Preparing to spend a week in NYC at the end of March. Not yet sure what the weather will be like, so plans will have to remain a bit vague until I can see a bit more of a forecast.

In the meantime, I am assuming daytime temps might be in the low to mid double digits Celsius (maybe up to 59F?).

The total trip will be eight days -- two travel days and six in NYC. I hope to shop - and maybe even buy, so I am not sure if we will be able to get ourselves to the point of carry-on only -- although it would be lovely...

Our activities will be mostly on the casual side. We do have one Broadway show on the agenda. And a supper show that might warrant smart casual.

COLOUR PALETTE
The temptation for me with this kind of travel is to default to black for its utter ease -- hides any little spills, goes with itself in endless combinations, easy enough to make it pass for dressy...

BUT, I'd still like to have some colour. The question will be how to do that without adding a lot of extra "stuff".

SHOES
Hoping to limit to two:

• one pair of very practical walking shoes -- probably white Saucony sneakers AND
• Black Blundstone boots OR
• White or bronze Ecco Soft 7 sneakers

BOTTOMS
I'm thinking three bottoms max. Top contenders:

• Simple black poly joggers that could pass as both dressy or casual. Lighter weight for warmer days. No wrinkling, small footprint in the suitcase. (UPDATE: Removing these from the list -- a try on made me realize I wasn't happy with the shape and I still had the opportunity to return them -- so I did.)
• Plaid wide leg ponte knit pull on pants. The plaid includes shades of grey, black and brown. The black in the plaid also passes for navy (maybe because the grey is quite blue). Anyway, comfortable, easy to wear, no wrinkling. They look like trousers so read on the dressy side but feel pretty much like high waisted pajamas (stealth gear?). More conducive to wearing with colour (orange, yellow, brown all look great with them) but still works with black.
• The charcoal grey "cool girl" sweatpants because, well, they just make me feel cool. Very chill. Work with black tops or toppers...
• The tan Zara parachute pants might also be an option -- although lower on the list as they are less forgiving of spills and perhaps less versatile for this type of capsule.
• If I had a pair of blue jeans I really loved, they would probably make the list. Might try to shop for jeans while I am there but my weight is up a bit which might make that a frustrating exercise.
• ADDED: I might also consider a pair of fleece-lined Mondetta tights. Nice and warm if needed. And they have pockets.

TOPPERS/OUTERWEAR
Will depend somewhat on the weather forecast closer to departure, but here are some options I'm considering:

• 1 menswear blazer. Top contender is a cool brown that matches the remaining brown in my hair. It is light weight, so good as a possible daytime topper on its own or possibly layered under something else for evenings. Can help to "dress up" a more casual look, which may be helpful given that I won't really have a dressy footwear option.
• Somewhat patina-ed black faux leather bomber. Thrifted a while ago.Bombers seem to be on trend right now, but still have to sort out if this will be the most practical and versatile option.
• Weird black water repellent trench coat (recently thrifted). Could work over a blazer for evening.
• Lightweight quilted black puffer -- knee length. Eminently practical for all kinds of weather. Have to see if the blazer will fit underneath.
• Cropped black lightweight puffer. Always feels cool - and the length works well for me with wide leg pants.. Could layer under or over something else. Easy to carry and pack, though not as packable as some.

There might yet be other contenders as I see what the weather looks like and as I made decisions about bottoms and tops.

TOPS
Hope to keep it simple to allow for easy layering. Not sure how many yet. Contenders include:

• Black merino turtleneck
• Black boat neck sweater in light knit
• Marled grey knit top (sweatshirt cut but very lightweight)
• Bright yellow pullover sweater
• Black ss t-shirt (if days are warm)
• White ls tee
• Maybe a denim shirt

I'd love to take a scarf but might try to just use my sweaters as scarves to cut down on how much I carry and allow for the possibility of finding something awesome while I am there.

Accessories will be minimal -- might take a very cheap string of faux pearls I thrifted last weekend. Easy to throw in and no risk if lost. I'll be looking for a pair of "cool" earrings while I'm there.

I've added what finds I have and will try to add photos to this or another post as things shape up.

Thanks for following along if you made it this far. And thanks to all who have posted their well curated travels capsules recently -- it has been most inspiring!

Thoughts on what sound to you like the most practical/versatile combos are more than welcome.

ETA closeup photo of the pattern and colour in the plaid pants.