Hello lovely,
There is something wonderfully romantic about vintage travel. The smart matching luggage. Sunglasses tucked into a handbag. A scarf tied over freshly set hair. Perhaps a lipstick at hand for that all important arrival photograph.
The reality, naturally, was not always quite so glamorous. There were delayed trains, heavy suitcases, unpredictable weather and probably at least one pair of shoes that seemed like a good idea at home and became an instrument of torture by lunchtime.
Some things never change.
Still I think there is a lot we can borrow from the way holiday wardrobes were approached in the past.
By the twentieth century, holidays were becoming accessible to more people in Britain. The Holidays with Pay Act of 1938 helped encourage the growth of seaside holidays, and resorts became a more important part of British leisure culture. As travel developed, so did a whole world of resort clothing, swimwear, luggage and accessories designed specifically to get away from everyday life.
Fashion was part of the pleasure. Vogue recommended swimming costumes alongside day and evening dresses for fashionable ocean liner travel, while stylish swimwear was actively marketed to holidaymakers during the 1950s.
Thankfully, we don’t need an ocean liner ticket or six matching suitcases to steal a few of the better ideas.
So, pop on your sunglasses, find the sun cream and try to resist the urge to pack fourteen day dresses for a four day break.
Here are my favourite vintage inspired holiday packing tips.
Start with the holiday, not the suitcase
This sounds painfully sensible, I know. But before pulling half your wardrobe onto the bed, think about what you will actually be doing.
Will you be wandering around museums? Maybe you’ll be sitting beside a pool? You could be going out for dinner. Perhaps you’ll end up walking ridiculous distances because the restaurant looked much closer on Google Maps… just me?
Your clothes need to suit your real holiday rather than an imaginary version in which you spend every evening sipping cocktails on a terrace in an evening gown.
I like to roughly divide every trip into occasions:
- Travel clothes
- Sightseeing outfits
- Beach or pool clothes
- Something for relaxed lunches
- One or two smarter evening outfits
- Comfortable clothes for quieter days
- An extra layer for cooler weather
- Something practical if its likely to rain
Once you know what the clothes actually need to do, it becomes easier to pack less.
And yes, I say this as someone who fully understand the temptation to take something because you might suddenly become the sort of person who wears it on holiday.
You probably won’t. Leave it at home.
Choose a colour palette before you pack
This is probably the single most useful trick if you want a suitcase that feels coordinated without taking your entire wardrobe.
Choose two or three main colours and perhaps an accent colour.
For a nautical 1950s inspired holiday wardrobe, you might choose:
- Navy
- White
- Red
- Tan accessories
For a softer 1940s city break:
- Cream
- Sage green
- Peach
- Natural straw or wicker accesories
Or maybe something delliciously 1970s:
- Chocolate brown
- Cream
- Rust
- Mustard
Suddenly, your cardigan works with both dresses. Your sandals suit every outfit. You scarf can be worn with your shorts, around your hair or tied onto your handbag.
There is much less of that irritating moment when you realise that the shoes that work with your evening dress are currently happily sitting at home.
Personally, I prefer a slightly imperfect colour palette. Everything doesn’t have to match exactly. In fact, I think vintage inspired outfits often look more interesting when the colours simply belong together rather than looking like a completely coordinated set.
Build a small holiday capsule wardrobe
The idea of a capsule wardrobe feels very modern, but making a limited number of garments work harmoniously in several combinations certainly is not.
Clothing was generally more expensive relative to income in earlier decades, and wardrobes were not built around today’s enormous volume of inexpensive fashion. Making garments work hard mattered.
This mindset is something I find incredibly useful when packing.
For a warm weather trip, I would start with something like:
- Two dresses
- One skirt
- One pair of shorts or trousers
- Three tops
- One cardigan or lightweight jacket
- One swimsuit
- One beach cover-up
- Two pairs of everyday shoes
- One optional smarter pair
- A small collection of accessories
Trust me, you will have way more outfit combinations than it looks like.
A blouse worn with shorts one day can go with a skirt for dinner the next. A cotton dress worn with sandals for sightseeing suddenly feels smarter with some drop earrings, lipstick and a little evening bag.
This is where good packing starts to actually feel quite satisfying.
Pack one brilliant day dress
If there is one item I think deserves space in almost every vintage inspired summer suitcase, it is a comfortable day dress.
Nothing too precious.
You want something you can actually move in, sit in, eat in and explore in.
Cotton and linen blends are particularly lovely for warm weather, although modern fabrics that resist creasing can be wonderfully practical too.
Depending on your favorite era, look for:
- Shirtwaist dresses
- Simple sundresses
- Full skirted cotton dresses
- 1960s shift dresses
- 1970s midi dresses
- Wrap inspired shapes
- Sleeveless dresses that can be layered
And always pockets, given the choice.
The right dress can take you from breakfast to sightseeing to dinner with very little effort.
Add sunglasses and sandals during the day. Later, change your earrings, add lipstick and switch out your basket bag for a little clutch.
Easy peasy.
Let separates do most of the work
Dresses are lovely, but separates are the heroes of holiday packing.
A pair of high waisted shorts with a cotton blouse immediately gives you a hint of 1940s or 1950s holiday style. A midi skirt with a sleeveless knit leans towards the 1950s and early 1960s. Cigarette trousers with simple top gives that Audrey Hepburn kind of vibe. Wide leg trousers with a floaty printed blouse takes you firmly into the 1970s.
There are dozens of possibilities.
This is also where I would encourage a little realism. If you never wear shorts at home, you will probably not magically love them abroad. If fitted pencil skirts annoy you after twenty minutes, leave them behind.
Vintage clothes work best when they suit you and your personality.
Take swimwear you actually feel good in
Holiday swimwear became an important part of fashion during the twentieth century, particularly as seaside and resort culture grew. By the middle of the 1950s, swimwear was becoming accepted as fashionable clothing in its own right.
There are many vintage inspired options available.
Look for:
- High waisted bikini bottoms
- Halterneck swimsuits
- Ruched one pieces
- Sweetheart necklines
- Polka dots
- Nautical stripes
- Tropical prints
- Simple block colours
Above all else, comfort wins.
You don’t need to wear the most historically accurate swimwear if you spend the entire day tugging it back into place.
Add an oversized shirt, sarong, cotton sundress or wide leg beach trousers as a cover up and you have something that can take you from the beach to lunch without needing a complete outfit change.
Be ruthless with shoes
Shoes are where a beautifully organised suitcase can horribly wrong.
They are bulky. They are heavy. And somehow we convince ourselves that a week’s holiday needs footwear for every single emotional state.
Try to stop at two or three pairs.
For example:
- Comfortable flat sandals
- Trainers, loafers or flats for walking
- Low heels or smarter sandals for evenings
If you are travelling somewhere that involves cobbled streets, hills or lots of sightseeing, please do not sacrifice your feet for historical accuracy. A beautiful vintage dress with comfortable modern sandals still looks beautiful. And I would always rather enjoy wandering around Rome than spend the afternoon limping back to the hotel because I insisted on wearing unsuitable kitten heels.
Accessories are your secret weapon
This is where you can really have fun.
Accessories take up barely any suitcase space, yet they can completely alter the mood of an outfit.
I would consider packing:
- A silk or cotton scarf
- Sunglasses
- A belt
- Statement earrings
- A brooch
- A few hair accessories
- A small evening bag
- A sun hat
- Some simple jewellery
One scarf alone can earn its place several times over. Wear it around your neck, tie it around a ponytail, cover your hair on a windy day, thread it through your handbag handle or wear it as a headband. Suddenly a very simple outfit feels considered.
Brooches are another favourite of mine because they take up virtually no room. Pin one onto a plain dress, cardigan, jacket or even a sunhat. It’s a tiny suitcase footprint but still has maximum charm.
Pack a vintage inspired vanity case
There is something rather delightful about the vanity case.
Vanity cases have a long history as part of travel and luggage design, and the V&A includes them among the many forms of bags created around both function and fashion.
You certainly don’t need to travel with an original vintage case. In fact, I would be really nervous about handing a beautiful old one over to airport baggage handlers.
But we can 100% borrow the idea.
Create a small beauty kit containing the things you genuinely use, otherwise, what would be the point.
Perhaps include:
- Cleanser
- Moisturiser
- Sun cream
- Powder
- Concealer
- Mascara
- Eyeliner
- One versatile lipstick
- One softer lip colour
- Blusher
- Perfume
- Nail file
- Hair pins
- Comb or brush
Any try not to pack your entire dressing table.
This is another area where I have to remind myself that going on holiday doesn’t suddenly mean that I’m going to experiment with seven new eyeshadow looks.
Choose the products you love and reach for every day. One really good lipstick can do an astonishing amount of work.
Think about your hair before you leave
Vintage hairstyles can become significantly less fun when you’re confronted with sea water, humidity, and thirty degree heat.
So give yourself a break and simplify things. Rather than packing enough equipment to recreate a salon set each morning, plan two or three easy hairstyles.
For example:
For a 1940s feel
Wear soft waves with the front pinned back, or use a scarf tied in a turban inspired style.
For a 1950s feel
Try a ponytail, curled under bob, headscarf or simple updo.
For a 1960s feel
A wide headband, scarf, soft volume or sleek ponytail can suggest the decade without needing to do an elaborate beehive before breakfast.
For a 1970s feel
Natural waves are your friend here. Add a centre parting, scarf, oversized sunglasses or simple hair clip.
Holiday hair doesn’t need to be perfect. Actually, slightly undone hair can look much more natural with vintage clothing than something painstakingly set and sprayed into submission.
Prepare for the weather you’re actually getting
The romantic holiday wardrobe in your head may contain sundresses, straw hats and little sandals. The forecast may contain six consecutive days of rain.
Check the weather before you leave.
I always think it’s better to pack one sensible item than spend half your holiday buying emergency clothes you don’t even like.
For unpredictable weather, consider:
- A lightweight raincoat
- Compact umbrella
- Cardigan
- Closed toe shoes
- Scarf
- Thin socks
- Lightweight trousers
A scarf is particularly useful here. Tied over your hair, it can provide a little protection from the wind while giving you that Hollywood starlet energy.
Which I will take over windswept chaos any day.
Choose a proper travel outfit
One idea I try to incorporate into my holidays, is to treat the journey as part of the holiday. That doesn’t mean you have to board your flight at six in the morning in gloves, heels and an evening dress.Instead, choose something comfortable that helps you to feel put together.
Perhaps:
- Wide leg trousers with a soft knit
- A midi dress with cardigan and flats
- Straight leg trousers with a blouse
- A jersey dress with loafers
- Comfortable jeans with striped top and scarf
The trick here is choosing items you can wear again during your holiday. Your travel cardigan becomes your evening layer. Those comfortable trousers work for sightseeing. That scarf? It goes right into the holiday accessory rotation.
The best part is that you (and no one else) needs to witness your glamorous arrival outfit getting slowly crushed into submission during a four hour flight.
The vintage packing rule I actually like
Perhaps my ultimate favourite thing to borrow from vintage travel is not a particular dress, suitcase or beauty product.
It’s the idea of being a bit more intentional. Choose clothes that you enjoy wearing, think about how they work together, pack a few lovely accessories and then stop worrying about outfits and enjoy your holiday.
Because there is a point where careful packing turns into planning eighteen imaginary outfits for situations that are never going to happen.
Let’s be real, you don’t need three cocktail dresses. You definitely need comfortable shoes.
Vintage style should bring a little romance to travelling, not turn your suitcase into a mobile costume department. So pack the scarf. Wear the fabulous sunglasses. Take the red lipstick if it makes you happy. But leave a little room too.
You need space for souvenirs, spontaneity and perhaps a vintage gem you find tucked away in a tiny shop somewhere.
Now that deserves suitcase space.
Until next time, stay delightful darling.
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