When it comes to mastering the art of the travel wardrobe, it’s no surprise that our favorite fashion insiders also moonlight as packing pros. In My Packing Style, we tap some of the most well-traveled people we know for a peek inside their travel bags and vacation wardrobes to see how they take their style on the road. You’ve bookmarked the trip, you’ve screenshotted the outfits; now, a look at how it all comes together
There’s something aspirational about a travel capsule wardrobe; a neatly organized itinerary; a pre-planned roster of outfits set aside for every dinner reservation and lunch date. There’s something equally aspirational (and deeply relatable) about its opposite—the type B approach to packing that comes from not overthinking it, and having enough confidence in your personal style to know that whatever you throw together, it’ll just work. Ramya Giangola, founder of Gogoluxe, fashion strategist, and street style maven extraordinaire, falls neatly into this latter camp. Of her travel routine: “I am the ultimate procrastinator,” she says.
Shop Ramya Giangola’s Suitcase
Right now, she’s en route to Paris Fashion Week; her daughter is joining her, and then the pair will be headed to Milan for a bit of post-fashion relaxation. Also on the trip? Her tried-and-true matte black Away suitcases, stuffed with Prada knitwear, Celine silk scarves, and fitted layers from Istanbul-based brand Nackiyé. “Traveling during the winter always requires an extra checked bag just because of coats, thicker sweaters, and bigger boots,” explains Giangola. “In other words: I am not just a carry-on gal.”
We caught up with the fashion entrepreneur just ahead of her trip—read on to learn about how she uses color stories to her advantage, shop her favorite on-the-go pieces of the moment, and how she handles the not-so-occasional bit of overpacking.
Are you a pre-packer or a throw-in-and-go type?
Even after all of these years of having to travel for fashion weeks and fashion conferences and meetings all over the world, I always put off packing until way later than I should. But since I can’t just throw-and-go, my last afternoon or evening before departure is generally pretty intense.
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Image courtesy of Ramya Giangola
Do you pack in outfits?
I used to do outfits every time; I would have them written down in my notes app, because it forced me to get ahead of the schedule slightly and also made me pack way less. But then two Paris Fashion Weeks ago, we had massive rainstorms in Los Angeles, and living up in the hills, we lost power. I essentially had to pack with a flashlight. I had no idea how it was going to all end up—and I remember Phil Oh telling me that he thought that season may have been my best ever. So that may be the moment I stopped packing “looks” in advance.