Modern vacations might come with wheelie suitcases and boarding passes on your phone, but back in the day? Travel was done in style. Women didn’t just throw things in a bag – they packed with thought, practicality and with elegance. Whether they were off to Brighton for a staycation or jetting off to the French Riviera, they knew how to pack smart, light, and lovely.
Let’s get into that headspace and revive some delightful vintage holiday packing tips. Grab your vanity case. We’re going on a trip.
Start with a Packing Plan
In the 1950s and 1960s, travel guides often included a written packing checklist. Smart women didn’t wing their holiday looks, they strategised.
Vintage Tip: Write your outfits down. List what you’ll wear each day, including jewellery, accessories, and footwear. Stick to a colour palette so you can mix and match easily. This isn’t just for aesthetics, it cuts your packing in half.
Example Combo: Navy, white, and red. Suddenly your skirt, blouse, scarf, and shoes all coordinate like magic.
The Power of the Capsule Wardrobe
Before fast fashion, women invested in fewer, better quality pieces. For holidays, they packed multifunctional garments – a blouse that worked for lunch and cocktails, a dress that could double as a beach cover-up. Multifunctional is the way to go.
Key items for a vintage-style holiday wardrobe:
- A cotton day dress (breathable and easy to glam up)
- High-waisted shorts and a tucked in blouse
- A wide brimmed hat and cat-eye sunglasses
- One versatile cardigan or bolero
- Lightweight, silk scarf for your hair, neck, or bag
- One pair of sandals and one pair of flats
- A bathing suit with style, ruched, halter-neck, or skirted
And remember, back then ladies would often travel in their best outfit. Something to think about.
Roll, Don’t Fold
Even vintage magazines recommended rolling to save space. But the trick was to roll in layers – delicate pieces inside more structured ones. Silks inside cottons. Blouses inside skirts. This prevents wrinkles, saves space, and keeps things tidy.
Extra Tip: Wrap underwear and stockings inside tissue paper to keep them protected and easy to find. Plus, it adds a little touch of glamour to the everyday.
The All-Important Vanity Case
This wasn’t just for show. A woman’s vanity case was like her portable dressing table. It contained everything she needed to stay polished and serene when travelling.
What to Pack in yours:
- Cold cream (doubles as a cleanser and makeup remover in one)
- Face powder compact with mirror
- Roll-on or solid perfume
- Red lipstick (of course!)
- Nail polish and a mini emery board
- Bobby pins, hairbrush, and travel-sized setting lotion
- Travel-sized sewing kit (they would never leave without one)
How to make it even better? Use small tins, pillboxes or vintage containers to store your items. It adds a little something special to the everyday.
Never Forget the Weather Forecast or a Rain Mac
Vintage holiday goers didn’t rely on apps, but they did pay close attention to the weather forecast. A light plastic rain mac (transparent or pastel-tinted) was often rolled up and tucked into a bag. Umbrellas were small and stylish, not clunky.
Style Tip: A pretty scarf tied under your chin protects your set hairdo in unexpected weather. Chic and practicality for the win!
Packing Light doesn’t mean Looking Dull
The secret to getting different looks with a reduced wardrobe? Accessories of course.
One dress, Three ways:
- Add a belt and scarf fir a day trip
- Throw in statement earrings and necklace for dinner
- Pair with a cardigan and kitten heels for an evening walk
Vintage Accessories to Pack:
- A string of real or faux pearls
- Clip-on earrings
- Hair Flowers or combs
- Brooches (to pin on a dress, bag, or even your summer hat)
These tiny touches transform basic outfits into head turners. Effortlessly.
Practical and Pretty Extras
Even when you’re on holiday, it’s good to stay as organised as possible to help with unpacking when you get home. If you’re anything like me, sometimes it feels overwhelming so can take 3-5 business days for me even to get started!
Some little added extras:
- Foldable slippers for the hotel
- A compact laundry bag or drawstring pouch
- Handwritten itinerary or travel diary
- Postcards ready to send (or to journal in the go)
- Safety pins, plasters, and over the counter medication tucked into a vintage style pouch.
You can travel light and be prepared. It just takes a little extra thought.
Glamour Meets Grace
Vintage women didn’t just pack. They curated. They considered every piece, every button, every possibility. Not because they were fussy, but they believed in making every moment beautiful, even in transit.
So this summer, take a leaf out of their book. Pack fewer things make bolder choices, and add a touch of glamour to the ordinary.
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