The coveted look for vacationers this summer is sleek and chic — with an emphasis on sleek.
Many travelers, especially air travelers, are aiming to get up and go with as few accouterments as they can without sacrificing style.
People are thinking about packing light at all stages of the traveling process: from what suitcases they'll use to the souvenirs they'll buy.
Stylist Amanda Ross, fashion director for travel-themed Departures magazine, says she thinks about packing when she's doing her initial shopping. "It really comes down to how you shop and what your wardrobe is about."
But even more basic is the bag it will go in.
There are more FedEx boxes of clothes and accessories coming into the lobby of Manhattan's upscale Mondrian SoHo than one might imagine — and fewer luxury-brand suitcases that would complement the handbags that its typical fashion-savvy guests carry, says hotel General Manager Gary Thomas.
He personally uses that send-ahead system. "You don't have to carry anything then or worry about an extra pound or two, and it's even more reliable than taking it with you."
There are also fewer last-minute items, the ones you rarely "need," tossed in, he says.
"The weight issue has become huge, especially in the past year," agrees Dan Tarala, vice president of product design and strategy for Victorinox Travel Gear. "It's the No. 1 thing we hear."
