Ready for a small summer travel capsule wardrobe? Some of the PMT Style Club members asked for a packing list for summer vacation, and my teammates and I came up with packing lists for not one, but three trips! Throughout the summer, we’ll be posting packing lists for a cruise, a beach trip, and a trip to Europe.

All the planning for a packing list led to me creating this small starter summer capsule wardrobe. This is not one of the packing lists that I mentioned above, but since I love a good remix, I couldn’t wait to share it with you!

Use this to kickstart your summer wardrobe, or if you’re headed on a trip, use it as a summer travel capsule wardrobe, or both! (And remember, more trip-specific packing lists to come throughout the summer.)

A note to PMT Style Club members, you don’t have to wait for the packing lists to be posted on the blog. You’ll get all three summer vacation packing lists all together, soon. Look out in your email and in the club hub for them.

Also, if you’d like to join the PMT Style Club, it is currently open for enrollment until June 8th! Come figure out your style and get equipped to put yourself together confidently alongside a great, supportive community. Click here to learn all about the club and join!

Last, if you like these types of posts, you can get the extended version by purchasing the Summer Wardrobe & Outfit Guide. It’ll be available in a couple of weeks in the PMT Shop, after the PMT Style Club enrollment closes. And, if you’re a PMT Style Club member, you’ll get both the casual and work summer guides as part of your membership!

Alright, on to the small summer capsule wardrobe!

SIZING: I’m 5’6″ and usually S/M or 6 in clothes and 8.5 to 9 in shoes.

This collection turns into 7 outfits, which I share below. First, let’s talk about the pieces.

Denim Shorts – Summer staple, essentially taking the place of jeans. I always had a hard time with denim shorts, until I got pairs that are really stretchy and soft—exactly how I like my jeans—and that had roughly a 4-5” inseam. I’ll share some denim shorts in the widget at the bottom of this post to try.

Neutral Bottoms – Add another pair of neutral bottoms. It can be anything, like linen shorts, black or white denim shorts, brown joggers, etc. Whatever you prefer. Just make sure it’s in a color that will go with a lot of your tops. I chose wide leg ecru linen pants. You can find these HERE, though sizes are now limited. I linked to several other options in the widget at the bottom of this post.

Tops x3 – I included three tops. You can really choose any tops that go with both pairs of bottoms, and that shouldn’t be too difficult since both bottoms are neutrals. Here, I went with:

• Solid Colored Basic Tank – The green tank. This is similar to the one I’m wearing below, which is sold out.
• Solid Top With Details – The blue tank is very casual and in a t-shirt-like material, but it is elevated with special details. Adding a top with special details, as opposed to just adding a basic blue tank, helps diversify the outfits. I wear size S.
• Colored Printed Top – The olive Ikat tank. Adding a print offers even more diversity to the outfits. I wear size S.

Again, you can really choose any tops, such as three Printed Tops, or three Solid Tops With Details, as long as they all go with both bottoms.

Dress (or additional pair of bottoms or additional top) – Last, I threw in a dress to, again, have some more variety. My dress is a comfy pink maxi dress (with pockets!) but your dress can literally be anything. It can be printed, knee-length, a totally different silhouette. Doesn’t matter. If you don’t like dresses, add either another top or another pair of bottoms, and you will exponentially grow your outfit possibilities! I’m wearing this dress in size S in the color “Purple.”

Shoes x2 – For shoes, I used two different options, though one would be sufficient.

• Metallic Sandals – Metallics are neutrals, so they go with a LOT of things. A pair of metallic sandals is a great option when you don’t know what else to wear with them. I like this pair in particular because it’s not too shiny, so it doesn’t make my outfits too blingy, but it still adds a nice polish and subtly helps outfits pop a bit more. This pair is extremely affordable and the straps are very soft and comfortable. That said, I wouldn’t bank on getting years of use out of them! (A girl can hope though, right? 😉) I’ll link to other options in the widget at the bottom of this post. These are TTS.
• Tan or White Sandals – The other option is to add tan or white sandals. I have a pair that has both colors in it, though it’s unfortunately no longer available. I’ll link to some options in the widget later on.

Earrings – I included an assortment of earrings to help make outfits pop. In particular, I have a neutral pair, a printed pair, a pop of color, and a metallic. These are of course all from Nickel & Suede, so they are extremely lightweight and comfortable to wear. I THINK my discount code for $10 off $25+ is still active, so shop through my links, add something to your cart, and go to the checkout page to see if $10 is taken off your order! Active for first time users only, I believe.

• Spotted Earrings – I wear size M
• White Earrings
• Yellow Earrings – I wear size M
• Metallic Earrings – I wear size M

Shop the Summer Capsule Wardrobe:

Scroll and click through the widget below to shop the items. I included exact and similar items. If I have tried an item, I included notes like sizing and material under the pictures in the widget.

On to the outfits!

Outfits With the Starter Summer Capsule Wardrobe

These 6 pieces turn into 7 outfits! When you start with neutral bottoms and then intentionally choose tops that work with them, getting dressed is smooth sailing. 😎 And you can expand on this core capsule super easily and seamlessly to have more options.

Outfit 1: Colored Printed Top + Denim Shorts

 

Outfit 2: Basic Colored Top + Neutral Bottoms

Outfit 3: Basic Colored Top + Denim Shorts

Outfit 4: Solid Top w/ Details + Neutral Bottoms

Outfit #5: Dress

Outfit 6: Colored Printed Top + Neutral Bottoms

Outfit 7: Solid Top w/ Details

And, below is all of the outfits at once for your viewing pleasure!

Ahhhhh, gotta love a versatile wardrobe!

I hope this helps you create an awesome summer wardrobe and pack lighter for any upcoming trips you might have!

Remember, the PMT Style Club is currently OPEN for enrollment until June 8th! As part of your membership, you will get the upcoming Summer Wardrobe & Outfit Guides, which are basically extended versions of this small summer travel capsule wardrobe, to help you build a mix-and-match wardrobe like this for the summer. But more importantly, you’ll get style teaching, resources, and support to figure out your style and learn to confidently put yourself together.

CLICK HERE to learn all about the PMT Style Club and enroll!