As Melbourne’s brutal winter sets in, the lucky ones among us are starting to flee to the Northern Hemisphere for a summer break. I was organised enough this year to do exactly that, and have just returned to the office after spending three weeks travelling around Italy, eating only carbs and resetting my core temperature.
Aside from the obvious joys of a Euro holiday, nothing pleases my Virgo brain more than spending the months leading up to my flight obsessively writing lists of what to pack.
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I started with a Google Doc (I’m really cool), where I compiled research from TikTok’s 333 rule packing videos, Pinterest flat-lays, and re-reading this piece by Mary McGillivray, who spent five weeks traveling in Europe with only her carry-on (I could never).
I wasn’t limited by space or weight, but for ease of dressing, I wanted everything to fit into two mesh packing cubes I bought from Kmart, and highly recommend. One for tops, one for bottoms.
Bearing in mind I was going in late May, technically still spring, my clothes had to get me through a notable shift from early 20-degree days to 30-degree days.
In terms of my itinerary, I had a friend’s wedding in Noto (the small Sicilian village made famous by The White Lotus), a week by a beach in Scopello, two overnight trains, and a week of schlepping around Rome seeing the sights.
Here’s everything I packed for three weeks in Italy:
Bottoms
- Denim cut-off shorts (+ a studded belt to wear with)
- Two pleated mini skirts (one navy, one black)
- One pair of Kahe jeans
- One pair of Adidas track pants
- One silky black midi skirt
- One pair of bike shorts
Tops
- Three camis (pink, black, navy)
- One white singlet
- One button-up silk shirt
- Six T-shirts (a mix of baggy, ballet, collared polo, and soccer shirt styles)
- One Paris Georgia merino long-sleeve
- Two light long-sleeve tops (an orange tie-dye Proenza Schouler and a hot pink Cavalli number)
Outerwear
- One lightweight hoodie
- One soft black leather jacket
Dresses
- One blue dress for the wedding (Y2K, from Fugu)
- One polkadot halter dress
Shoes
- One pair of sneakers (black Adidas Japans – went with everything but were honestly not that comfortable)
- One pair of slides (Hoka Recovery slides – unbeatable arch support)
- One pair of heeled sandals (Camper Twins)
I also packed one Christopher Esber bikini, seven pairs of underwear and socks, one nude Skims bra, a small nylon Prada handbag, one cap and two pairs of sunglasses.
Here’s what I actually wore:
Although I made an effort to wear everything at least once (apart from the merino long sleeve, she just went along for the ride), I definitely over-packed, especially on the tops!
The most-worn items were my denim cut-offs, cami tops, my black St. Agni T-shirt, bike shorts, a silk button-up shirt, my navy pleated skirt and Adidas track pants. I also got lots of wear out of both dresses, perfect for a sexy dinner or aperitivo hour if I felt like looking cute. But most of the time I was pretty happy to look like a salty vagrant.
Denim cut-offs and Hoka slides for those 20,000+ steps kinda days…
What I didn’t wear
I could have culled the extra skirts, the jeans, and at least four or five tops. But my three shoe options were perfect, I wore them all repeatedly. Next time I’d just go for a more comfortable sneaker.
My wedding guest dress and Camper sandals, which I wore again and again.
What I’d focus on for my next trip
In practice, I realised that smart packing is all about fabric choice as well as outfit planning. I always reached for durable denim shorts that I could thrash, cami tops that I could wear without a bra, and light tops like my silk button-up, or the soft cotton Proenza long-sleeve that felt so breezy and comforting to wear. While TikTok packing content can be helpful, you really gotta feel it out and follow your instincts.
For more on travel wardrobe packing, try this.
This article Everything a fashion editor packed vs actually wore for three weeks in Italy appeared first on Fashion Journal.
2025-06-12 10:44:00
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