I found, after a few days of travelling, that the shirts and sweaters that I had packed gave me a lot more options than I had anticipated! A reminder: these are what I had in my bag:
cardigan – Line, denim shirt – Dorothy Perkins, black tee shirt – Uniqlo, textured sweater – Wallis, black long-sleeved tee shirt – Uniqlo
Of course, I could wear any of these except the cardigan on their own. But as the weather, and my location, shifted, I began to experiment with different ways to layer these 5 garments. I discovered that, ultimately, I had a DOZEN options. In the coldest weather, I was able to layer three tops together for maximum warmth, and thus the Triple Top Secret was born!
But I quickly realized that, if I had chosen JUST a little bit more carefully, I could have had even more options! Buttons on the cardigan would make a world of difference, and a sweater under which I could layer tee shirts would open up even more possibilities. Here’s an example: These 5 garments, along with a pair of jeans and a pair of khaki or tan pants, would provide you dozens of choices to help you accommodate changing weather.
Cardigan – Novica, Denim shirt – Dorothy Perkins, cream tee shirt – L.L.Bean, teal sweater – Uniqlo, sage green long-sleeved tee shirt – L.L.Bean
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Tomorrow, I’m going to look at a couple of very casual options in this vein…
love,
Janice
Virginia says
October 28, 2013 at 1:37 pmIf the purpose of your recent trip was not completely pleasure-based, I'm sorry. BUT, I'm am SO GLAD you came to New England at this time of year. This post is exactly what we New Englanders need. During the Spring and Fall, we can experience an entire year's worth of temperature and weather in a single day. For example, today started at 37 F degrees. It's sunny, but windy. By late afternoon temps are expected to reach almost 60 F. Layers are essential. This capsule is Most Excellent! I'm looking forward to tomorrow to see what other secrets you'll share!
Amy says
October 28, 2013 at 3:07 pmThis idea will be perfect for my trip to Israel in January. I've been told to expect anything from 30 – 70 degrees!
Shreddie says
October 28, 2013 at 6:40 pmI notice the grey tee you wore in transit is missing. Is there a reason for that?
Janice Riggs says
October 28, 2013 at 7:27 pmNot really – I was just working strictly with the five tops here – I had both the grey tee shirt and a grey turtleneck with me, which would certainly expand my options a lot!
Eleanorjane says
October 28, 2013 at 10:17 pmHmm… does it count as different outfits if they're so similar that most folks wouldn't notice the difference? Maybe you enjoy switching things up a bit each day and accessories would help ring the changes too. Practically speaking it's helpful to have a range so you can wash what you're not wearing, of course.
Lynn Marsh says
October 28, 2013 at 10:29 pmEnjoyed this post. So much with so little……love it.
robertsongallery says
October 29, 2013 at 2:00 pmHaving just returned from a two week river cruise on Avalon, my suggestion would be to place a higher emphasis on the top outer layer when traveling with a group. I took navy and coral as my core and in the end, wished I had more toppers. The core pieces were perfect, but I wished I would have been able to change up the topper more often to fit my mood, the weather, the day, the meal, etc.
The bottom photo, which shows use of the pattern sweater much repeated, would feel too limited when travel involves a cruise.
Your blog has been a godsend. Thank you for your ideas and visual concepts. T
Kate in Belgium says
November 12, 2013 at 6:41 amAHA! This is pretty much the way I pack when I travel–two weeks with a small bag. I thought I learned it from you. I love your blog!
cannylass says
October 3, 2014 at 5:15 pmThis may be obvious to everyone but me but having belatedly taken to heart the advice that one choose properly fitting clothes how then do you manage to layer without ending up looking "blocky?"
Janice Riggs says
October 3, 2014 at 5:22 pmWell, sometimes if you wear three layers of clothing you're going to look more bundled up. Maybe leave a button or two open on your shirt, and don't button your cardigan – leave a little bit of air and movement in your layers. But if it's cold, and these are the clothes you have to keep warm, button everything and think of it as cozy rather than blocky. But you're right, it's a consideration, and a challenge.
Lemon Jelliott says
August 4, 2015 at 2:39 pmI've really gotten into using your 3×3 formula. That gives me three different outer layers
Anonymous says
November 29, 2017 at 9:36 amJanice, I am so glad that I discovered this gem of advice! Thank you so much!!
hugs xoxo
Sania from Zagreb