If I’m being completely transparent, I’ve never been much of a “good” packer. Whereas every one else I have ever traveled with learned pretty early on that carry-ons were the safest and easiest way to go, I remained stubborn. Ignoring logic, I succumbed to a life spent panicking at the baggage carousel, crossing my fingers that my suitcase would eventually arrive on the belt unscathed. Then the pandemic happened. One too many articles about lost luggage later, I finally forced myself to become a carry-on person.
Last week, when I flew to Norway to attend Oslo Runway (the city’s version of fashion week), was the first time I can honestly say that I packed well. Twice this summer, I’ve traveled internationally with only a carry-on, and twice, I was disappointed at how chaotic a job I’d done. But this time, I finally managed to pack an almost perfect number of pieces for the three-night stay that involved press dinners, launch parties, runway shows, and presentations. We even went to the woods two hours outside of Oslo to visit Vestre, the world’s most sustainable furniture factory.
To celebrate my packing achievement, I thought I’d document all the handpicked items I brought along with me, hailing the pieces that I wore more than once and even accepting defeat about the ones that, sadly, should’ve stayed at home. See everything that I packed and wore below.
For the first day of shows, I picked a pretty classic ensemble that I knew would work for any occasion, be it a breakfast at one of Oslo’s most prominent jewelers or ESP’s runway show at the city’s old library. Specifically, I chose this pretty, off-white top from St. Agni and paired it with a stretchy column skirt from Harris Tapper. Both proved easy to style with other items—the skirt with a simple tank top for when I had free time and the top with slouchy jeans—making them more than worthy of spots in my luggage. Probably my biggest flex of the look was that I walked in these By Far heels for the entire day, not to mention practically the whole trip. Not pictured, though, was the floor-sweeping PVC trench coat that I carried with me the entire day after I mistakenly brought it along just in case it got cold. (It didn’t.) I packed it for this outfit specifically, so you can imagine my disappointment when the weather didn’t warrant outerwear at all. Note to self: Check the temperature before you waste valuable packing room on unnecessary jackets.
I found this dress at Zara just a few days before I left for Oslo and knew that I wanted to bring it with me. It feels so luxurious for a $50 dress and can easily be transitioned from a daytime sundress to an evening look with a quick shoe change. Unfortunately, I chose to bring an unnecessary pair of uncomfortable heels to go with it—one of my few not-so-smart packing decisions from the trip—leading me to change not long after I put the look together. This dress, though, will absolutely be worn again, just with better shoes next time.
Ever since I saw a black waistcoat paired with a matching column skirt on the runway at Saint Laurent’s S/S 22 show, I’ve wanted to re-create the look. Earlier this summer, I did so at the office and received enough compliments to convince me to do it all over again in Oslo. I paired the duo, which was almost too easy to roll up and fit into my luggage, with my trusty By Far mules that, despite looking uncomfortable, are the best (and chicest) walking heels I own. I also chose to carry the same bag I carried throughout my journey to Norway and for the entirety of day one of Oslo Runway. My only mistake with this look was packing two separate black maxi skirts when I could have easily worn the one I packed for day one with this outfit as well. Because I wore this Aritzia skirt when I debuted this outfit, I naturally packed it for this look rather than noticing that I had two of the same things in my suitcase. Clearly, flexibility isn’t my strong suit. Something to work on for next time.
This outfit was all about having the foresight to know that by the afternoon of day two, I was going to be jet lagged and therefore unwilling to dress up. The idea was to wear as comfortable an outfit as possible that still looked effortlessly cool and put together, which I did using my new favorite COS linen trousers and a boxy ACNE Studios shirt that I got from Poshmark. To change things up, I swapped out my Freja bag for Wandler’s Georgia bag, which you’ll know I frequent if you follow me on Instagram. Initially, I had planned to really play up the comfy look by wearing my Adidas Sambas, bringing them all the way from NYC just for the sake of this outfit. (Even worse, I also packed running shoes for working out, so I actually had two pairs of sneakers.) Unfortunately, by the time I put the entire ensemble together, the Sambas looked way too casual for the events of the day, making them a bit of a bust.
I should know better by now than to pack practically the same item in multiple colors for a three-day trip with a tight schedule. And yet, after adding this tan tube top from one of my favorite brands right now, Haus Label, I went ahead and added three more strapless shirts to my carry-on just for the sake of it. I figured they were small and easy to pack so why not? But really, they just took up space I could have left open for potential shopping opportunities in Oslo. I don’t regret bringing this Mango midi skirt or these Dear Frances boots, even if it was still summer and I could’ve gone for a less space-consuming shoe style. For the final day, we drove two hours toward the Swedish border to visit a sustainable furniture factory that was surrounded by forest. In other words, we did a lot of walking on unruly terrain, so I was happy to have shoes that were comfortable and looked cute with my favorite skirt purchase of 2022 so far.
I swear every single Oslo Runway attendee wore low-rise trousers at least once.
Apparently, the officewear trend from fall/winter 2022 hit Oslo first because I was seeing pinstripes on every street.
If there’s one thing the Nordic fashion scene does well, it’s accessorize.
When the weather did cool down, heavy-duty leather jackets were all anyone was wearing.
Norwegian brand Ilag styled thick, slouchy socks like these with vintage heels in the chicest way.
Claw clips were probably the accessories I saw most on my trip.
The more oversize the blazer, the better among the street style set outside of shows.
Just like in NYC, knee-high boots were a favorite in Oslo.
I saw a street style photo of someone wearing a skirt just like this with a black knit and a cream-colored clutch. It was so simple and chic.
I wouldn’t have been able to escape the sporty-sunglasses trend in Oslo even if I tried (but why would I want that?).
