The very act of packing is many times a confusing and exasperating calculation of conflicting interests in the mind of the female traveller. It is the fight with the common sense of having a lightweight, easy to carry bag on one hand, and the ancient urge to feel ready, relaxed, and trendy with any occasion ever imagined on the other. We are spreading clothes on the bed, a topography of clothes tops, bottoms, jackets, and skirts, attempting to find the answer to the apparently unsolvable puzzle; how to take a wardrobe of a week or a month of frictions and climates into a single suitcase. Anxiety in making this process is common and the end product is stress of over-packing and lugging the heavy baggage, which thenceforth turns out to be an unwieldy liability on our travel path. But there is a simply beautiful, elegant, and much underrated answer to this detailed equation. It is one clothes which holds the ability to transform into a dozen outfits, a garment that could accomplish the transformation of a dusty morning market to something cool at a fancy dinner with a few simple adjustments. And herein lies the key to a wise female traveller, the dynamic travel dress. To adopt the travel dress is to adopt philosophy of minimalist beauty, to access an uncommenced arena of packaging and to shift about in the world with an experience of carefree and trustful comprised.
A travel dress is well beyond your favorite cotton sundress. A real travel dress is a work of art of material science and prudent design, a clothing piece special designed to support the tough requirements of the road. It is a wardrobe chameleon able to integrate with changes in weather, social exercises, as well as, environment. That ideal travel dress is not just a dress, it is a device that saves you space, time and the invaluable mental energy that all too frequently is dissipated on the ever present question of this or that and oh so what handsome attire to wear??? It enables you to look presentable and suitable in any environment, be it a relic site, an urban jungle, or a park. In this guide you find a more insightful and thorough look in this critical wardrobe piece. It is an adventure into the fabrics, the features, the styles and the styling techniques that will enable you to come into the depths of freedom in not packing as much and living so much more.
An ideal travel dress is based on a backbone of features that can never be compromised. Wrinkle-resistance is the single most important one. Having a crumpled dress that comes out of a very stuffed suitcase is a fashion travel disaster. This is tricky and inconvenient and goes against the goal of making effortless style. It is about the power of drawing a dress out of your bag, shaking it up a little and being ready to wear a dress. It almost solely relies on the material with modern technical blends and natural fiber such as merino wool, which is much better than traditional cotton or linen. The second distinctive characteristic is the possibility to wash it and dry in a short time. The idea of one-bag travel is based on the fact that a swift sink wash should occur. Such a marvelous traveling frock would do well to wash it at night with a little bit of soap, wring it in a towel to get rid of the surplus dampness, and hang it up in a hotel bath room, where, when the morning came, it would be all dry and fit to wear. This one feature makes the dress reusable several times during one trip, significantly decreasing the amount of clothes that should be packed.
Other vital, but sparingly discussed feature is odor- resistance. Even fabrics that retain smell will soon get awkward during a long travel day as you pass through airports, trains, and humid conditions. Such materials as merino wool are naturally antimicrobial, i.e. they prevent the growth of bacteria that cause bad smells, and may be worn for several days without developing any odor. This revolutionizes how to pack a few things. Even the shape of its dress is a deliberate one. The most versatile dresses have usually a modest neckline e.g. a scoop or boat neck, and a hemline that lands at or slightly below the knee. It is a classic cut which is appropriate universally and you can walk into a religious confined in Italy in the same dress that you wore to a cafe along the shore in Greece. Other wise-to-wear silhouettes such as the A-line, the fit-and-flare, or the wrap dress are known to be as flattering on many body types as they are timeless and elegant.
Lastly, the one thing that makes a travel dress really special is its comfort and pockets. The ease is not subject to negotiation. The dress should consist of a lightweight material, which is then breathable, highly comfortable and should also have a touch of stretchability so that you can walk in it, sit in with it in plane for several hours and in a road like city several miles and never feel like you are wearing anything restrictive. A binding dress, an itchy dress, a non-breathable dress will be converted to a misery very soon. One then has pockets. Too long now has the traveler been badly served by the shortage of functional pockets on women clothing, but functional pockets are a must to the traveler. Deep pockets with a super side seam placement is a revolution in a dress. It offers you a safe location to store your phone to get a quick shot, a key card to your hotel room or some money to visit a market stall, it leaves your hands free and you do not need a purse every time you go somewhere to make a small purchase. And there is very little I can say to emphasize just how wonderful simple and functional dress-with-pockets magic can be.
The key to realization of these features in performance is nearly all in the fabric. The fabric is the life-blood of the dress, it determines its comforableness, wearableness, foldableness and fashionableness. Merino wool is definitely the king of travel fabrics. It is a performance beast- this is a natural fiber that is taken on merino sheep. It is both very soft and extremely pleasant to the touch with no irritation that is normally caused by regular wool. Its main super power is that it could regulate temperature. During the cold, the fibers are wavy naturally which insulates body heat and warms you. When the weather is warm, it absorbs the moisture vapor in your skin and it helps to keep you cool and dry. That is why one dress made of merino wool can be used in the most outrageous variety of climates. It was also known to be odor resistant which makes you able to wear it several times without having to wash it, a great feature to any light packer. Contemporary merino fabrics usually have a hint of nylon to make them hard wearing or spandex to create a stretchy fabric and are designed to have a beautiful and fluid drape that is soft and elegant to look at.
The other outstanding textile choice especially when a sustainable and plant-based textile is required is Tencel which is the registered brand name of a form of lyocell. Tencel is the list of cellulose fibre created using the cellulose of eucalyptus trees planted in viably controlled woods. It is famous of its unbelievable softness like silk is often compared to, combined with its beautiful, soft drape. So it is also breathable, more absorbent than cotton and is naturally wrinkle resistant and thus it could be called an almost perfect fabric to make a travel dress. It is fantastic against the skin during hot, clammy weather and it wears wonderfully over a jacket or cardigan when it is chilly. Being a conglomeration of sustainable production and elegant sensation, along with utility in functionality, it has ended up being a nova in the universes of travel clothing.
And of course the modern technical synthetics are playing a vital role as well. Some combinations of nylon, polyester, and spandex fabrics were specially designed to be the strongest, light, fast-drying and have a lot of stretch. Although the concept of a polyester fabric evokes the memory of a steely, non-breathable material long ago, technical knits currently are soft, fashionable and are highly efficient. They are frequently subjected to some durable water repellent (DWR) treatment, so that rain drops bead up and drip away, and they are extraordinarily easy to maintain in road use. A synthetic dress can make a quite good piece of clothing when it comes to some of the types of travel, especially the ones that seem to be more adventurous with more rugged activities or extremely humid climates when the primary focus is made on quick-drying. Other formulas such as modal (a form of rayon derived also from plant pulp) can be just as soft and comfortable and equally made of plant material, but they may prove to be more fragile and less smack resistant than Tencel or merino. The trick is that one seeks out these performance fabrics and that in general one should be avoiding 100 percent cotton or 100 percent linen. Being breathable, they wrinkle, absorb moisture and dry way too slowly, which makes them mortal enemies of the one-bag traveler.
Having discovered these fundamental characteristics and textures, we are now in a position to discuss the prototypes of the multi-purpose travel dress, those particular shapes that have been found to be the most versatile and classic when walking a life of travel. The universal and versatile that leans towards beauty and the timelessness is the A-line or fit-and-flare dress. This style is fitted at the bust and waist and shortly just flares to be smooth and skims the hips. An A-line dress, sleeveless, knee-length and preferably of a neutral solid color (black, navy, or olive) is a wardrobe chameleon that year after year proves to be the best of all possible inserts. It is a clean slate which is subject to changing to fit virtually any occasion. You can also pair it with a pair of white sneakers and a denim jacket to do some sightseeing. Combining it with ballet flats and the use of a colorful scarf allow you to go sightseeing at a museum. And you can fancy it up and go to a fancy dinner by adding a statement necklace, pair of heels or fancy sandals and a pashmina. Its traditional, humble shape is suitable almost in any cultural environment, which is why it is the best and safest variant of a one-dress trip.
The iconic wrap dress is another staple that one can not live without in their wardrobe. Possibly popularized by Diane von Furstenberg, the style has survived over the decades due to its reputation of being flattering on almost all body types. Its gorgeous wrap design which can be worn in a V-neck like a tie waist and lends a beautiful hourglass shape. Such adjustability is an enormous benefit in travel since it is possible to comfortably adjust to the variations in average body shape that may occur as a result of a long journey. Wrap dress made with wrinkle-free jersey knit is hugely comfortable and easy to pack. It is multifunctional in the sense that it can be opened over a swim suit as a fashionable beach cover-up or a simple tank top and trousers as a jacket, lightweight yet robe-like, likewise, can serve you a conjoined three pieces.
For a more formal and smarter appearance, especially when traveling to business, or who favour the more fitted silhouette, the sophisticated sheath dress is a brilliant choice, but there is one essential condition to apply the rule: the clothes should be made of a very good knit fabric, so that it is comfortably soft. A woven and sheath dress with lots of buttons and tight fits would be too limiting as a travel dress. But when it is made of the same heavy, stretchy material as a merino wool knit or some technical ponte fabric, it is comfortable and very stylish indeed. This is the style that has a clean straight line, which makes professional layering ideal in this style. It is occasion that you can wear it with a blazer to a business meeting and later on its own to dinner. It gives an impression of easy capability and fashion and shows that you do not need to endanger your appearance to the professional part in order to lighten your load.
At the less formal end of the continuum we have the simple T-shirt or tank dress. It is the shelf, daily-working horse of a travelling wardrobe. A plain cotton one may be sloppy, but a T-shirt dress, made out of a high-quality material such as merino wool or Tencel, is taken to a whole new performance-style level. These fabrics not only provide the sport the simple silhouette with a beautiful drape but also all the technical advantages of odor-resistance and the thermo-regulation. A perfectly-adjusted T-shirt dress can be surprisingly a versatile outfit. It is ideal wear when taking a very long flight, a fantastic casual item when enjoying a day out touring, one can even add a little touch of glamour by adding a thick belt to make it look tight at the waist and a classy pair of sandals. It is a symbol of relaxed, easy wear, wear once kind of dressing.
However, the convertible masterpiece offers the best in terms of the packing efficiency. Various companies have invented new travel clothes brands like the Encircled which have designed dresses that have very many ways of being worn. One dress could become a sleeveless maxi dress, sleeveless one-shoulder Grecian style dress, knee-length skirt or even a wearable flowing top. These designs are made such that you have ingenious ways of ties, snap or reversible capabilities to make it versatile. Although they may need some getting used to style, they are the epitome of the philosophy of less is more. Traveling with one of such dresses is the way to travel with ten outfits in a single one, which is why it would be a perfect solution to the needs of a minimalist who nonetheless wants to have a vast variety of looks and is eager to enjoy the maximal level of stylishness with the minimal amount of pieces that they can carry.
It is only with the help of accessories that the versatility of any travel dress can ultimately be unlocked, not only with the help of the dress itself. The accessories are the multipliers of your traveling wardrobe equation. They are considered to be light in weight, occupy minimum space and can totally change your overall appearance and feel of your basic garment. A huge high quality scarf or pashmina is probably the best accessory a female traveler can possess. There are almost infinite uses of it. It is able to supply a very important means of warmth in a cold aircraft or in an air-conditioned facility. People can wear it as a head covering or even use it to cover the shoulders in order to achieve the required modesty in case they wanted to enter a religious place. It can be used to serve as an improvised beach blanket or a sarong. One can tie it in so many ways in dozens to give some pop of color and personality to a plain dress. One gorgeous scarf is just like gold.
Another basic tool in preserving the life of your travel dress is a pair of black leggings or a pair of opaque tights. They are able to change a knee-length dress to cold climate with one button thus making it a tunic that they will be able to wear over trousers. This is the idea that your favorite summer dress can now be used in a trip in spring or autumn time and it expands the versatility of your dress significantly. The styling is also essential with the concept of the third piece. The same dress may have a totally different appearance once you put up an addition on top of it, a different piece of layering. A vintage jacket in denim will add the air of casual cool. A cool tailored blazer makes a big difference in making it polished and also highly professional. A cashmere cardigan, which is made of soft materials makes the whole appearance be cozy and elegant. Having a single dress can be turned into numerous different outfits simply by bringing one of these so-called third pieces. An ordinary shapeless T-shirt dress can be belted at the waist to provide a more contour figure. And naturally your jewels and your shoes do make massive difference. A dress that you combine with a pair of white sneakers in the daytime may be completely changed in the evening when you switch to ballet flats and a pair of statement earrings. The trick of mastering minimalist wardrobe is the art of accessory.
Lastly, the design of a travel dress takes a very significant element of culture into account. The ability to travel is a privilege, an advantage and with the privilege we have to be a good and conscious visitor to the nation where we visit. The flexibility of a dress does not only mean being able to cope with the weather conditions but also with the prevailing cultural ones. Modesty is the norm in most places in the world such as in visiting religious places even in much of Europe and in some countries in the Middle East and Asia. Dress of knee length or some lower, without deep neck, is a much more respectful and practical one than a very short or revealing dress. It helps you avoid embarrassment of being refused to enter a beautiful cathedral or temple. Here, pashmina will be your pet and it can sort out the problem of covering your shoulders at spot. Putting yourself in a dress code that is considerate to the local ways of doing and being, is not about losing your individual image, it is a sign of respect, which is likely to find a warmer and more favorable welcome and treatment by the locals. You can feel more comfortable moving around a place and even create an atmosphere of true cultural exchange.
To sum it up, the multifunctional dress that can be worn in a travel dress would not be merely a garment. It is an indelicately composed instrument, a manifesto of freedom against the oppression of the enduring suitcase, as well as the piece de resistance of a calmer, cleverer design to traveling- away. An investment in classic dress that have a timeless shape will gain you a lot, not only in saving a few bucks, but also in hours of the perfect-looking dresses that you can wear in every occasion, and all throughout the year in any weather. With the art of layering and the art of combining accessories, you open up a magic chest to be able to make many, many beautiful, suitable combinations of a single, lovely piece. A travel dress will make your travel much more convenient by saving you freedom of space in your bag and even more valuable freedom of mind. It offers the assurance that you are ready in case the day gives you a leisurely walk or a posh party. It is a representation of what the philosophy uses, that you require less than you believe to find more than you can ever imagine. It is the easy, lovely secret of how to travel the world with ease and confidence and having a clear mind.
