Packing for heat

Packing a hot week out of one catalog

Thin fabric is a nuisance at home and exactly what you want in a suitcase. A ten piece capsule from this range, and how to wash it in a hotel sink.

The summer half of this catalog is built out of light polyester and cotton blends, which is why it packs so well. A dress from this range folds to the size of a paperback, weighs almost nothing and comes out of a case with fewer creases than the linen you were tempted by.

Ten pieces for a week

1. Two cami or halter day dresses in prints, which read differently in photos and pack flat.
2. One long tie back maxi for evenings, in a fabric with drape.
3. Two plain tops, one cropped and one longer, both in solid colours.
4. One pair of linen or cotton shorts with an elastic waist.
5. One skirt or skort that works with both tops.
6. Two swimsuits, so one is always dry.
7. One crochet or gauze cover up that doubles as a beach layer and an evening shrug.

That is ten items, well under three kilos, and it gives roughly fifteen combinations. Keep the tops and bottoms in a small range of colours and the dresses can be as loud as you like.

Fabric choices for heat

• Cotton blends against the skin, because they breathe and feel cooler even when they crease.
• Polyester blends for anything that must dry fast, including everything for the pool.
• Rayon for evening drape, but pack it rolled, since it holds a fold hard.
• Skip faux leather and heavy knits entirely.

Sun and thin fabric

A single layer of thin cotton is not sun protection. On a long beach day take a real cover up with some weight to it or stay under something. This applies twice over to the children in the group, where none of these pieces carry a UV rating.

Washing in a hotel sink

1. Fill the basin with cool water and a small squeeze of shampoo or body wash.
2. Press the garment through the water for a minute. Do not rub or wring.
3. Rinse in clean cool water until it stops feeling slippery.
4. Lay it flat in a bath towel, roll the towel up and press down hard. This takes out most of the water.
5. Hang it on a hanger from the shower rail or the balcony. Polyester will be dry in an hour, cotton overnight.

Swimwear on holiday

Rinse in fresh cold water every single day, before the suit dries. Chlorine left in the fabric keeps eating the elastane after you leave the pool. Two suits alternated will both come home usable, one worn daily will not.

Packing method

Roll the knits, fold the wovens flat with the print facing in. Put the swimsuits in a small waterproof bag near the top so they can go straight to the pool. Keep one dress out of the case entirely and in the hand luggage, which solves the first evening if the bag is late.

What comes home

Everything gets a proper cold wash within a day of landing. Sun cream and salt both leave residue that yellows white and pale fabric if it sits, and by the time you notice it is set.