HOW TO CARRY-ON

2017 Fashion Trends , 2017-2018 Fashion Week , 2018 Collection , 2018 Trends   

Winter Feast Dark Mofo 2017

These days with budget airlines offering cheap fares to nearby cities for the cost of weekly transport to work, there has never been a better time to jump on a plane and explore. Yearly I make the sabbatical trip south to Hobart for the Dark Mofo festival. Dark Mofo is an annual festival curated by MONA and celebrates the darkness of the winter solstice with 2 weeks of non stop performance art, parties and showcases all of Tasmania's great produce. So how does one pack for a 3 day weekend away to "the island". Making most of the affordable airfares and only packing one bag is quite the task, especially when you need numerous outfits and costumes for parties. There has never been a more affordable time as ever to start travelling with only carry-on. How do you make the most of your carry on? Everything you will see I am wearing as carried in carry on luggage.

Choose your bag wisely

Firstly, packing well starts with choosing the right bag. It is so important. A well designed bag with pockets, zips and compartments will make packing a breeze. Select the right shape and size bag, in line with your airlines code for carry on. That is a given. Other important factors to consider is the weight of the bag, before it has items inside! It is wonderful to have a beautiful crafted bag with lots of embellishments, but this automatically makes your bag heavier. Make sure the bag is comfortable to carry, either by its handles or by shoulder strap. This bag will be attached to you for your trip. Personally I like to travel with some sort of style and grace. As much as a back pack has the benefits of keeping your arms free, there is nothing stylish about looking like someone on a tour group.

For this trip I have selected my trusty Ted Baker duffle bag. It fits the airlines codes and is lightweight, stylish and can hold up to a weeks worth of clothes.

Plan your outfits

This is the main step. Planning your ensembles accordingly to the activities that you will be attending. For instance for my trip to Hobart I required two outfits per day, plus two costumes (2x3+2= 8 outfits required) One mandatory item I required was a coat to brave the elements. Even though the city provides plenty of fire outdoors to keep you warm, you still need a coat. Obviously multi purpose items are great as they are easily combined. For instance I packed a reversible cloak coat from Jack London, two outfits one item of clothing. Choosing light weight fabrics that will dry quickly if you need to wash and rewear are a bonus!

When you have planned your outfits, you need to catagorise what you have (shirts, sweaters, jewellery) and see if the items can be mixed and matched with each other providing you with more combinations. If you wear lots of black this should be relatively easy. The next key step is CULL. Unless you are taking a certain necklace or shirt for a reason it does not belong in your suitcase. If it is a statement piece you require, I fully understand but you will need to play sacrifice. People tend to over pack and take too much with them and do not wear half of it. Take only what you need. If you are taking an item "just in case", don't even consider it.

Coat: @jacklondon_official
Shirt: @briggins_clothiers
Vest: @connor_clothing
Jeans: @jeanswest
Shoes: @hm_man
Bag: @Gucci

Now of the outfits you have planned, you need to select what I call "your plane outfit" This is the outfit that has the most weight. Heaviest coat, heaviest shoes, denim and any of your bulkiest items. Of course you do not want to be a marshmallow sitting in your seat, but this is a very strategic way of boarding the plane with more goods. Especially if your flying into a colder climate, such as Tasmania. Getting more bang for your buck so to speak!

Sunglasses: @dangerfieldclothing

Coat: @oxfordshop
Sweater: @ted_baker
Shirt: @hm_man
Pants: @connor_clothing
Shoes: @moschino

Accessories

Personally I do not travel with huge amounts of accessories or over pack. If I am flying to a warmer climate all I need is 5 swimsuits and a few singlets and shorts. I try to keep my shoe addiction to a minimum when packing, one pair on my feet and one in the bag. Truth be know in Tasmania you are not going to be wanting sandals at an event celebrating the winter solstice! Boots on the plane and the trusty Moschino loafers for walking around perhaps? Jewellery, scarves, gloves and watches I tend to wear on the plane or have stuffed inside my coat at check in. This is smarter way of boarding and saves on smaller items taking up room inside your carry on.

Transliminal Dark Mofo RBMA 2017

Suit & harness: @slickitup

Personally I am not a fan of travelling with huge amounts of electrical products. For a quick getaway I can normally get away with just my smart phone. I try not to bring big cameras, tablets etc. Although the one item I always bring is my trusty smart phone tripod to take pictures. It takes up relatively no room and weighs nothing!

How do I pack the bag?

Every little bit of space is prime real estate inside your bag. Place shoes and other flat items at the base of your bag. Socks, underwear etc roll up nicely to stuff inside your shoes. Roll all clothing tightly, this also cuts down on ironing at your destination. Do not fold. Any fragile items should be placed lastly or if they are smaller, stuffed inside another item. For this trip I had to travel with a bunny mask I had as part of my costume. This I literally carried onto the plane in a paper bag.

Coat: @oxfordshop

Sweater: no name
Pants: @connor_clothing
Shoes: @hm_man
Bag: @gucci
Sunglasses: no name

Benefits

Other benefits to only selecting carry on includes saving time at the airport, no check ins required, head straight to the gate with your ticket, disembark the plane and head straight to your destination. You should not be stressed when going away and this is a simpler way of traveling and you need not worry that the airline has lost your baggage. It is a freeing experience to realise how much you actually don't need and you can experience the world without being burdened by "stuff" as Andrea would say. Looking forward to visiting Hobart very soon. It is a enchanting city that I wins a piece of my heart each time I travel there. In saying that I do look forward to coming home and going into my closet and saying hello to all the things that did not get to come with me.