Don’t Pack It In: Travel Smart and Look Smart

One of the biggest boosts to a successful business trip or a dazzling vacation is knowing which clothes to pack. While knits are a boon, planning is the key. You want the fewest pieces to go the furthest.

Patty Fox, a Los Angeles fashion consultant, suggests rolling a portable clothes rack into your bedroom and hanging out all of the possibilities to ponder over for a few days before leaving. New York fashion stylist Avis Cardella suggests putting all of the possibilities on the bed and moving the pieces around until you get some idea of which will mix and match for the most mileage.

If a portable rack is out of the question, at least do some precise thinking about where you’re going and what you’ll be doing. Make a list, make a chart--anything that will help you visualize a core wardrobe that is versatile, easy to care for and lightweight.

“When in doubt, leave it out,” says Fox, who also is a spokeswoman for the Luggage & Leather Goods Manufacturers of America.

“You want to feel good in what you’re wearing,” says Marie St. John Gray, head designer and partner with her husband, Robert, in St. John Knits, the Irvine-based company that has specialized in knitted fashions for 30 years. “For the business woman, you want to look as good as the guy in a tailored suit, and you don’t want to be fussing with your clothes.”

Many business women wear knit separates on the plane so they can proceed directly to meetings.

The biggest mistake women make, experts say, is thinking they won’t have enough clothes for all of the eventualities on a trip. Thinking you need an outfit for each event is deadly. Instead, think separates.

“Remember,” Fox says, “you want to control your wardrobe. Don’t allow your clothes to control you. You know your image, where you’re going and what your needs are.”

To that end, think of these six Cs when packing:

* Capsule Wardrobe. These are the separate pieces that mix into all kinds of possibilities. Casual Corner stores help customers with a five-four program--five tops, four bottoms that combine into multiple outfits. This concept can be reduced and adapted to travel. You could get by with two tops: a blazer and a sweater. A navy blazer, for instance, works with a matching knit top and skirt for a dress look, tops a pair of jeans or shirt for play and matches a navy skirt for a suit look.

For travel, St. John Gray relies on seven or eight pieces, total: a jacket, short skirt, tunic top, trousers (all black or navy), a couple of blouses, a coat sweater and a long coat.

* Color Coordinate. Choose one basic color scheme--black, navy or a medium-toned neutral--and add accent colors in blouses, accessories, the long sweater. Choosing one basic color group automatically cuts down the number of clothes you take.

* Convertibles. These are vital. A raincoat in nylon (nothing too shiny) can work rain or shine; a lightweight style can be rolled up in your luggage or carried on your arm. A tunic top works with pleated or straight skirts. A trapeze-style coat or sweater coat can be worn buttoned as a dress or open as a coat. A strapless knit mini dress can be rolled down over the waist and worn as a skirt. A long narrow knit skirt that buttons on the side can be buttoned and conservative by day, unbuttoned and sexy by night. Big scarves and shawls can double as wraps.

* Classics. Kate Hepburn-styled trousers, a blazer, a cardigan, a short straight skirt are styles that go the furthest. Their simplicity makes them easy to accessorize (dramatic print scarves for day, oversized jewelry for night). They are appropriate in every culture. They work with one another.

* Comfort. A prize at home, comfort is a necessity when traveling. Joan Vass knits, for instance, are designed to move with the body and hold their shape. When knits are combined with Lycra, they should return to their original shape. To pack them, roll them.

* Care in Packing. All of the experts suggest rolling clothing to pack it. Fox also suggests folding along the major seam whether at the waist or down the middle.

A last caveat: Do not shop for a new wardrobe right before your trip. Stick with what has always worked for you at home. That way, you’ll be the most secure in environments that feel much less so.