7 cities, different color math, one suit.
Showing up right. For you.
Think about this. Have you ever shown up in a locale and felt just so damn out of place. Not because the place isn’t you, but simply because what you’re showing on the outside is just so out of sync with your new surroundings. It’s uncomfortable enough in our day to day lives, the meeting where we misread the tone, the event where we didn’t gauge the terrain correctly (high heels on dirt, flip flops on marble) or the skritchy wool knit, albeit light weight, cardigan that seemed so right in London but out of step in Florence in June. But it extra sucks when you’ve planned for a get away and you’re looking forward to just…..being.
Knowing the color math of a destination helps get you in the right mindset, for what to pack, how to layer. I sucked at math in school, don’t worry, I’ve kept it all simple. The numbers in the two bracketts [ ] are the color rings that serve as the foundation for what goes in the luggage. The pluses outside the brackets are the add ons, and the smaller numbers indicate the accents. If there’s a little “f” by a number it means the accent is a “fashion friction” add-on, not a foundational. Things that give good ick.
If you need direction on reading the ring, you can reference the p. 138 in The Creative Pragmatist book here.
For my original story “color math by destination for packing” I gave the formulas for many destinations that I’ve visited throughout the world. I’ll keep adding to them - many of you have sent requests for additional recommendations. The math is to help a CREATIVE PRAGMATIST navigate wildly disparate destinations. When I visit a location, I build my suitcase around the TONE (the vibe of the people, the music, the hustle or lack of on the streets); the TEMPERATURE and the TERRAIN (are we talking burnt orange sunsets, grey clouds or turquoise skies?).
To give you an idea how your favorite item in the closet gets a switch up - depending - I’m going to build everything around this one suit:
Ok, let’s start with these two locations. It’s funny, when I’m sketching I can literally feel how I’ll be in these different places. I’ve chosen two destinations that are predicated on the idea of just really relaxing. There’s water, sports, and good food involved. But the terrain and the tone wildly different. Breakfast and a day lakeside at Villa D’este, there’s a casual ease but a polish to the area. Marble floors, green lawns, and deep blue water. The core of the suitcase is the classic 2’s, and accents of color and the refinement of a chic black make it feel just right. And whilst I’m always a fan of a good “ish” of ring 3, those neutrals that tone down any brights, at Lake Como I crave a bit of “crispness.” Here on Necker Island though, the water is a bright turquoise, the birds are brightly colored, iguanas abound, and poolside you’re apt to see some flashes of gold embroidery but decidedly chill. A bright colored bikini, the open jacket as a shirt and a straw hat (a bit of cowboy vibes for me, always) make me feel like I just nailed the moment.
Lake Como, Italy Necker Island
This same suit, broken up in myriad ways, takes me to many places and certainly don’t require bodies of water nearby to feel at home:
St. Barts. Lots of yachts, shoes that want to be chic but absolutely made for walking, a “touch” of bohemian - but just a touch, like beads but paired with a slouchy knit and ballooned seersucker - nothing that indicates I’m headed to a 3-day music festival, but the spirit is there all the same. The color math is a little different than Lake Como above, I found black really never made it’s way out of my luggage when I once made the mistake of bringing too much - but those ring 2 classics in styles decidedly more chill, maybe even a bit sexier and less tailored with pieces I picked up on the street, like beads, a fun mini skirt or bikini - felt just right.
Dinner in Milan. My simple black tube dress - a strappy minimal sandal feels just right with the “shirt blazer” tossed on the shoulders sitting outside devouring a bowl of pasta. This feels dressed up, but hardly, at the same time. During the day it’s important that a jacket like this is pliable enough to tie around the waist. Bonus. 1s and 2s rule Milan, the saturated 4’s are fashion moments, and the 3’s are just a very light touch - save those for places like Greve and Florence where you’ll wear them in abundance.
Nantucket. Preppy was invented here, it’s a way of life not a handbook. All the same, full stop it’s not a look for me. But there’s a reason why it defines the area - the crisp air, the racquet sports, clams by the water call for the sturdiness of fabrics like piquets, chinos, and canvas. Mixing in a slouchy polo shirt with the pant here gives it the good prep; the sneakers a must without fully conforming. An ironic nod to the color tropes feels just right. See?
Castellana Grotte. I’m staying at my favorite home/hotel abode Casa Caroseno -
Think sandy white architecture, fields for picnics, a cow farm nearby that makes the local cheese, the most incredible dinners at Osteria del Caroseno, cobblestone streets in town and day excursions to Puglia.
A weekend in L.A, I’m picking the Beverly Hills Hotel - it’s an old school scene and I love figuring out how to feel just like myself no matter who’s sitting next to you poolside. There’s just a real ease that comes in knowing who you are and how to show it. Figuring that out by destination is just beyond. Truly.