Triple Top Secret Archives

Packing: A 5-Pack Would Have Worked…

Or, in my world, 8 = 42...

You might remember my excellent travel outfit:

I had this outfit on for an eternity of time, and I don't regret a thing! It was ideal, and I will almost certainly wear something very similar for future trips. But my suitcase was TOO MUCH STUFF... I'd have been well-served to have just packed this:

I understand that this seems like amazingly little, but I need to remember something really critical about my trips to Europe - especially my trips to Paris:

I SHOP!!!

I shop a lot. I start shopping the second or third day, and I tend to wear my purchases almost immediately. Thus, I leave things in my suitcase unworn, and I run out of space to bring back my purchases. So for ... View the Post

The “Triple Top” Secret also works at home…

So the idea of carefully choosing a "cluster" of shirts and sweaters, to give yourself some layering options, also works well if you have to dress warmly but a bit nicely...

When you have to have a few options for holiday or party attire, this is also an approach to consider.

love, Janice ... View the Post

Casual Packing: The “Triple Top” Secret

Here are a couple of examples of how my Triple Top Secret selection of tops can work for a really casual trip (or just a day to day wardrobe). First, I started with a cool flowered shirt, got really gutsy and tossed in a striped tee shirt, and worked from there. Yes, I would wear the stripes and the flowers together...

I realized after working with this idea for a while that there are, in fact, two "triples" inherent in this idea:

Yes, the button-front shirt is critical! A shirt that can both be worn as a jacket or 2nd layer, but also layered under a sweater or sweatshirt, is key.

Here's an example of how this can work with some bright, warm colors, to get you through the icky weather ... View the Post

Packing: The “Triple Top” Secret

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:

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 ... View the Post