12 Garments Turn Suitcase Into Fashion Bag of Tricks

Like Felix and his bag of magic tricks, D.N. Evans can pull enough outfits out of a small carry-on suitcase to take her around the world in style.

It’s a system the Laguna Beach-based fashion designer has been perfecting for years, one refined during the course of her and her husband/partner Michael’s many global wanderings.

Her bag contains just 12 garments, but all of them mix and match in endless combinations so she can go weeks and never wear the same ensemble.

For many travelers, packing for a vacation means trying to squeeze the entire contents of their closet into a suitcase that ends up weighing 300 pounds.

“Women in particular have a tendency to bring their entire wardrobe with them,” Evans says. “They have a real need to condense. Nobody wants to be bogged down with things.”

Evans’ “basic survival wardrobe” is proof that one can live out of just one carry-on bag.

The wardrobe consists of separates built on a color scheme such as black, white and red. Each garment is made from a washable fabric (usually a silky polyester blend) that won’t wrinkle, even when bunched in a ball at the bottom of a suitcase.

A typical survival collection includes 12 easy pieces, such as: a black tank top; roomy black Italian pants or split skirt; a red Eisenhower jacket; a straight red skirt; a reversible cardigan with black and white checks and black piping on one side and solid black fabric on the other; black-and-white checked pleated pants; a red Chanel blouse with long sleeves and a jewel neckline; a ribbed cotton knit T-top in black with red piping; and a black pocket T-shirt.

“They’re three outfits that make into 12,” she says.

For example, the tank can be worn with the Italian pants and shawl for evening or the checked pants and cardigan for a casual day outing. The red blouse can go with the red skirt or the checked pants, and on and on.

“It works without being repetitious,” Evans says.

She also manages to squeeze in a reversible all-weather coat with a nylon lining that offers protection from the rain. The coat folds into a small bundle.

“You could probably make a lifeboat out of it,” Michael jokes.

For function as well as fashion, she packs a beret that keeps her head warm and a shawl that can be used as a beach cover-up, a blanket on the plane, a head covering, an accent piece, a strapless top or sarong skirt.

The wardrobe comes in 12 different color schemes and starts at $3,000.

“This will take you three months around the world in every single climate,” Evans says. “Just add a wonderful bathing suit, a pair of flat shoes, some lightweight boots and lovely heels.”

Her survival wardrobe for men contains just six pieces--two pairs of pants, two T-shirts, a two-pocket shirt and a safari jacket. The safari jacket is both handy and handsome, with a variety of pockets and hidden pouches for carrying airplane tickets and a wallet.

“It really bothers us when we see people wearing jogging outfits in the airport,” Michael says. “So we try to offer choices.”

Those who can’t afford a new survival wardrobe can assemble their own using clothes they already own.

“Travel clothes are no different from regular clothes,” says Doris Fuqua, coordinator of Fullerton College’s fashion design program, who has led students on numerous trips across the country and abroad. She offers this advice for all travelers:

“Pick out all of the clothes you’ll take on the trip, lay them on the bed, and then put half of them back in your closet.

“Most of my students come overprepared,” she says. Despite her warnings, one young woman insisted on carting her hot rollers, curling iron and blow-dryer to Europe.

“She was sorry she did it,” Fuqua says.

For a trip of three weeks, she suggests packing five days’ worth of clothes--five tops and five bottoms to mix and match. A simple skirt can go from day to night by switching from a T-shirt to a sheer blouse that takes less room in a suitcase than a bulky dress, Fuqua says.

“Pick clothes made of polyester--it doesn’t wrinkle and it’s easy to wash out.”

When visiting a humid climate, bring cotton clothes that can breathe.

“I pick things that already come wrinkled,” Fuqua says. The washable silks now in style make ideal travel companions.

Instead of dragging around a heavy coat, choose a lightweight nylon one, then wear layered clothing underneath. In Germany, Fuqua found a raincoat made of nylon that folded up into a 4-by-4-inch package she could carry in her purse.

“It won’t get you through a monsoon, but it’s invaluable.”

Many travelers get bogged down in all of the beauty aids they consider necessary to existence.

“My students take the whole bathroom with them,” Fuqua says. “Maybe in the wilds of New Guinea they’ll need that big can of hair spray, but in New York City you can go out and buy one.”

She suggests buying travel-size shampoos, toothpastes and other toiletries, and leaving cumbersome curling irons and blow-dryers at home. They don’t work without plug adapters and a converter to adjust to the different electrical currents in Europe anyway.

“I’ve seen a curling iron melt,” Fuqua says. “If you must have one, buy a cheap one when you get there.”

Better yet, she says, get a perm so you don’t have to fuss with your hair.

“It doesn’t matter how you look, unless you’re calling on the queen of England,” Fuqua says.

If you can’t stuff everything in a carry-on, make sure you have the bare necessities to get you through a few days in case your big luggage gets delayed.

When packing, put heavy items on the bottom of the suitcase, suggests Fuqua, otherwise the bags tip over too easily. Wrap pants and skirts around layers of clothing so they don’t fold over on themselves and leave creases.

Carrying expensive luggage makes one a target for thieves, according to Evans. She favors casual nylon totes over expensive needlepoint luggage.

“The pros know which luggage costs a lot of money,” she says. “It’s best to be invisible in an airport. Then you’re not a target.”

For the same reason, avoid wearing fine jewelry or fancy clothes.

When you travel, don’t look like a tourist.

“Leave the loud Hawaiian shirts at home,” Fuqua says, “unless you’re going to Hawaii.”