Have you ever noticed how quickly men pack a suitcase? And how different the whole process tends to be for us women? The worst question you can possibly ask the day before a trip is probably: “Have you packed yet?”

Of course not. First, there are the children’s clothes to pack, the house to tidy, those last-minute purchases to make, and documents, medication, chargers and all the other things we apparently cannot possibly go on holiday without to check. Our own clothes usually come last.

Why is that?

Men do have it somewhat easier when it comes to packing. Generally speaking, they have fewer types of clothing, a more limited colour palette and, let’s be honest, they tend to be a little less influenced by trends and influencers. As a result, their wardrobes are often simpler and the individual pieces easier to mix and match.

They also tend to shop a little differently. More often, they buy what they actually need and quite frequently prioritise quality. A few T-shirts, two pairs of trousers, a shirt, a sweater and two pairs of shoes – and their holiday wardrobe is almost ready.

And us? We don’t just pack clothes. We pack possibilities.

What if it gets chilly in the evening? What if we go somewhere nice for dinner? What if it rains? What if I don’t feel like wearing a dress that day? What if everyone else is more elegantly dressed?

Every “what if” means another item. And another pair of shoes. And once we have added the shoes, we need a handbag to go with them. Then another cardigan, another dress, and those trousers we hardly ever wear at home but which suddenly seem absolutely essential for seven days by the sea.

In the end, we are no longer packing for the holiday we are actually going on, but for every holiday that could theoretically happen.

Then we come home and realise we haven’t worn half of what we packed.

That is why I have one simple rule when it comes to packing:

Don’t pack individual items. Pack outfits.

Before you leave, put together several complete looks. Check whether the same shoes work with different outfits, whether one handbag complements several combinations, and whether a cardigan or blazer can be worn on most evenings.

A good holiday suitcase is not one that contains everything. It is one in which almost everything works with everything else.

What helps?

A dress is a great travel companion. Many women have already discovered this simple trick. You put on one piece and you are, essentially, dressed. There is no need to work out which top goes with which bottom, which makes packing considerably easier too.

Don’t buy orphan pieces. If you have tended to buy individual items rather than complete combinations, you have probably already discovered why one of the first principles of dressing well is this: buy coordinated sets of clothing. Every new item should work with something you already own.

Choose a colour palette for your suitcase. Two or three core colours with a few accent colours are usually enough. This allows you to create more combinations with fewer clothes. And if you already know which colours suit you best, it becomes even easier.

Be careful with shoes. Shoes are the greatest enemy of a light suitcase. They take up a lot of space and have an annoying habit of demanding outfits of their own. Two or three pairs that can be worn in different ways are usually enough. If a particular dress requires shoes that work with absolutely nothing else, perhaps the dress should stay at home too.

Don’t pack for the woman you might become on holiday. If you never wear long romantic dresses, high heels or enormous hats at home, there is a fairly good chance you will not suddenly start wearing them on holiday either. A holiday changes your surroundings, but it does not necessarily change your personal style.

Every item should earn its place.

Before putting something into your suitcase, ask yourself:

What will I wear this with?

If you have only one answer, think again. The best travellers are clothes that have at least two or three friends in the suitcase.

Change your look with accessories. A scarf, jewellery, a belt or an interesting handbag takes up very little space but can make a significant difference to your overall appearance. A simple dress can look relaxed during the day, while in the evening you can add jewellery, different shoes or a scarf and create an entirely different look.

And leave some space. Not just because you might buy something while you are away. A suitcase that can only be closed by sitting on it is already trying to tell you something.

When You Get Home, Don’t Unpack Too Quickly

Make use of the fact that your holiday experience is still fresh in your mind. Before washing, ironing and putting everything back into your wardrobe, take a moment to look at what you actually wore.

A suitcase is, in fact, a very interesting test of how well our wardrobe works.

Less choice can sometimes make life easier

At home, we might have fifteen pairs of trousers and twenty tops, yet still stand in front of the wardrobe in the morning wondering what to wear.

On holiday, we have three pairs of trousers and five tops. And somehow, it works.

It is a useful reminder that the quality of a wardrobe does not depend on how many clothes we own, but primarily on how many good combinations we can create from them.

Which pieces were your winners?

On holiday, it quickly becomes clear which clothes we naturally reach for most often. Although we may have brought plenty with us, certain pieces end up being worn again and again.

Why?

They probably suit us well. The colour is right. The fabric feels comfortable. We feel good wearing them. They do not require a special bra, a particular pair of shoes or fifteen minutes of thought about what on earth to wear with them.

When you get home, ask yourself:

Which three items did I wear most often?

And more importantly: why those three?

The answer may tell you more about your personal style than looking at the latest fashion trends ever could.

Even more interesting are the clothes you didn’t wear

Almost every suitcase brings home at least one item that spent the entire holiday neatly folded, patiently waiting for its moment.

Why didn’t you wear it?

Does it crease too easily? Is it uncomfortable? Does it require special underwear? Does it only work with one pair of shoes? Did you have nothing to combine it with? Or did you pack it for an imaginary occasion that never actually happened?

Before automatically putting it back into your wardrobe, ask yourself:

If I didn’t want to wear it even on holiday, why do I have it at home?

That does not necessarily mean it has to leave your wardrobe immediately. But it is certainly a question worth considering.

A suitcase is really a miniature wardrobe

A well-packed suitcase follows very much the same logic as a well-curated wardrobe. This does not mean that everything has to be beige, black and minimalist. Far from it.

What matters is that there is a connection between the clothes. The colours should work together, tops should combine with different bottoms, the same shoes should complement several outfits, and accessories should allow us to vary our look.

And if we know our personal colour palette as well, the whole process becomes that much easier.

The aim of a good wardrobe is not to own as few clothes as possible. I am not an advocate of wardrobes in which we are supposed to have an exact, predetermined number of items either. What matters is something else entirely: having the right amount of the right clothes. Clothes that suit our lifestyle, our body characteristics, our colouring and our personal style – and that work well together.

A suitcase is very honest in this respect. When space is limited, we quickly discover what we genuinely enjoy wearing and what we can actually do without.

Every holiday can teach us something about our wardrobe: what we truly wear, what makes us feel good and what, apparently, we can quite happily live without.