An Editor’s Tips on Making 45 Outfits With One Suitcase

When I travel, I pack like a stylist on a budget. Everything has to work with everything, and the stakes feel weirdly high for each outfit. For my most recent monthlong trip to Barcelona, I gave myself a challenge: Make 45 outfits out of one suitcase of clothes. The result? A capsule wardrobe that actually worked harder than I did. Every day, I felt I could easily throw on a different combination of the items I packed for an outfit worthy of plenty of compliments. Now, I have to share with you how I did it.

My thought for every top or bottom I packed was, “Can I wear this with at least three other items in my suitcase?” If the answer was only one or two, I tossed it to the side. We don't have room for one-off statement pieces. I had to find versatile items that felt special but also capable of doing the most. My one exception to this rule was that I made sure to have at least 10 dresses because those are the items I tend to only wear once or twice since the styling opportunities are more limited, but I pack with the hope of manifesting as many days worth dressing up for as possible.