Little Girl Capsule Wardrobe for Summer Travel

Hi, friends! I’ve missed you during this little break! While it was nice to focus and take some time off, I’ve also realized this is a positive and happy space for me, and I’m glad to be back. Thank you for staying with me!

I wanted to jump back into these packing posts in hopes that they’ll help you out with some holiday travels. Today we’re doing the little girl version!

For about 3-3.5 years, K has pretty much avoided wearing anything but dresses/skirts. On rare occasions (hiking, for instance), I can convince her into some leggings/stretchy pants, and even more rarely, she’ll don a pair of shorts. Other than those few exceptions, she almost exclusively wears dresses, the twirlier the better.

This made packing for her fairly straightforward. I didn’t have to deal with a bunch of pieces, because I knew she just preferred dresses, anyway, regardless of weather. So I packed her 5 dresses in a variety of weights and colors, along with some layering pieces. Here’s what she had in her packing cube:

SUMMER TRAVEL CAPSULE WARDROBE (LITTLE GIRL)

Dresses:
- Her beloved mustard Alice + Ames
- Flamingo print twirly, flutter-sleeve Dot Dot Smile
- Apple print Hum Stitchery pinafore + striped top
- Peter-pan collar striped shift dress from Monoprix (from our last trip to Paris last November…Monoprix always has the most darling kids’ clothes)
- Bright yellow dress from Boden kids (it’s a couple years old, but here’s a similar one)
Jeweled sweatshirt from J.Crew Factory
Thick, stretchy ponte pants that could either be worn under dresses as leggings or on their own with the peter-pan collar top
Shoes
- Saltwater sandals
- Washable green canvas oxfords from Small Lot
1 nightgown (matching set with her stuffed bear)
1 swimsuit (tankini – much easier for travel and bathroom purposes)
Undies, bike shorts (to wear under dresses) + a couple pairs of socks
1 pair of thick, sparkly navy tights
Hair
- Ponies
- 2 sets of bows from my favorite bow shop, OwlMoonBaby (I love her…darling prints, durable, and very reasonably priced. She has no idea who I am but I am her biggest fan)
- 2 basic grosgrain hair ribbons
- 1 headband
Lightweight down jacket (she has this one in yellow)
1 stuffed animal

Travel Days: All of K’s stuff fit fairly easily in a medium-sized packing cube. When flying, we typically had hear wear a dress with the stretchy pants under, the sweatshirt, and the oxfords. In general, we tried to fly while wearing our heaviest items, both because airplanes get cold and to save on weight.

Layering & Weather: It turned out Europe had a giant heat wave when we were there, so even in the areas where it could’ve gotten quite cold, it didn’t. But HAD it gotten cold, she could’ve layered a thicker dress with tights, then the stretchy pants on top of them, plus a sweatshirt and down jacket. Turns out, heat was much more of an issue for us – but there’s not too much you can do about 100F with humidity, no air conditioning. 😉

I tried to pack her a mix of thicker, heavier dresses and cooler ones. The flamingo and Boden ones were very lightweight, while the Alice + Ames and Monoprix are a little thicker. I also tried to mix up shapes of dresses – a couple twirly and a couple shift. I also threw the pinafore and top in there to give some variety, and so she could wear the top with the ponte pants if needed.

Accessories & Shoes: In everyday life, K always wears bike shorts under her dresses, so I made sure to pack those for the trip, as well. They’re great for letting her wear her beloved dresses, but still being able to run and play without being self-conscious.]

K, like me, prefers to be sandals most of the time, so she mostly wore her Saltwaters. So the Small Lot oxfords were perfect to have along for her. They were fine for our short hikes, are very lightweight, are washable, and take up very little space when packed. I wouldn’t recommend them if a kid is wearing them for a ton of walking as I could see them wearing somewhat easily, but since I knew K wouldn’t be using them very much, they were a great option for us.

And that’s about it! What questions do you have? What would you add or remove for your girlie?