January 26, 2026
Just a quick idea – if you want to save both electricity and water (not necessarily for you personally, but for the world), when you’re searching for something on the Internet, type -ai at the end of your search. Voila, NO Artificial Intelligence responses!
I’ve been thinking a lot about the logic of what actually goes into a Six-Pack travel capsule wardrobe. So I’m going to start with this most excellent illustration, and conjure up three travel capsule wardrobes this week…
Honestly, could this be more timely? So many people in the Northern Hemisphere have been able to see the Northern Lights for the first time in their lives. Bless the overactive solar storms, eh?
To me, this print just looked like someone giving us permission to have a denim wardrobe with pastel accents (and a bit of black, if you’re like me and can’t live without black!).
A heroine could of course include all three accents in their wardrobe, but I’m going to see what happens with using just one accent at a time…
Our heroine has been invited to a new friend’s home for the weekend; their friend lives outside the city, and thus has a tremendously good view of the Aurora Borealis when it appears.
It’s a new friendship, and it has potential, if you know what I mean! And the friend has mentioned that our heroine looks wonderful in pink, so she is going to lean into that idea.
And note, it’s not bitterly cold where these wonderful people live. Bitterly cold changes everything! (as I write this, it’s -7F in Chicago)
Scarf – Elizabetta; flower earrings – Ross-Simons; cabled cotton sweater – L.L.Bean; denim jacket – Levi’s; jeans – Levi’s; weekender bag – Calpak; sneakers – Adidas
Our heroine pauses for a moment and thinks clearly (well, she’s a bit excited, but she’s trying!) about what she wants to take with her. Not too much, but enough to have options if something tears, gets dirty, or for some other reason can’t be worn…
Organizing the Six-Pack Template this way makes it easy to pack outfits, which is always easier than just grabbing stray garments. It also makes it easier to remember all of the appropriate accessories!
Pale rose tee shirt – L.L.Bean; earrings – Ross-Simons; freshwater pearl necklace – Adriana Pappas Designs; corduroy pants – L.L.Bean; striped shirt – Boden; loafers – Marc Fisher LTD
She hems, she haws (what does that mean?) and she decides to bring her excellent denim skirt and ballet flats. Maybe she can take her friend out for dinner, as thanks for the invitation?
yes, you’ve seen this scarf before, a couple of times! But it’s versatile, it’s beautiful, and it’s ON SALE…
Scarf – Jessie Zhao New York; earrings – Lonna & Lilly; pale rose cardigan – L.L.Bean; chambray shirt – L.L.Bean; ballet flats – Madewell; handbag – Oryany; denim skirt – Lands’ End
This is her entire travel capsule wardrobe. Assembled like this, nine garments feels like a lot. Maybe just because it’s a challenge to arrange them all on one page!
And how does this fit into the Six-Pack Template that she used?
And maybe the nicest thing about this (except for the prettiness of the pink!) is that she has options for how to dress:
I’m going to revisit this wardrobe with the other two accent colors; our heroine may be traveling again soon…
love,
Janice
p.s. Speaking of timely! Since many of us are following the Buddhist Peace Walk, it’s only fitting that ten years ago our wardrobe inspiration was a Buddhist kesa. The wardrobe is soft olive and beige with gold, blue and blush accents…
Like this wardrobe? Save it to Pinterest!
This is a very sweet capsule. I bet it will work for many heroines.
I have had to pack for two family emergencies in a very short time in the last two months, and having learned this plan from you, I was able to be out the door in ten minutes and had what I needed for up to ten day stays. Thank you for giving me this plan and showing me exactly how to do it.
Does the six-pack cover 10 days? Would you add anything? I was just going to ask Janice about this as I prepare to visit my sons in Massachusetts for 10 days. Leaving Thursday.
I would add one more outfit, and one additional top. It turns into a 10-Pack, which makes no sense, but it also turns into a 13-piece Whatever’s Clean Wardrobe! The joy of visiting family is that they very possibly have laundry. Laundry is a game-changer for packing.
hugs,
Janice
Depending upon where you are coming from, please make sure to pack snow gear too…or at least, one pair of snow boots and a big parka. I live in Maine and my 31 year old daughter lives in Massachusetts. It’s been “wicked cold” and snowy here, so just make sure you’re prepared for going out in the weather.
This is so lovely. I’m wearing soft pastel pink velour today. I have an aversion to denim, finding it stiff and cold. I don’t like the feel of Lyocell either which is often offered as a denim alternative. So I live in hope of finding denim or slate blue coloured garments.
Stay warm. -7F sounds colder than the Arctic. It’s 42F (6C) where I live in the UK. Another dull day with heavy rain forecast tonight and through tomorrow. It’s been raining for weeks.
I’d love to see the Aurora. Sadly, there was heavy cloud cover where I live, when the geomagnetic storm arrived. Mind you with all this rain, we do see some amazing rainbows – sometimes double rainbows.
I LOVE this capsule wardrobe! 🩷🩵
I adore this. I am a denim wearer…I love jeans, denim shirts, skirts, dresses, jackets, blazers…you name it, I love it. You can elevate denim easily. Darker denim is dressier than this lighter shade, but this feels fresh and spring-forward-thinking. I’d wear a brighter pink, but I would love to put together this travel wardrobe for my next trip. I’d add in a dress, too, though!
I own this dress, that I’ve worn as a jumper with a tee underneath and sneakers…as well as with a blazer and heels for dressy. It can be very versatile, as many denim pieces can be:
https://www.talbots.com/refined-denim-midi-dress/P253079207.html?dwvar_P253079207_color=BLACK/WHITE&dwvar_P253079207_sizeType=MS#q=refined+denim&start=1&sz=36
Talbots has a line of denim called “Refined Denim”. It comes in all pieces of a wardrobe. For me, this fills the bill for being able to wear my beloved denim, while feeling a bit more pulled together and work appropriate.
Ellen s,
What a pretty dress. If only it had pockets.
Our heroine is clearly not traveling to a place locked in deep winter!
Erik Werenskiold is definitely worth reading about on Wikipedia. He has a range of styles and materials used in his work- illustrations, nature art and portraits. His mastery of technique is really impressive.
This is lovely! Also, thank you for the -ai tip. I refuse to use it knowingly.
I totally agree with what Cindy said!!
You can turn this off completely in Chrome. It took a little googling to figure out how for my older browser version, but it saves customizing each search.
Here in Indy, it is 3 degrees with a wind chill of -15. The 11 inches of snow we got over the weekend is going to stick around for a while as no above-freezing temps are predicted for at least 10 days. But the sun is shining…so bright outside with all the sparkly snow.
This post is timely. A week from today, I’m going on a two-night getaway with several friends. Eight women in an AirBnB! Anyway, I like this simplified, six-pack approach:
1. Choose your color scheme.
2. Assemble three separate outfits of three garments each.
3. From these nine items, create other three-piece outfits to make sure everything mixes and matches.
4. Out the door you go!
Thanks you so much for that easy-to-action summary! Your words give me the action plan to pull clothes from my wardrobe and then Janice’s chart gives me the ability to check whether my selections are sufficiently versatile.
Now I just need an excuse to pack!
So pretty. Love this packing tip and the ai tip as well.
I really like this wardrobe, and I’m not really a pink lover. I think the light an mid tone denim gives the warmth, but still feels like spring might be on the way.
I’m also on the lookout for a new travel tote, but found out that under seat measurements are 8″ tall, and those are hard to find! I like to be able to reach down for snack or book without having to lift the bag and access from the side. Your bag from Calpack also comes in a smaller (shorter) size that will more readily fit under an airplane seat. Thanks for your work!