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100 Days in Europe: Looking good with as little as possible

Hello everyone!

Soon I will be embarking on a study abroad adventure to Europe (7 weeks in London and 7 weeks in Florence) and I'm trying to minimize what I carry as much as possible, while still looking stylish. Since I will be studying music, I will be attending lots of opera and classical music performances where nicer clothing is required. I am also unfortunately required to bring black dress pants, a black dress shirt and black dress shoes.

So far this is what I've got:

Blue Rain Jacket
Navy Blazer
Navy Merino Wool V-Neck Sweater
3 Ties (Blue Knit, Navy Pattern, Red Pattern)
3 Dress Shirts (White, Black and Blue)
2 Casual Button-Ups (Pink and Blue Windowpane and Blue Gingham)
2 Polos (Navy w/ Orange Stripe and White w/ Blue Stripe)
Grey Long Sleeve Henley
2 Tee Shirts (Red North Face Athletic Tee and Blue J.Crew Pocket Tee)
Black and Brown Belts
14 Pairs of Underwear
Black Dress Pants
Charcoal Grey Chinos
Slim, Raw Stretch Jeans
12 Pais of Socks
White Leather Sneakers
Brown Leather Desert Boots
Black Cap-Toe Dress Shoes

Anything I can remove/replace to save space? Anything I'm forgetting? Did I slim down too much?

Posted by
11158 posts

If you can do laundry on a weekly basis, your socks and underwear could be reduced.

With what you describe, I would take just the black belt. Its a small item, but if space is really tight, every bit helps.

Otherwise it looks good for your circumstances

Posted by
158 posts

Definitely fewer socks and underwear. Maybe only 7-10. You could probably leave out one of the polo shirts since you have 2 casual button ups.

Have you test packed it all in your bag already?

Posted by
7642 posts

I would not reduce the underwear and socks. Those will largely dictate how often you do laundry.

Also, those items take up less space.

Shoes and boots, on the other hand take up a lot of space. Do you need the boots? Also, jeans are heavy and consider kakis instead.

If you are going during cold weather, you need a second sweater.

Suggest bringing an umbrella.

Posted by
8938 posts

Keep the jeans if you want to fit in. Students don't wear khakis. It doesn't take long for them to dry and you don't have to wash them every time you wear them. Mine only take overnight to dry.
My best tip - roll your clothing. You will fit more into your suitcase.

Your list looks fine. If you need anything else, you can buy it here and then have a nice souvenir.

Posted by
12172 posts

I think it's a decent list. 12 pairs of socks seems like a lot. I pack three and just wash a pair of socks and underwear in the sink daily - then wash everything about every other week. Don't forget to also pack underwear. I usually pack a reversible belt to save a little weight - but I'm a very light packer.

For the white sneakers, the style in France a couple weeks ago was white Stan Smith tennis shoes.

A pair of light weight warm ups (I have some from underarmour) can double as pajamas and laundry day wear (or if you get invited to play a sport).

Have a great trip!