Packing for Paris Math: 4:23:30:43

I’ve got packing down to an art form. This isn’t a story about going minimal, how to travel with just a carry on. I’m headed to paris for 7 days, let’s be real, that’s not going to happen here. Why? Because I don’t want it to happen. This is Paris for fucks sake, I want to be dressed. At the same time, I don’t want my mind overly cluttered and I def don’t want to be the asshole squeezing multiple large bags in to my room. Here are some principles to follow, if you wish. And some outfit ideas, if you are interested.

Since founding Tibi, I’ve been to Paris over 70 times alone. I’ve logged my Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000 hours and can fully and rightly assert myself as an expert packer (if you haven’t read Gladwell’s Outliers, I recommend it, enlightening). There are a couple key principles I hold to when packing. Not rules, but principles. There’s a difference - one gives you guard rails and the other gives you anxiety.

Principle 1: Never pack for specific events but rather the general buckets of activities and the vibe you want. This is Paris, the vibe for me this week is Urban, Fashion Week Extra, and Functional. I have 7 days of working in our studio, visiting vintage/shopping/museums - i.e walking a lot, hotel breakfast writing chill, and some over the top events. 4 vibes in total.

Principle 2: Everything should be connected, in some way. Meaning you could quite literally get dressed in the dark if you needed to. Apply the concept of color - packing only shades within a range of the colorwheel - while all 4 rings are in the suitcase, I don’t go too deep in any one ring. And since this is Paris, ring 4 is just an accent. I’ve packed a palette heavy on ring 1&2 black/grey/navy/white, some ring 3 to soften, and a touch of ring 4 for energy. I packed a total of 30 pieces and from this was able to construct 23 outfits resulting in a 43 pounds suitcase weight - 7 shy of the limit.

Everything in the bag is connected to other items - you can see I didn’t show all the permutations, but the red indicates that there is a lot of cross pollination happening.

I’ll break it down further here showing the vibes and the elements:

To note when packing. The “chill” items matter, very much. The sculpted viscose grey top - it is everything you want in a “sweatshirt” but it’s hardly so. The rich fabric keeps it playing to the level of the luxury suiting. It’s high/low in attitude, but not disconnect. The slip dress lives in my bags because here it functions like a skirt. And the black lightweight sweat suiting is kept elevated, all with the higher neckline - the little details Traci obsesses on that are hard to see but always felt.

The black skirt here gets a ton of mileage in Paris. Not because it’s “black” but because it is in the sporty nylon and it is in a decidedly pushed modern style. That’s modern push coupled with just ease and wearability means this is going to be on me a ton. You see why, here, right?

The denim that functions for day and for the best evenings out is a holy grail item. The Earl jean here has all the impact without making me feel like an asshole wearing just to the brasserie. It’s good to have a blazer like the crinkled one hear that can also tie at the waist - when weather jumps from high 40s in the morning to sunny and 63 by day it’s good to have options. I think.

Airplanes, breakfast, shopping - all real events and when they can mix in with the items for dinner and work, all the better.

Have you ever heard of a “two-piecer”? It’s a term we use a lot, but the idea is it’s one that together effects a dress, but they’re separates which can be worn myriad ways. But looking at this, seeing all the ways I can tie up the skirt and wear it differently, it’s more like a “four-fer” and if that’s not a thing, it is now.

The accessories matter, they can change up an entire outfit. A lot. I always pack some personal tees with me - items I’ve picked up over the years or ones that matter to me deeply (the Judy tee upper right, hi mom!). The Lucas bag is my game saver when traveling because it packs flat and it’s my ipad carrier that goes with me everywhere when I walk the streets of Paris. You know the need right? Your purse is too small, your tote too big - this one is just right. A metal studded belt - this one has snaps - gives some “hardness” to the items I’ve brought, and the gold earrings are oversized and make a loud sound when you wear them. Emotionally not physically.

So go forth, travel lightly, but not ridiculously so. Life is short, very short, and it feels good to dress. My opinion, anyways.