Dinner - swapping out a skirt or a shoe after a long day of appointments, leaning into PDW.