I am not a light traveller. Packing everything into a carry-on for a two or three week trip is not my style. Heck, we put a suitcase in the hold for our four day trip to Las Vegas. That’s because I like to have options for both day and night, and plenty of clean clothes to avoid doing laundry. I also like to swap out my bags and shoes and feel that I look my best. And then there is also that bit of extra space in case I find something nice along the way. 

That said, our luggage is never overweight, and I do meticulously plan my outfit options for each day of a trip. I pay special attention to footwear because I’ll have a miserable time if my feet aren’t happy. Here are three simple footwear packing tricks for air travel that I’ve learnt over the years. 

Travel in your bulkiest pair of shoes

Wear tall boots, booties, wedge sneakers or the heaviest and most cumbersome pair of shoes you intend taking along on the trip to save space and weight in your suitcase. Granted, these shoes aren’t usually an easy “slip-on-and-off” style when checking through security, but the process only takes a few extra minutes of your time. You won’t hold anyone up if you move to the benches provided to put your shoes back on. I’ve found it totally worth the extra effort if it means I save space and weight in my suitcase. Plus, wearing bulky shoes with socks means foot coverage when you take your shoes off at the security check points. (I prefer not to walk barefoot at the airport). You can remove bulky shoes aboard the plane for extra comfort, and pop on another pair of cozy thick socks.

Pack multiple pairs of shoes for any length of trip

Shoes are bulky and heavy, which is why people prefer to pack as few pairs as possible. The point is not to pack the kitchen sink, but I do believe in bringing backup pairs for comfort reasons. Greg and I prefer to see a city on foot, and walk long distances when we’re on holiday. If a pair of shoes doesn’t work out as well as I hoped it would, I must have backup pairs so that I can continue enjoying our holiday with happy feet.

On the second night of our recent trip to Vegas I walked from the Bellagio to the Venetian in new gold heels, which killed my feet. I couldn’t wear the gold shoes again on that trip. Luckily I had dressy booties as a backup option that I could wear with wide leg black trousers for evening occasions. I also had comfortable flat Beatle booties to wear for long walks during the following days. It was so, so worth it to bring three pairs of shoes for a four day trip.  

Pack footwear in your carry-on

You can save weight and space in your checked luggage when you pack footwear, and other heavy items for that matter, in a carry-on. This is a little inconvenient, so I only do this when our checked luggage is near the weight limit.  

These footwear packing tips won’t work for everyone. For some people packing extra light is essential. Others are really uncomfortable wearing bulky shoes on a plane. How you pack and dress when travelling is as personal as your sense of style. The most important thing is that your packing strategies work for you.

Wearing colourful bottoms is one way to reinvent the skinnies tucked into tall boots uniform. Here I’ve taken skinnies in two of the most popular colours for Fall and Winter 2013, burgundy and cobalt, and combined them with easy and on trend neutral sweaters and tall boots. 

My clients are often drawn to the idea of cobalt and burgundy bottoms, but worry about how to create outfits with pants that aren’t neutral. I suggest three “go-to” neutrals to wear with cobalt and burgundy bottoms: black, grey, and white. The shade of grey and white is whichever works best with your complexion. Sometimes I also suggest ink blue and taupe, but black, grey and white are usually more accessible.

If you want to pair more adventurous colours with burgundy and cobalt bottoms, think shades of orange, pink and green. Or wear burgundy with cobalt. Why not?

Here are the components of the formula:

Bottoms: Choose burgundy or cobalt skinnies in corduroy, velveteen, or denim that are tuck-able into tall boots. 

Tops: If you prefer to wear neutral tops with coloured bottoms, stick to black, grey and shades of white. Otherwise try some of the other colour options I suggested earlier. Choose on trend sweaters in fluid or oversized silhouettes, in chunky, semi-chunky, or fine gauge knits. Because last week’s ensemble was about chunky knitwear, I’ve chosen fine gauge knits this time round. An oversized V-neck with zippers, an asymmetrical drape-y tunic, and a fluid turtleneck. I kept the sweaters solid as a peaceful complement to the more hectic bottoms, but by all means choose a pattern. If it’s too warm to wear wool, wear an upscale sweatshirt, cotton knitwear or a big tee. 

Tall Boots: Wear just about any style of tall or mid-calf black boot with these combinations. Black boots work particularly well with black tops and/or black hair. Tall grey or taupe boots are another option. Go casual, tailored, rugged or sporty. Cognac boots tend to work better with burgundy skinnies. 

Coat: Top the lot off with a cozy coat. Grey, white and black coats are easy options in wool, wool-blends, tweed and down. I’ve chosen a chartreuse coat because it works well with both burgundy and cobalt, and brightens up a gloomy grey Winter’s day. 

Accessories: A burgundy and black bag, like a satchel or tote, is a fun and versatile Winter colour combination. Black, grey and Winter white bags are other options. Finish off the outfit with jewellery, eyewear, watch, hat, scarves and gloves as desired. 

Hopefully you can shop your closet for at least part of this outfit formula. It’s amazing how many options present themselves when you start digging around.

Blue, green, pink and purple hair has become quite the fashion statement. Although fringe, it’s definitely gaining popularity, especially in the form of “easier to wear” streaks as opposed to a full-on mop of long rainbow locks. I don’t want to sport rainbow hair, but I like looking at it on others because I enjoy the creative expression. It’s fun, daring, modern, visually shocking in neon shades, and can become the focal point of a person’s style. 

I’ve pinned rainbow hair across a variety of styles and colours that have inspired me in some way. Take a peek: 

• Long and polished jewel-toned locks with a matching set of eyebrows and nail art.
• A colour blocked bob in shades of neon worn with neutrals.
• A modern mod crop with streaks of pink and purple. 
• Geek Chic Pastel Pink and Blue Punk with a whole lot of girly polish. 
• Subtle pink and blue streaks in platinum hair with dramatic eye make-up.  
• Pink waves to match pretty lips and a soft sweater. 
• Turquoise curls, a sailor’s hat, ruffled skirt, and dainty shoes. 
• A rugged mop of teal curls to match teal nails and shoes. 
• Neon green hair to complement a neon pink skirt. 
• Cropped blue mop worn with black and blue. 
• Blue fringe fabness. 
• Turquoise streaked fabness. 
• A magical red and purple crop. 

Maintaining the brilliance of rainbow hair is hard because the colour fades, and the dye can run onto your clothing and bed linen. Furthermore, wearing rainbow hair in conservative office environments and across certain professions is risky because it can be perceived as inappropriate and unprofessional. 

A few years ago, I was close to adding a bright blue streak to my short blonde hair. But I decided against it because it would make my style too maximal when wearing colours and patterns. And since I strive towards a minimal style, my already two- toned hair, light and dark blonde, is enough for me. 

Over to you. Do you like the look of rainbow hair? Would you consider dying your hair blue, green, pink or purple? If not, why not? If rainbow hair is not your thing, can you appreciate the look on others?

We usually spend Christmas at home, but this year we decided to do something completely different and we’re in Las Vegas. We’re staying at the Venetian, where Greg took these photos earlier today. 

We plan to dress up, catch a few shows and eat at some nice restaurants. The weather is mild, the sun is bright, and we’re having a wonderful time. 

We will publish fewer posts between now and New Year’s Day as we relax, restore and refresh in preparation for 2014. We at YLF wish you a happy holiday season.