Summer Wardrobe Styling

Create a hard-working capsule holiday wardrobe

Marella was originally conceived as a collection for Maxmara back in 1976. Marella (meaning ‘shining star’ or ‘star of the sea’) went on to become an independent brand in 1988, offering glamorous and contemporary fashion for women. 

Today, producing innovative designs, Italian clothing and accessories brand Marella features a range of chic dresses, t-shirts, trousers and more. Update your new season holiday wardrobe with Marella pieces to add a chic touch to any outfit. Shop our Brenda Muir Marella edit in-store and online now!

If you’re currently planning a getaway abroad, or even just a short Scottish staycation, remember it’s imperative (and never too early!) to start planning and curating your holiday wardrobe. All too often people tend to leave packing until the last minute, then chuck in anything and everything, and end up over-packing. If this is your normal packing routine you probably end up bringing items home unworn and wasting too much time on holiday hunting through a pile of clothes, trying to decide what to wear, when you could be out sunbathing or exploring.

It’s a common misconception that having more clothes to hand makes it easier to decide what to wear. You might feel like overpacking means you’re covered for every fashion eventuality. However, the reality is that less is more. But it does take prior planning to get the ‘correct’ mix of garments and accessories neatly packed in your suitcase. This might not sound like much fun, but the pay off is such that we’d recommend you make time to plan your holiday wardrobe carefully!

If you’ve had enough of lugging too many clothes back and forth on holiday and are tired of stressing over what to wear, then read our 5 Top Tips on holiday packing below.

Hopefully then you’ll have holiday outfits that make you look and feel great, and more time to do what you want to!

• Before you start pulling garments at random out of your wardrobe, consider the following 5 factors. What time of year are you going? What will the weather be like? How are you getting there? (If you’re travelling by car then you’ll probably be able to take more with you than if you’re flying to your destination.) Are there any luggage restrictions? (Check luggage restrictions with the airline, as not all airlines offer the same weight allowances.) Who are you going with? (If you’re travelling with a group of friends, work out between you who will take what. There’s no need for everyone to pack a hairdryer!)

• Once you’ve considered the physical practicalities of your holiday, now think about what you’re likely to be doing whilst you’re away. You don’t have to plan each day, but are there any local customs you need to consider? If you’re sightseeing and plan on looking around churches and monuments, you may need to cover your shoulders and legs – so bear that in mind. If you’re jetting off on a city break do you need to pack all ten of your bikinis?! That being said, if you’re planning on days of poolside lounging, you’ll probably need all of those bikinis plus other beachwear garments like kaftans, scarves and cover-ups. 

• Take the right ratio of garments. If you’re likely to be relaxing on the beach most days then it’s a waste of time taking tailored outfits that are better suited to tourist activities. You’d be better off packing 70% beach/daywear and 30% evening/sightseeing clothing. 

• Think about the type of fabrics that are best suited to your break. Linen is fantastic for hot weather, but if it’s a humid heat you’re jetting off to, linen can end up creasing badly. Also, you’re simply not going to have time to iron garments if you’ve got a jam-packed family activity schedule, so pack clothes that need little maintenance. It’s not ideal to spend precious downtime hanging/ironing/steaming linens, silks and cottons. 

• Once you’ve finally worked out what type of clothing you need to pack you can start to plan your holiday outfits. The easiest way to do this is to lay your potential looks out on a flat, clean surface and play around with mixing and matching them. This is an important part of the process as it will help you identify unnecessary items that you’ll be likely to bring home unworn. Also remember that there is no need to take an entirely different collection of clothes with you for evenings. Instead, pack accessories that can take your outfits from day to night, ie. a woven holdall and a leather clutch.