Love reading about your travel capsule lessons. I must say you looked absolutely fabulous each and everyday and can see how much time and effort you out into planning and it laid off. I love your use of scarves and the knit jacket is something that I need to explore, sounds like it saved the day.

I put together a travel capsule a couple of years ago and it made me think of my wardrobe in such a different way. I realized I could really live quite well with what I had packed in that bag, I might get bored to death but it was efficient and stylish and I felt fab!

Suz these pictures are such a treat! I loved seeing you and your fam in all of the exotic locations. Your DD is growing up so fast. I love her haircut and fringy bangs. M's classic, professorial style is one of my very favorites; be sure to tell him I said so! I wish I could get my hubs to wear V-necked sweaters.

You , my dear take the cake however. I can't believe that you fit all of those clothes into a standard suitcase and still made weight! You came up with such varied outfits and only came away with a few unworn pieces. You look comfortable and stylish in every single outfit and made me realize a few things: You look so much better in the LLBean top than I did (sent mine back). You have a very flat tummy and it looks SO fab on you. I love how it looks fresh in every outfit, like a statement piece, but still a perfect background for a printed scarf or whatever it's paired with. Next, I love your jersey knit pencil skirts! They look stylish all the time, and while skirt silhouettes come and go, this one stands the test of time and the rigors of travel and always looks appropriate. I need some, and now I'm realizing all knit skirts aren't created equal. A dense heavy knit seems to really hold up well and look flattering. Lastly, the color thing really surprised me! I can't believe how much use you got from the bright jacket and the wonder scarf. Those are two items I would have left at home, thinking they wouldn't be versatile enough. How wrong I was! They completely changed the look of your neutral pieces and made them look like whole new outfits.

Have I mentioned how incredibly fabulous you look in your new neutral, taupe? *sigh* Oh, and I totally agree about packing more than 2 pairs of shoes. The relief that our feet get from the changes is SO worth it in my book. I sometimes take as many as four pairs on just a short trip. Okay, I really have to run, but I just had to comment on how great you looked on your trip. It's truly inspirational!

I just love all these lessons learned! I am especially nodding along with the shoe part - besides the style issue, the fact of the matter is that every shoe puts pressure on your feet in slightly different ways. More shoes = more distributed foot pain, lol. I wished I had brought more shoes to Italy. I also hear you loud and clear when you say you wanted more comfort overall!

Such a beautiful family! You looked amazing in each and every combination. My personal favorite might be #13 with those great pants, but it's hard to choose. You're really inspired me here - and I am going to start feeling less guilty about packing too many shoes next time I travel!

Suz, absolutely perfect photos! This makes me want to see China - particularly Shanghai - for myself. Especially love the family pics.

Thank you too for the smart travel packing tips, of course.

Thanks, all. I know that was a lot of words and pictures!

Claire, my sweater is actually the Land's End one. I don't know if it is as good quality as the LL Bean one. I ordered the petite in small, which is a bit shorter and boxier on me, but I like the fit somehow better. Of course I have worn it so much it is pilling some by now. I may order a replacement. Certainly the CPW is very low at this point and I could justify replacing.

The pencil skirts really did work well. One was a denim pencil. I found I reached for different items in different cities (due to weather and activities). I wore that one in Hangzhou.

Rae, you are so right about distributed pain!

And yes, PreppyPear - I will never feel guilty about lots of shoes again!

China is amazing and fascinating, Helen. And you should see the FOOD! I hope to post some pics of that in the off-topic section!

That striped tee really got a work out! I'm taking notes.... I love how you added pops of color here and there to an otherwise neutral pallette, including the red bag!! And I totally agree about the footwear.

The unworn button downs-- doesn't surprise me, as I've also learned that when I travel I wind up craving comfort. Because when I travel I often swell and retain water, so no overly structured items or waistbands.

As for PJ's I always bring a nightgown since I run hot, also can double as a slip. And slippers? Moira, people pack slippers?? I've never done that, but I do pack hospital socks, the disposable type with grippies. I hate walking around on hotel floors in bare feet. I also swap into these on the plane. Then when I get home, I throw them out since I am just all grossed out by them by then...

You look fantastic and the photos are wonderful. Thank you for sharing them with us.

Oh, wow, so great to see photos of your trip and of your DH and DD! You guys are such a sweet family. China looks fascinating and I'm drooling over your food.

It looks like you packed an excellent travel capsule and I bet a lot of us will be taking notes and following suit (I will when we go to Europe in May, that's for sure). Things that stand out to me:

The versatility of your red bag and fuschia jacket--solid but colorful items that add a ton of punch and seem to play well with everything
Striped shirts never get boring
A couple of well-chosen scarves can make all the difference (your two are so different from each other but work with tons of outfits that would be much less fun without them)

Suz; you look great! I have the same pink jacket as you; and I'm glad that the H&M "impulse" knit blazer worked so well for your trip!

I'm glad you had a good time - the air doesn't look too polluted while you were there

It's interesting that in HK I could freely post to YLF forums, but in the mainland you couldn't.

lyn, it's probably the Great Firewall -- YLF's forum is probably powered by a service provider whose IP either is explicitly blocked (or collides with a service that is blocked). cough Google cough.

Suz, your photos are making me sooooo homesick for Beijing. I saw the Summer Palace, 798, the Drum Tower ... what a lovely experience for your entire family. Sartorially, I love how many looks you pulled together out of one suitcase. And fuschia! What a lovely accent color to your outfits.

Thank you again, everybody. You are all so sweet. Waving to my jacket twin, Lyn!!

And Shiny, just so you don't worry about my cleanliness, we did laundry twice...and I had TWO striped tops with me in the bag! One was a sweater and one a short sleeved fitted top.

Actually, I COULD post to the forum while in China. I couldn't add a comment (or read comments) on Angie's blog. It was a mystery to me!

Your pictures are so beautiful Suz - thank you so much for sharing them with us!

You obviously did incredibly well with your travel capsule and I will be marking this thread for wisdom should I be doing any traveling. Fantastic job pretty lady!

This is a great travel capsule! I am not surprised at the button downs. I never pack them for casual travel because I can't take the stiffness.

You are the bretton top queen for sure and how clever it was to pack that pink blazer, it goes with everything! There is great inspiration here. And ok, I will consider one more pair of shoes for my upcoming trip!

Thank you for sharing the family photos, your daughter seems to have such a gentle nature to her, so adorable!

Maybe I missed it, Suz, but did you pack all this in a carry on, say it isn't so!

Laughing, Carole! NOT a carry on, but one checked bag only!

Zap, my daughter has both a gentle side and a fierce side. She is fiercely emotional with big highs and lows. A real artist type! She writes and draws. And takes photos. Having had the dubious honour of doing my WIW pics for a while, it was interesting to see her wield her camera on the trip. She has a very unique perspective which shows in what she chose to photograph.

I think YLF's commenting system and its content are served off different IPs, one of which is blocked in the PRC. Access to "western" sites hosting user-generated content (such as blogs, comments, photos, and videos) can be ... unreliable.

Whenever I travel to the PRC, I try to expect that none of my usual websites work properly. This helps me cultivate an attitude of pleasant surprise when a site I love does come through.

( sorry to hijack -- I spent a year working as a software developer in the PRC. Let's go back to talking about clothes, not my horror stories!

OH; yeah, I couldn't post to the comments on the blog either! I thought it was just me! I guess HK and PRC aren't too different

Suz, I have been insanely busy and little time to comment, but I had to tell you I enjoyed this read so much (as I enjoy all your thoughtful posts) and I think you look fantabulous. I love how you outline your thoughts so clearly and in order. Are you a writer or something?

Thanks for sharing! I still have problems in this area!

Suz, I had a dream last night that you turned this post into an actual children's picture book with beautiful photos of you and your family! So fun!

Ha!! Imagine. Well...stranger things have happened!

i love your skirts.

Your travel photos look fantastic and you have such a beautiful family with all of you sporting such gorgeous smiles!

What a fascinating read here, Suz, and I'm saving this link as a favorite. I love the way you described why some of these items did and did not work on your trip and your examination of them was really helpful, even though we may not be traveling to the same places at the same time.

How wonderful to have an impulse buy take center stage and then guide you to wanting a higher quality version of it. You are always an inspiration to me, Suz, and you look stylish and comfortable at the same time, which is a great combination when traveling abroad.

The Pearl of the Orient! Great pics!

I say, your red Ecco shoes look like they were very handy on your trip. Would you recommend them for heavy walking?

p.s. I LOVE those cute red shoes. Are they the same ones that rachylou mentions above?

Yup - same shoes - Ecco Jump Mary Janes. They were great travel shoes - they have an athletic insole.

Suz, I am late to this thread. Thank you so much for this comment! It is extremely helpful to read what worked, what didn't.

AND thank you for sharing these dear dear pictures, very heart warming. I notice that in almost every photo with your daughter she leans towards you lovingly. How precious! You remained amazingly stylish throughout your trip. I understand why you love your fushia jacket, it has everything a petite, active traveller would want: cropped, fitted, soft, cheering. Instant style with that.

May I ask what 5 pieces of footwear you brought? (Sorry if I have you repeat from a previous post I might have missed...).

Suz, am very late to this party but had to say 'thanks for sharing your holiday with us' and tell you how much I loved this post both for its visuals and its analysis.

I think Gaylene may have a point about how many of us pack many of the same things. I know I like to take 3 pairs of shoes even if I'm going on a short weekend trip, and have taken as many as 5 for 3/4 days. I tend to bring a Breton-type striped top if there is one in my wardrobe just then, be it summer or winter. I've been missing a wrap or waterfall cardi for a good while, and know it would be a workhorse. And discovering a soft structured jacket in a bit of a non-neutral colour made life so much easier and me more presentable on a trip to China last year at about this same time (okay, mine's a lightly quilted burgundy floral, so not as suitcase-friendly as your knit jacket, but I'm so glad I took it along anyway). And even though I'm more a pants-over-skirts girl most of the time, I so hear you on wanting comfy, soft clothes on holiday, even for more formal pieces, without restrictive waistbands and stiff textures. As a bonus, knits don't wrinkle as much as wovens either (bar the no-iron fabrications).

Also, looking at your photos, I see what else I'm missing in a big way for my travel capsule. The BIG red bag! It's structured but softly, a bold colour and looks roomy. Most important, it adds great character and presence to otherwise neutral outfits. I've long suspected I could use something like that, but now I *know* so, thanks to you. This may just be promoted to be top of the post-baby budget! Followed by your red Ecco shoes and striped top and knit jacket, they might be my favourite item from your packing list.

Thanks again, and though it's just repetition by now, may I compliment you again on how wonderful you look? So very chic and appropriate and *comfortable* in each outfit. And yes, it looks effortless. Am all admiration!