3-Words that changed the way I packed for London
I'm flying to London tomorrow! Take a look at my packing list.
If you missed the memo (I don’t know how) I’m flying to London tomorrow!!!
One part of a holiday I do not enjoy is packing.
I get decision fatigue, I overthink what I’m going to wear, I fear not having enough to wear and I want to pack for every mood I might happen to be in.
This is how I stumble into over-packing. Every. Single. Time.
It’s a blessing and a curse. A blessing in the sense that I have a ridiculous amount of outfits and never feel too lost sartorially when I’m away. And a curse because, well, have you ever had to pay for excess baggage? Or been that girl unpacking her suitcase in front of everyone, holding up the line of imaptient travellers and stuffing clothes into her boyfriend’s bag? Yeah, nah me either.
I don’t have the luxury of Josh taking my weight on this trip, but I did book extra baggage. Still, I’m hoping to cram everything I need in one (giant) bag.
Having a plan.
If you know me, you know I love a plan. I like to organise my thoughts and ideas because without a way to corral them, I can be, how should we say…all over the place. I work hard to stay organised because it makes my life so much easier.
It’s the same for packing.
Growing up playing elite netball for 12 years, I was given a packing list for every trip. It started at the AIS in 2004, continued into my Thunderbirds days, and now 20 years later…I cannot live without one. It really cuts down on my stress levels before take off. Planning is everything.
A new approach.
I caught up with my beautiful friend Em Swincer at our 20 year reunion on Saturday and she looked amazing. She always does, but the last few times I’ve seen her, her style had really gone to another level.
She looks like herself, but theres always something interesting and elevated in her look. I told her how much I loved her style, and then she told me this…
The 3-step Method
“I dress with the 3-step method. I have 3 words that help me get dressed. They describe my style and it’s changed the way I dress.”
She told me to go to You-Tube and search “
3-step Method”.I did, and I’ve included the video for you:
I urge you to watch the video, but for a quick overview here’s the short story.
You choose 3 words (obviously)…
Word 1 is REALISTIC. Look at your wardrobe and think about what you wear the most. This will help inform your first word.
Word 2 is EMOTIONAL. How do you want to feel? E.g. casual, sexy, powerful.
Word 3 is ASPIRATIONAL. Look at your pinterest, saved folder on IG or a moodboard. It’s your North Star and where you ideally want your style to be.
For my friend Em, her words are: Easy, Eclectic and Elevated.
She said, “my aspirational word is elevated since I have to dress nicely for work everyday. I kept the words starting with the same letter so I can remember them!”
Going through the process I’ve now chosen my own 3- words and have used them to simplify my packing for London and Hong Kong. I’m seriously amazed at how much easier it’s made the process.
I’ll be using the words to guide my style across 2 contrasting seasons which is no small feat. London will be cold and rainy, while Honkers will be hot and humid.