5-Day Travel Capsule Wardrobe: What I Packed & Wore On Our Gulf Coast Vacation
See what I packed and wore on our Gulf Coast vacation to Mobile, Alabama and Pensacola, Florida and find out where we went while we were there.
Last week, my husband and I went on a vacation to Mobile, Alabama and Pensacola, Florida. This was prior to the social distancing and businesses closing announcements, plus there were no reported cases in those cities. We practiced good hygene (more than normal!) and stayed a safe distance from others as we traveled. We came back home on Monday, picked up our pets at the kennel, went to the grocery store and we have been doing the #socialdistancing thing since then, to not only keep ourselves from getting sick and avoid a stay at the hospital, so that those who need care the most may receive it. My thoughts and prayers will be with everyone as we go through this together.
I’m sharing what I packed and wore everyday on our vacation in this blog post. I shared my outfits everyday on Instagram (@classyyettrendy) while we were on vacation. While we all may not be traveling for a next few weeks, you may can use a wardrobe similar to this when we can resume traveling again, or you can use this capsule as a minimalist capsule wardrobe to try out using a capsule wardrobe!
I shared this capsule wardrobe in my post a couple of days ago, 10-Piece Spring Minimalist Capsule Wardrobe. It shows all the pieces, as well as the jewelry capsule I used, my bag I carried and 24 outfit ideas using the capsule!
See the post, 10-Piece Spring Minimalist Capsule Wardrobe (click on any image below to go to the post)
Whenever we go on a vacation, I create a travel capsule wardrobe. It makes packing easy and getting dressed everyday a breeze! I’ve learned to pack mostly neutral clothes and shoes, so that everything coordinates.
Here are a few resources on travel capsule wardrobes:
How to Build A Travel Capsule Wardrobe
Travel/Mini Capsule Wardrobe Ideas
How To Create A Carry-On Capsule Wardrobe (Spring Edition) + Outfits
First, I created my travel capsule wardrobe. There are 3 tees, 1 short sleeve shirt, a utility jacket, 3 pairs of jeans, sandals and sneakers in this capsule. The base color of this capsule is BLACK, but you could also use NAVY as the base color and subsitute a navy tee for the black tee and navy pants for the black jeans. One of the tees is a blush color, but you could certainly substitute it for a gray tee or another color, like blue, olive, red, yellow, etc.!
Clothes & Shoes:
black tee (investment / budget <- this is mine pictured, fitted tee so I sized up to an XL)
striped shirt (similar) (investment / budget) My shirt is an older Madewell style, size medium
striped tee (investment / budget) My older tee is by Boden, size Large
blush tee (investment / budget <- this is mine pictured, size Large)
utility jacket (similar) (investment / budget) My jacket is from Banana Republic, size Medium
light wash jeans (investment / budget) My jeans are last year’s J Crew Factory, size 30
black jeans (investment / budget) My jeans are last year’s Madewell, size 30
medium wash jeans (investment <- these are my jeans shown above, size 30 / budget)
strap sandals (investment <- these are my sandals shown above, size 9, I absolutely love these! / budget)
white sneakers (investment <- these are my sneakers shown above, sized down half size to 8 1/2, so comfy, love these! / budget)
My Travel Jewelry Capsule
Drusy Bar Necklace / Dichroic Glass Stone Necklace
Clear Glass Stone Bracelet
Gold Drop Earrings
Drusy Stud Earrings
Madewell Transport Crossbody Bag
For the jewelry, I added 2 necklaces, 1 bracelet and 2 pairs of earrings. Since they are all gold-tone pieces, they all can mix and match to create different looks. Plus, they are delicate enough to not get in the way when I’m traveling and sightseeing! I added the Madewell Transport Crossbody Bag, which is so versatile! You can wear it as a shoulder bag, drape it over your shoulder as a crossbody and you can also carry it by the handles. Since it zips across the top, it is a great travel bag too. I have had this bag for about 4 years now and clean it once a year with leather cleaner. I absolutely love this bag and carry it with me often when I travel.
How I Packed My Trunk Carry-On Suitcase and Vanity Case
First, I folded all my tops and bottoms that would go in my suitcase…
The tops and bottoms of my travel capsule that I packed…
I used my 5-Piece Packing Cube Set for the first time and loved how they kept all my clothes, underwear, pajamas and shoes in place! First, I opened my Trunk Carry-On Suitcase and Vanity Case (both in the “gray” color, but more colors to choose from) and unzipped the compartments.
Then, I placed my tops and bottoms that I would not be wearing while traveling in the large packing cube…
Next, I put my underwear, socks, pajamas, swimsuit, cover-up and denim shorts (carried just in case the weather got hot) in the two small size packing cubes…
Lastly, I placed my white sneakers and my beach sandals in the other large packing cube…
I put the packing cube with the shoes on top of the two small packing cubes and placed them on one side of my suitcase, then placed my clothes in the large packing cube on the other side of my suitcase.
I packed all my toiletries, hair products, hair dryer, curling iron and medicines/vitamins in my Vanity Case. Packing was done!
Shop My Luggage & Packing Cubes:
Day 1 Outfit: Traveling In the Car
It took about 4 1/2 hours to get to Mobile from where we live in northeast Alabama. I wore my comfy black tee, light wash jeans and strap standals. Whenever I’m traveling, I wear comfortable clothes. I left my jacket out and did not pack it just in case I got cold in the car from the A/C.
Outfit Details:
black tee (investment / budget)
utility jacket (similar) (investment / budget)
light wash jeans (investment / budget)
strap sandals (investment <- I own & love these! / budget)
Drusy Bar Necklace
Clear Glass Stone Bracelet
Drusy Stud Earrings
Madewell Transport Crossbody Bag
Day 2 Outfit: Sightseeing in Mobile, AL
This day, I wore my striped short sleeve shirt, black jeans and sneakers and carried my crossbody bag, all from Madewell. I’ve had this striped shirt for a couple of years and love it. I should have included it in my Spring capsule wardrobe! I may swap it out since the weather is warm now where we live. I have had these black jeans also for a couple of years. They fit perfect, hold their shape all day and always stay in place. I bought these white sidewalk sneakers a few weeks ago and they are in my Spring capsule wardrobe. I walked in these all day and they were so comfortable and did not rub any blisters, woo hoo!
We toured the USS Alabama (pictured behind me), the adjacent naval museum and the USS Drum submarine. My husband thoroughly enjoyed touring these and they were interesting to me too! Being aboard a battleship and submarine gives you an insight into how the soldiers served our country and lived aboard these military vessels.
We were going to tour one of the old homes in Mobile, but it was closed for a wedding, so we visited the Mobile Botanical Center.
Outfit Details:
striped shirt (similar) (investment / budget)
black jeans (investment / budget)
white sneakers (investment <- love these, so comfy! / budget)
Dichroic Glass Stone Necklace
Clear Glass Stone Bracelet
Drusy Stud Earrings
Madewell Transport Crossbody Bag
Me @ the Mobile Botanical Center
Day 3 Outfit: Margaritaville & A Relaxing Day
We headed out of Mobile into Pensacola wanting to tour Fort Barrancas and the National Aviation Museum but couldn’t get to them from the naval base since they were restricting visitors from entering, so we drove back toward Pensacola and discovered there was the Margaritaville Beach Hotel! Since my husband loves Jimmy Buffet, we stayed there. We were going to stay just one night, but we loved everything about the hotel, so we stayed 2 nights! They have a great restaurant, Frank and Lola, in the hotel, a full bar (of course, it’s Margaritaville, ha!), plus their Landshark Landing outdoor beach restaurant next door within walking distance. We ate at both restaurants and the food was delicous, plus we may have made a few trips to the bar to partake in a few frozen concoctions! I highly recommend the Bushwacker (with a shot of Peanut Butter whiskey on top, as recommended by the bartender), the Havanas Bananas and Marge’s Spiked Key Lime Pie frozen drinks. I normally don’t drink much, but those frozen drinks were delicious, plus they don’t overload them with alcohol, so you can enjoy them more.
Outfit Details:
striped tee (exact) (investment / budget)
medium wash jeans (investment <- the ones I’m wearing, my favorite jeans! / budget)
strap sandals (investment <- I absolutely love these! / budget)
Clear Glass Stone Bracelet
Gold Drop Earrings
Madewell Transport Crossbody Bag
Day 4 Outfit: Sightseeing Outdoors and the Beach
It was rather warm on Day 4 of our trip, so I wore these denim shorts (this year’s version) instead to stay cool. Since both my Hubby and I love history, that morning we toured Fort Pickens National Park (I absolutely love national parks and would love to visit all of them!). My husband visited the fort years ago and he enjoyed going back and seeing it again. At lunchtime, we headed back and ate at Crabs On the Beach. The food was so good and it was nice to eat in the outdoor area by the beach! We liked the drive along the shoreline through Fort Pickens National Park area, so we headed back there, stopped at one of the park’s beach areas and walked along the shore. There were just a few people there besides us, so it was nice to spend some time in the park’s beach areas.
Outfit Details:
blush tee (exact) (investment / budget)
denim shorts (this year’s version)
strap sandals (exact) (investment / budget)
Drusy Bar Necklace
Drusy Stud Earrings
Madewell Transport Crossbody Bag
One of the beach areas in Fort Pickens National Park…
Day 5 Outfit: Travel Back Home
I didn’t take a picture of my outfit since we were so focused on getting packed and getting back home due to the coronavirus outbreak. I wore my black tee, light wash jeans and my white sneakers.
It was a great Spring vacation and we want to go back to Pensacola later this year!
Shop The Post:
Love all this and have most of it…thanks to your capsule wardrobe guide! Did you get your normal size in the striped blouse or size down? They look so big and I don’t want to add visual weight…but it looks great on you!
Leanne,
You look so pretty! Thanks for this enjoyable and informative post..our city is about to go in lock down 🙁 I have noticed that your Madewell bag has the zipper on top. Madewell has changed their zipper style where it sits inside and has that extra length where you have to tuck it in—I wish they would make them the way they used to! Anyway, I like how your post shared trip details and the beach pic! Keep safe!
Hi Leanne! Can you share the sizing on the shirts/pants you wore? (If it was TTS or if you sized up or down) It’s hard to buy online because sometimes I’m a Small and sometimes a Medium. I love the packing cubes and vanity case… I might need to invest in some of those.
Love how you pull it all together.
Thank you Jill!
Carissa,
Thank you for requesting sizing info! I edited my blog post and included the sizes of everything in my travel capsule wardrobe.
Thank you Chloe! Yes, I have noticed that the zipper placement is now on the inside of Madewell’s Transport Crossbody. I’ve had my bag for about 4 years now and it is on the top. Either way, the zipper is handy to have to keep your valuable’s inside while traveling. I also love the black color. The Transport Crossbody is one of my most favorite bags! I wish you well and be safe as we all go through this difficult time. We will get through it ok.
Thank you Kara! Mine is from Madewell about 3 years ago and is a size Medium, but since it is the “Central” style shirt, it should fit the same as the current ones. I like to do a front tuck so that the shirt looks tapered and not baggy. You may can even tie it in a knot at the waist!
Great outfits, love them all. Love that you are a real size blogger. Someone I can relate to. Great outfit, trip ideas , and packing.
Thank you Tracy!
The https://classyyettrendy.com website is one of the best we have found, and the 5-Day Travel Capsule Wardrobe: What I Packed & Wore On Our Gulf Coast Vacation article is very well written and useful!
Thanks! 🙂