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How to prepare the perfect weekend suitcase: the secrets of art lovers

by Francesca Delogu

Preparing a weekend suitcase is an underappreciated art. Packing for a month by the sea is somehow easier: there is room for mistakes, rethinking, for the pieces that are too heavy or too urban, which will return home still folded. Two days, on the other hand, demand precision: the secret lies in the courage to give up the safety net and trust your instincts (which is always the most difficult part).

 

Women who understand this are instantly recognisable: they arrive at a vernissage with a bag that seems too small to hold the necessary items and move fluidly through exhibitions, cocktails, openings and improvised dinners without ever looking out of place.

The “art lovers”, those that orbit the Biennale, film festivals, art fairs and fashion weeks, have developed a kind of mental assembly of the wardrobe over the years: few dresses, infinite possibilities, no excess. They know that elegance on the road has more to do with pace than quantity. Perhaps the most sophisticated embodiment of this was mythical Rosamond Bernier, a journalist, founder of L’Œil magazine and a friend of Picasso and Matisse. She spent her life among ateliers, museums, editorial offices and airports with the impeccable lightness of those who never carry more than necessary. Her true luxury was her selection.
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May is the perfect month to take inspiration from this approach. The Arte di Venezia Biennale has just opened its 61st edition and, almost at the same time, the Cannes Festival transforms the Croisette into a parallel runway made up of film fans, photographers, actresses and curators who manage to transition from the beach to a première while maintaining the same naturalness.

Cannes, after all, is the place where you really understand the difference between being well-dressed and having a rational elegance: the salt-laden wind coming from the sea, the days that start early with interviews at the hotels and end at sunset among terraces and red-carpet stairways, make it necessary to choose garments that can withstand the temperatures and unexpected events of the programme. The most elegant women at the festival keep it simple. Those who have been attending these events for years – cultural journalists, press officers, collectors and gallery owners – have solved the problem once and for all: a small bag, a cohesive look, and just a few pieces that can switch things up. Taking a peek at their weekend wardrobe is more useful than any tutorial.

The floor method: the fashion hack for packing a suitcase

There’s a trick that fashion stylists know all too well, but which rarely leaves the editorial offices: before putting together a shoot, they lay everything out on the floor. The combinations are observed from above and then moved, remixed and overlapped. It’s a visual exercise that works like a charm, even over a weekend: laying jackets, skirts and T-shirts out on the floor radically changes your perspective, making unnecessary duplicates and avoidable clutter immediately obvious (‘I might need this’ is a classic excuse, isn’t it?). Changing the perspective also reveals unexpected combinations: the elegant kimono with the linen trousers, the blazer over a white satin skirt, the minimalist denim outfit that acquires cinematic elegance with a foulard tied at the neck.

By going through your travel wardrobe with this technique, you can also drastically reduce the number of shoes you take, highlighting how many you don’t really need.

 

It’s no coincidence that art lovers choose them with almost scientific precision: ballet flats – perhaps in red for a touch of drama – that allow you to stay on your feet all day, and kitten heels that change your body’s rhythm and your look. Two pairs are enough, the rest is just noise. 

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The essentials that do it all

“Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away,” wrote Saint-Exupéry in Wind, Sand and Stars. He was talking about aviation, but it could also be the description of the ideal suitcase. The unwritten rule of great travellers is that every item must earn its place in a suitcase at least three times: that is, it must be able to “multiply” its role in three different situations and capable of changing function, adapting and conveying a different energy.  If it can’t, it remains at home.

A good place to start might be a key piece: a kimono-inspired white linen tunic with a sage-green ramage. Wearing it on its own is already a complete look for a day among the pavilions; paired with soft trousers it becomes more practical, while with a belt at the waist it can be the star attraction at an aperitif on the Grand Canal. To round it off, a few key pieces: a long linen waistcoat that transitions from morning to evening with equal ease (simply change what you wear underneath), loose-fitting trousers in a neutral shade to take you from one occasion to the next without ever looking out of place, a complete white look – skirt, shirt and duster coat—to mix and match as you please, and a cotton T-shirt, the ultimate basic and versatile piece. Accessories take care of everything else. A bowling bag, a foulard that transforms into a turban when the wind rises along the seafront, a clutch bag, and chunky bangles reminiscent of Peggy Guggenheim’s flamboyant and theatrical entourage as she stepped out of the gondola. Nothing is there by chance.

 

And then there’s always the irrational element. The one that breaks all the rules: a tobacco-coloured sheer cape with delicate ruffles, for example – a piece that serves no practical purpose and probably doesn’t even pass the famous rule of three. But it weighs next to nothing, takes up less space than a jumper, and has the rare ability to turn an ordinary evening into a vivid memory. It’s the kind of garment that fits neatly into your suitcase and makes all the difference. Because, ultimately, the ideal trolley is one that manages to say something about who we are with just a few elements, much like certain well-curated collections or the homes of great collectors: nothing excessive or haphazard, everything distinctive and full of life. And perhaps that is precisely the ultimate goal: to travel light without ever giving the impression that you have sacrificed anything.

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