How To: 7 Days in NYC, One Shoulder Bag
When faced with the option of paying $90 for carry-on luggage or having minimal clothes for a week in the Big Apple, you may choose to save the money. In this economy, who would blame you? However, working with only a personal item for 7 days requires intentionality, strategy, and some creative solutions.
Step One: Decide on an aesthetic. When creating a capsule wardrobe, each clothing piece must be a heavy-hitter, so sticking to a theme(colors, vibe, patterns) will start the process off focused and strategic. For my NYC trip, I decided on an emo baddie aesthetic with a black and gold colorway.
Step Two: Assess your baggage and plan how many pieces of clothing will fit. For a week long, let’s shoot for two bottoms, one dress, four tops, and several accessories.
You might be thinking, why go through all this work? It would be sooo much simpler to throw a bunch of options into a large bag and cough up the seemingly unavoidable baggage fees.
Most people wouldn’t think twice about bringing a carry-on or checked bag on a week-long trip, but the truth is that I’ve looooong been obsessed with the concept of minimalism. On one hand, hyper-consumerism normalizes placing positive value on acquiring material things(clothes, a new car, décor, hygiene products, etc.). From a spiritual POV, all this stuff doesn’t hold any inherent value in the grand scheme of life and often functions to trap us in cycles of attachment and spending our hard-earned coin. But I love clothes, thrifting, trying new styles, and refreshing my wardrobe. This presents an interesting challenge for a fashionista like myself to remain stylish, fresh, and creative while maintaining a relatively small closet.
Step Three: Time to get (even more)practical. What is the weather where you’re going? What type of activities will you be doing? These sorts of questions make it clear which items are essential, which is the key to minimalistic packing. For example, I planned on walking around a lot and going out at night, so my wardrobe required sneakers and ballet flats.
Step Four: Choose the remaining clothing items. Keep in mind that everything should match with everything; that way, you have endless outfit combinations. You can begin by selecting two or three statement pieces to complement the essentials we chose in the previous step. Focus on clothing items or accessories that align with your chosen aesthetic, can be worn up to everyday, and can be mixed and matched in innovative ways. I am very extra and made this hoodie-scarf for my capsule wardrobe, serving as a statement piece, accessory, and suitable for the 40-degree average in NYC.
BONUS Step: Try on all your selected pieces to see how they pair together. Planning outfit combos ahead of time sets you up for success and helps you spot any items that might need swapping for a better fit with your wardrobe.
Minimalism requires and encourages sharing resources(did someone say community XP?). I warned my friends in NYC that I would need them to help supplement some things I couldn’t pack—full-size hygiene products and lots of clothing options. While you may not have friends on your trip, think of creative ways to support your limited wardrobe. Perhaps attend a clothing swap, thrift store, or try wearing your clothes in unconventional ways.
Step Five: It’s time to pack it all up! Personally, I’m obsessed with packing cubes, which make things so organized and condensed. Try packing one or two ahead of your departure so you have time to reflect on what you’re bringing and make adjustments. For this step, some sacrifices must be made to conserve space(eeek). For instance, I opted to bring a smaller paperback book rather than the bulky hardback one I am currently reading.
Step Six: Travel with ease. Long commutes, train rides, and airport lines all become less complicated. You can skip the baggage line, extra fees, and hauling an awkward bag up any stairs. Now you can smirk at your friend who’s struggling with their heavy carry-on(or put them on!).
Step Seven: Embrace the hesitation, difficulty, and confusion. Creating this capsule wardrobe is a harmless way to challenge the norm, our habits, and how they are reflected in larger systems surrounding us. Remember to get creative: mix and match, layer to your heart’s desire, and repeat some outfits(if you feel so bold).
Do you think you can survive with less stuff?
Catch you next time! Mwaaaaah
XOXO Lexi Lee
First published on Substack. Read it there and subscribe.