It’s holiday season once again, which means evenings spent poring over possible destinations, scrutinising calendars for the best time to travel, and, yes, auditing your wardrobe for an inevitable summer fashion overhaul. If you’re spending the money to travel, you might as well look good doing it!

But curating the perfect summer holiday wardrobe isn’t actually all that easy – at least, not if you want to be judicious about it. A good wardrobe is not built from impulsive, trend-driven buying; rather, it comes from strategic, high-utility curation. Your ultimate goal should be to look effortlessly polished while packing light, ensuring every piece you buy works overtime beneath the sun. What are some rules you can institute to make this practical fashion goal a reality?

Build A Capsule Wardrobe

Let’s start with a groundbreaker of a rule that’ll make you look at your wardrobe differently for life: for every two pairs of “bottoms” – that is, shorts, skirts, trousers and the like – that you pack, you should look for three distinct tops that pair with it seamlessly. This is part of the capsule wardrobe approach, which turns your brain off from buying statement pieces in isolation, and makes you think more seriously about outfit-building. The magic of this is that when you apply it to packing for holidays, the difference between packing four and five items is literally double the potential outfits. Winner!

Prioritise Fibers

If you’re going on holiday this summer, whether it’s an all-inclusive with family and friends or a solo city break, you’re undoubtedly going somewhere warm. This means there needs to be another dimension to your fashion choices: that of material. In high summer temperatures, synthetic fabrics like polyester, acrylic, and cheap nylons trap heat and sweat, ruining both your look and your physical comfort. Instead of buying cheaply and widely, focus your budget on good items made from breathable, premium textiles like linen or cotton.

Anchor Your Evenings with a Timeless Neutral

Since you’re going somewhere warm, you’ll be particularly excited to wear your loudest, neon and/or tropical prints; after all, where else could you wear them? Unfortunately, this is a fashion faux pas par excellence. Instead of dedicating yourself to loud items, make sure you leave space in your suitcase for something timeless and neutral. A minimalist black linen midi or maxi dress could be a perfectly chic blank slate for evening wear, easy to pair with practically anything.

“Cobblestone-Compliant” Footwear

We’ve all been here before. You got excited and packed some thrilling holiday heels, only to realise most of your days are spent hobbling across Old-Town cobbles and giving yourself some serious pain in the process. Wherever you go, you’ll be walking across a wide variety of surfaces, so shop and pack accordingly! This means, more or less, leaving the stiletto heels on the shelf. Instead, go for a pair of minimalist, supportive leather flats for daytime walking, and an architectural block heel or woven metallic slide for the evening.