As we approach the end of term, thoughts of travel naturally arise, so many adventures home and abroad. The main thing with these is to return rested and restored, replete with memorable anecdotes for the endless cocktail hour that is Hilary Term. Since no good story features wardrobe embarrassment, either in the content or the delivery, do proceed carefully, as follows:
Maximize sartorial options on the road by treating your travel case like your closet, storing toiletries, books and other diversions in a separate satchel. Wear your heaviest pair of shoes and pack your lightest (pair or pairs), and travel out in the same ensemble in which you will return.
Whilst abroad, remember our earlier encouragement to appear effortlessly arrived, which is to say, as if you never left. Nothing tells a tourist more than ‘travel’ kit, and while the destination climate may well require special arrangements (shorter trousers, or a tie you can wear to the beach), do resist the temptation to wear wrinkle-free fabrics, anything with ‘extra’ pockets, or a jacket that compresses into a key chain.
Especially if you have arranged particular engagements before departure (such as dinner reservations, a debutante ball, or something fancy dress), it pays to pack accordingly, so do give some thought to what might look best on each day’s occasion. We know some very fashionable people, not all of them gentlemen, who wear only certain colours which they know do well together. While the practice is slightly conservative on the home front, though no less effective for this reason, it makes eminent sense when taking the show on tour, celebrating the freedom of reduced circumstances. Finally, do leave a small amount of space in your packing for chance acquisitions, bearing in mind that intensely regional dress tends not to travel very well, if at all. Depending on how far you’ve ventured, all manner of sartorial indulgence may be justified, by the certain knowledge that none of your friends will return in the winter with the same pieces in their closet.
