A few people have asked for a bit more help with
packing, so in light of upcoming holiday traveling I’m dedicating another post to it!
packing, so in light of upcoming holiday traveling I’m dedicating another post to it!
I hate over packing, mostly because I feel so silly when I look
at my over packed suitcase next to my minimalistic husband’s tinnnyyyyy little pile of stuff. (He even said yesterday, “I don’t want to own
more than 3 pairs of pants. I just don’t
like having more than I need–and even 3
pairs isn’t necessary.” Not OWN more than 3? I can hardly pack less than 3 pairs, let alone only own 3!) But I also
secretly love over packing because like I mentioned before, I love to have
options! Otherwise I feel a little claustrophobic. (Drama, much? #firstworldproblems) My goal these days has been to find a balance of not over packing while allowing myself to have a lot of options. My suitcase is where all my learning to remix is put to the test, for sure.
at my over packed suitcase next to my minimalistic husband’s tinnnyyyyy little pile of stuff. (He even said yesterday, “I don’t want to own
more than 3 pairs of pants. I just don’t
like having more than I need–and even 3
pairs isn’t necessary.” Not OWN more than 3? I can hardly pack less than 3 pairs, let alone only own 3!) But I also
secretly love over packing because like I mentioned before, I love to have
options! Otherwise I feel a little claustrophobic. (Drama, much? #firstworldproblems) My goal these days has been to find a balance of not over packing while allowing myself to have a lot of options. My suitcase is where all my learning to remix is put to the test, for sure.
Anyway, for my last 3 trips I’ve loved what I’ve packed, and my secret weapon has been Go Chic or Go Home. I know I talk about GCOGH a LOT, but it’s because I really use it that much and find it that helpful!
Here’s how I use GCOGH to help me pack:
Brainstorm: “Create” Tool
GCOGH has a “Create” tool that is supposed to be for you to create and save outfit ideas with your own clothing, but I also use it when I pack. In brainstorm mode, I drag a bunch of pieces that I’m thinking about packing to the bottom like so:
Mix and Match
Then, since you can move the pieces around in the brainstorm section, I start mixing and matching to see what I can come up with! I move pieces next to each other to see potential outfits and then I take screen shots of them to log for later. Eventually I’ll end up with a handful of outfit ideas from those pieces. Here’s my collection of outfits with this trip:
Thanks to the screenshots I get a bird’s eye view where I can see which items will be used often, which can only be used once, and which ones are really similar to each other and not worth bringing. I continue working on the puzzle of editing the list, swapping out items, and paring things down.
Get Ideas & Inspiration
Sometimes in my brainstorm process I have major brain farts and realize it’s easier to repeat outfits I’ve worn in the past. (Duh!) I love that with GCOGH I have a “My Outfits” board that quickly lets me see all of my uploaded outfits and an “Ensembles” page where I can see a list of outfits I’ve created in the past, either that I’ve already worn or that I was planning to wear someday. I’ll sift through all that inspiration looking for outfits that use common items and drag them into my brainstorm list.
Explore Feature
As I packed for Chicago yesterday, even though this will be like my 10th time there, I’m there so infrequently that I forgot what it’s like to be in 26 degree weather. GCOGH‘s “Explore” feature came in handy because I could filter the Fall and Winter outfits and see what other people on GCOGH wear in cold weather.
It feels like a big puzzle, but GCOGH helps me get my head on straight and get organized. I love that I can see all my outfit options as I take screenshots because it gives me a clear view of what will be used more than once and what won’t be. It also helps me to see that, in this case for example, I will only be gone for 5 days, but I easily have at least 8 outfits with me. Options for those moody days!
All in all, I packed 9 pieces (besides my boots and accessories) and I have 8 outfits. And it all fits in just ONE packing cube. Feels pretty good!
And the best best best part is that I was able to do it all without having to rip my closet to shreds or having to clean it up later!
