When preparing for a trip, we tend to focus our energies on booking hotels, researching attractions, planning routes and learning about the local culture. Planning our outfits, unfortunately, is often one the last things on our minds.
Just because we're away from home, however, doesn't mean fashion should be neglected. After all, dressing a little stylishly can heighten the experience by adding some of the old charm back into traveling. You also don't know who you might meet in a foreign place — it could be a new friend, and potential business partner or maybe even a romantic interest. If you dress well, you'll be prepared to meet anyone.
Furthermore, in many places in the world, you're probably going to stand out. So if the locals are going to be staring at you anyway, you might as well look your best.
Looking stylish, of course, doesn't necessarily mean walking around in a suit and tie. You just need to pack a few items that are both attractive and comfortable. This guide will provide some tips on how to look your best and feel good when you're living out of a suitcase.
When searching your wardrobe or shopping for stylish travel clothing, keep the following four things in mind:
High-quality: This refers to how well the clothes are made and how resistant they are to tearing and abrasion. The seams should either be double sewn or contain at least 12 stitches per inch, and even more for pressure points and tight fabrics such as shirts. Cotton and wools are great options for travel, and if you're going to a location with extreme weather, consider looking into synthetic fabrics and specialty travel clothes.
Comfortable: Vacations are times when you're supposed to enjoy yourself, but if your shoes are too tight or your pants are chafing, it'll be harder to have fun. Ideally, the clothes you bring on a trip should be worn many times beforehand. Comfort is especially important for shoes.
Classic: Choose more conservative, less gaudy clothing if possible. Your outfits should also go with your complexion and build.
Single-color: Picking one color just makes things so much easier when trying to match items. The easiest colors to wear and mix are blacks, whites and blues. They also work in a wide variety of climates and locations.
Luckily, finding travel clothing is easier than ever before. Men's travel wear is becoming more comfortable, affordable and stylish, and shirts and pants with wrinkle-free and sweat-wicking fabrics are becoming the norm.
Tips For Traveling In Style
Here are our top recommendations for stylish travel clothing items and some of their practical benefits:
Hats
The hat is a classic accessory for men that has decreased in popularity over the last 50 years. This is unfortunate, as hats can be stylish and come with some practical benefits.
First of all, they're functional — they protect you from harsh elements such as rain, snow and sun, make you appear taller than you are and mask baldness or any imperfections on the top of your head. Wearing a hat will make you look and feel better.
Secondly, they're timelessly fashionable. For millennia, hats have largely helped to define the identities of the famous figures who wore them. It's tough to image cowboys without cowboy hats, Russians without their ushanka or Frank Sinatra without his fedora.
Shirts
If you have the room in your suitcase, it's best to bring along a few different types of shirts, including:
Button-down: Even if you're traveling for leisure, you never know when you might have to dress up. Packing along a simple button-down is an excellent idea because it can easily go with a blazer and denim if you want to go to a fancy restaurant or concert. Without a blazer, it is still an excellent semi-formal look.
Coat or Jacket: If you're traveling to a place with cold or wet weather, you might end up wearing your coat more than any other item in your suitcase. Some stylish options include trenchcoats, wool overcoats and weatherproof microsuede jackets. Whatever you choose, make sure that it fits well and doesn't have ostentatious colors or patterns.
Sweaters: If you're heading to a place with cooler weather, there are few items more ideal than sweaters. They're fashionable, functional and, with the right cut and color, can go well with many combinations of clothing. If you have a light cashmere sweater, for instance, you can use it to dress up jeans and a shirt or dress down a two-piece suit. They're also easy to maintain, as they are durable and don't have to be ironed. Bulky sweaters may take up a lot of space in your suitcase, so you might want to wear one while you're traveling.
Undershirts: Undershirts are helpful because they help keep your shirts and jackets clean. Not only do undershirts keep you looking fresh for longer, but you can easily wash and dry them in the evening.
Accessories
Most men these days don't accessorize much, but it's one of the easiest ways to be fashionable on vacation. This is because accessories don't take up much space in your suitcase but can completely transform your look.
Our most important tip regarding accessories is to keep them to a minimum. If they don't serve any purpose, don't bring them along.
Undergarments
Unless you're planning to without pants, your underwear is probably not going to affect your look. So in this section, we're going to focus merely on undergarments that maximize your comfort and convenience while traveling.
Pants
When it comes to pants, you have many options, including jogging bottoms for maximum comfort, chinos for a smarter comfort or jeans for a more relaxed and stylish look. Many people have been led to believe that jeans are uncomfortable when traveling, but this is not necessarily true. Just make sure you choose jeans with a slim or relaxed fit.
Shoes
Picking the wrong shoes can be a serious mistake. Before choosing a pair to accompany you on your adventures, you need to consider the following:
They should have support and insoles. Your shoes should have proper foot support. High-quality insoles will make shoes and boots feel much more comfortable.
They should be destination-appropriate. This one may be obvious, but your shoes should be suitable for the location. Sandals are probably not the best choice for the mountains of Iceland, and heavy-duty hiking boots are probably overkill for the streets of Paris.
They should be broken in. Make sure the shoes you want to bring are broken in. If you're going to buy new shoes, do so a month or two before your travels so you can wear them frequently before you leave.
They should be breathable. Feet tend to swell when on an airplane, so make sure your shoes will let your feet breathe.
Because we're aiming for fashion as well as comfort, ensure that your shoes go with the rest of your outfit. At least one pair should be able to pass for both casual and dress shoes, and you should be able to use them almost every day. Black and brown tend to be the easiest colors, but for some people, blue or red sneakers work just as well.
Here are some recommendations for stylish and comfy footwear for your travels:
Boots
Boots are a great choice for men who travel because they protect your ankles when the weather's bad, provide support and, if they contain the right sole, are great for walking. If not too casual, you can also wear them with a suit or sports jacket.
Loafers
If you don't feel like untying and retying laces when going through security — or only have space for one pair of shoes in your suitcase — then loafers may be the best option for you. You can easily slip them on or off and they're quite versatile, looking equally as good with a suit as with a pair of jeans.
Citing: pennersinc.com
Comments
Post a Comment