Travel capsule for Germany - YouLookFab Forum

I am going to Germany in early June for work and started putting together a travel capsule. I know it's only April but since I need to pack light I figured it is never too early to start planning. I am planning to travel by train and stay in 5 different cities so I would like to fit everything into a medium-size duffel bag and maybe a backpack or a tote.

The temperature averages are 72 high, 55 low. It might rain. 3 days are for a conference, with attendee wear ranging from smart casual to full suits (but the conference changes locations, and I have never been to one in Europe, only in North America, so I don't know whether the overall vibe may be different). There will also be a couple of days for work-related visits. I also need about 5 days worth of casual wear for sightseeing and possibly hiking (I am debating whether to bring hiking boots and will definitely bring a pair of lightweight hiking pants).

This is what I have so far.

Two pairs of shoes: Caspian sneakers and DV Giya flats.

Outerwear: silver raincoat and red rain jacket.

Toppers: Gap knit quilted moto, T by Alexander Wang black knit jacket, maybe white blazer.

Bottoms: Gap real straight jeans, Gap skinny khakis in grey, Gap real skinny black pants, Sloan houndstooth pants, VC tube skirt. I could replace some of the pants with more tube skirts since I have several of them.

Tops are all lightweight and packable - I cannot re-wear tops, especially in the summer, so need to bring one per day.

#1-7 are casual/sightseeing days. #8-11 are more dressy/conference days (undecided between white or black topper in 9-10). Black dress in 13-15 is the JJill dress that was recommended by Debora http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....avel-dress . Not sure whether to bring #16.

The Sloans need to be exchanged for a different length - for now I just folded them up.

Any advice/comments would be appreciated!

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10 years ago

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Well, this looks like terrific planning to me. And you look good in all the outfits. Are there mix and match possibilities here? Perhaps not if you will not be washing tops -- you won't really be able to mix and match in that case.

The pattern and colours of that first shirt are especially great on you.

Do you think you will be warm enough for the low temps? I guess it won't be that cool except at night, so you are probably fine -- I'm probably reacting to the fact that it is still quite chilly where I am. Let's hope it is less that way two months from now!

And good for you for getting the planning underway.

Makrame

Thanks, Suz! I think most of the tops and bottoms mix and match pretty well (except for the skirt, perhaps) - that was part of the reason I picked a lot of navy/blue/green/black for the capsule. I probably won't have much of a chance to mix them up since I will not be re-wearing tops.

The blue knit moto is easy to layer under the rain jacket so that's my plan for colder weather. I could bring another topper but not sure what it should be - I doubt that I need anything really warm, like a leather jacket. I think my options for an extra topper are a white denim jacket, an olive linen bomber, or a tweed moto jacket; will need to try these with the rest of the capsule.

I think your choices look really great. I'd probably add a pair of shoes, but I'm unusual that way -- I always take MORE footwear rather than less! I tend to walk at least 7 miles a day on trips, so changing shoes out is more helpful to me than trying to find one "perfect" pair.

rachylou

I love your silver raincoat. What's the brand/where did you get it?

If you're traveling by train, I'd travel lighter. Do you have to carry a laptop? I love your white jacket outfit, but I think one darker jacket might be easier. #9/10, #13/14/15, and #16 are my pics in the latter half. On the casual side, I like #2, the scarf and top in #3 (jeans are heavy), and #5. I'd throw in a sweater also.

I must say, your stuff is cute! I hearted it because it's so cute

Thanks a lot, Rachylou! The silver raincoat is from Eddie Bauer from 3 years ago (it's called Weatheredge Nisqually trench) - I bought it for a trip to Italy in the fall, and it was a lifesaver (both for rainy days and also as an extra layer for windy days).

I am hoping not to have to bring a laptop. I just got an iPad mini and am going to see how well it works for presentations - I might just use that in place of a laptop. I agree that denim is heavy so I am trying to stick to just one pair of jeans, which might be useful if the weather is cold.

carter

These are all really cute. Please take the dress in #16. It's gorgeous on you! I'll be in Europe in June as well, so I really enjoyed seeing your capsule. I've definitely started thinking about mine as well. What about dinners out during the vacation part of the trip? Will you wear one of the outfits from the business part? I'm thinking we'll probably "dress" for dinner/theater maybe 3 nights in each city (6 times total), so I'm taking a couple mix and match options for that. I agree with Suz that another pair of sightseeing shoes would be well worth the extra space and weight in the bag, particularly if your tennies don't have much support. Crazy love for those black flats!

tricia w.

Active Member

#16 is my favorite look on you...definately bring it!

Thanks, Carter! I am mostly counting on the black dress and the blue dress as the "dinner out" outfits. I am not sure I will have a lot of non-casual dinners out - maybe some during the conference.

I plan to bring three outfits for the conference itself + the two dresses for the evenings during the conference and I can use the same dresses for daywear later in the trip. The rest of the time I might be eating at the casual restaurants at the B and B's where I am staying.

I found Germany to be very hot on my trip there (I was there last June), so hot that I couldn't bear to wear my jeans & ended up shopping at H&M for some short skirts to wear with my tops. All the locals there were sporting sheer long skirts or maxi dresses, I also saw a lot of short-shorts.

I think your capsule is great and the conference wear is very smart! I would only advice a re-think on the jeans because of the heat. I am quite intolerant of heat.

Debora

Your capsule looks great to me. We lived in Germany for four years. It's been awhile, but I remember that there can still be some cool days in early June. Perhaps some of the gals who live there now will chime in. I think you'll be covered with the raincoat and a topper to wear underneath for cooler and/or rainy days. Suz's suggestion for an extra pair of shoes is a good one if you have the room. I love the blue dress in #16 - definitely bring! It will give you another evening option and it looks amazing on you. The tube skirt is also another great option for day to evening wear.

I recently put the little black travel dress to the test and found it to be versatile. I wore it with flats and a scarf during the day for shopping/sightseeing. That evening, when the temperature cooled, I wore it to dinner with tights and booties and added my denim jacket. I also wore it on the train returning home and found it to be more comfortable than jeans for the 6 hour train ride.

I think you are off to a great start! Keep us posted on your capsule and can't wait to hear all about your trip.

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