Packing tight. 4 day wedding weekend out west.

Carry on the mandate, style important but so is functionality. I got this.

Traci is pacing in the hotel room, it’s so very unlike her. She’s waffling, unsure of what to wear to the evening reception. The invite reads: cocktails, boleros, and boots. We know the bride Sarah is going to look over the top and that’s not an indicator of how to dress. The chocolate fringe Margiela jacket, the chiffon beaded gown hiked up into a micro mini dress secured with a silver conch belt and custom made grass green and black cowboy boots is Sarah’s fit. But Sarah would wear this on a Friday in the office, so it’s not necessarily a bellwether for how to dress, but it does convey the vibe.

I tell Traci that I think basically anything goes, as long as you’re winking at it with some cowboy irony.

She doesn’t find my words consoling. Traci’s got two outfits laid out - one a chicly minimalist black heavy silk dress from our Fall 2016 runway (see below) and the other a raw denim skirt, a navy fine ribbed sweater and cowboy shirt (a style she tells me I cancelled from a collection a few years ago - I don’t recall that - either way I apologize, I want it back). Both options include a pair of black Marni cowboy boots.

I’m showing the white version of Traci’s dress to give you a visual. Unrelated side, this show was good! The memories from this time aren’t great. This was at the height of tension between the old guard magazine editors and the rise of the influencer and a sour-ey malaise clung to the entire fashion week. Also, Traci and I were straightjacketed by the department stores we (thought we had to) sell to. Our runway shows never reflected what hit the stores. We’ve never looked back after severing those ties in 2020. But that’s another story for another time…..we get back to Traci and the serious decisions to be made here in Jackson Wyoming.

Traci tries on the black dress. She stomps around and fidgets. She’s annoyed with her bare legs, but tights make everything too heavy. But sheer with boots is not her vibe, she dismisses my hosiery offer.

Next she puts on the denim skirt and top. Immediately her shoulders relax. This is the look, we don’t need to discuss more, her posture says everything.

The whole scenario is confirmation that while the first step is to know who you are and how to convey that visually, your personal style, there is indeed an important next step. REGARDLESS of how deeply confident you are with how you present yourself, it’s important that you feel respectful of the occasion. Traci is proof of this right here, she obviously knows exactly who she is and how to convey it. All the same, when you are dressing and packing for an event, the considerations of vibe, typography, weather and what the other guests will likely be wearing is super important. It’s not that we want to blend in or conform, in fact if you’re a Creative Pragmatist it’s the opposite. Within reason. Standing out, being yourself, while fitting in to the moment you’re in is the holy grail in dressing. The feeling is so damn satisfying when it happens.

So with this in mind, I’ll show you what was brought and bought to Wyoming for a really incredible wedding in a barn and a weather forecast that no matter the rain could hardly dampen the special evening.

Me:

The plane. The consideration - a lot of heavy items are coming with me - my suede fringe Margiela jacket (Sarah and I’ve the same one) and cowboy boots have to be on my body. They’d require their own carry on otherwise, so it is what it is. Side note, my boots custom made by a small Houston shop where the founder and his family are the warmest people ever - La Hacienda Boot Company- you have to order through instagram - it’s legit, don’t worry). I’m loaded up but everything is de-layerable.

Thursday (first) evening. A dinner out - chill, but celebration all the same. Just the add of the gold sandals gives different moment. My head is clearing after a month of travel and I can start to think about the spring campaign and what next resort 27 may look like.

Breakfast. This is where I LOVE IT THAT I KNOW MY STYLE. It’s when I can just go down at 6am, sit by the fireplace and have coffee, and feel not “dressed” but definitely “dressed as myself.” If you have just started subscribing here you may wonder who in the fuck literally needs to be dressed at 6am. I do. My mind is so settled when I feel like myself and I really can just get down to business, much easier.

Running around town - Traci and I head out for smash burgers 2 days in a row served with fresh tater tots from the Jackson Drug Store. We also shop- I pick up a conch belt for the reception tonight and some beaded bracelets.

I’m not panicking about tonight - I have my trusted tuxedo blazer. A Marc Jacob’s dress that I had bought at Century 21 in 2003, vintage Fendi bag bought years ago and holy shit looking at the prices now it’s got a higher ROI than gold, and I’m wearing my boots. Sarah’s leaning in to a bit of the 20s vibe so this dress does that for me.

Traci and I lounge all day working on the next seasons collection. It’s a bonus to get to spend time together without a line out my door of meetings. We can focus. Now on to tonight, the big event! The wedding is outside on a ranch, and then in a barn - dancing, steak, Ranch Water and chicken fried biscuits as the band winds down. My kind of place, I’m in my element. I’ve brought a dress that has corsetry on the inside, a bit of tulle built in to give some shape, and feels off-the-shoulder-strapless-but-not. It’s from our 2021 spring collection - really solid memories here - we shot this on a shoe string in my back yard, it was covid times, Myriam Schaefer had let me borrow a bunch of her bags, and we hadn’t been with a large group in so long and it felt so so so so very good.

The good memories….

And now as I write this, the early morning day after the wedding landscape has altered with a dusting of snow. And I’m dressed the way I came, all packed and ready to get home - if there are no delays. I prepare myself for this mentally - wtf can I do? More time to write, sketch and read. I guess.

THE BOTTOM LINE when packing tight. NEVER DUPLICATE!!! I will show you here:

The tops (in red letters). You pack the top that (A) function like a jacket and a shirt, (B) are a thin enough sweater to wear as layering or as warmth at neck, (C) a bit of a statement shirt that is spot on for where you are, (D) a cozy sweater that is NOT bulky, E/F tanks super thin and easy layering, G/I-novelty tees for friction, and then the worlds soft easy sweatshirt that doubles as a refined top when needed.

The shoes (in green letters). Duplication here gets you overweight at the check in counter quickly. Be careful. All you need: (A) The “fancy shoe, (B) the throw on shoe for walking (please note - I would have brought my Harry Boot but I left it in london and didn’t have - this would have been my shoe of choice - but the cows did fine either way). C - the cowboy boot from La Hacienda Boot Company and (D) the super easy trainer that you can walk, excercise, and chill in.

The pants. Be focused here, ok? (A) the brown denim - he’s coming out next month - ok? (B) the Winslow sweatpant, my god he is good. If you know you know. (C) regular denim - dark or light, you pick, just pick one.

The coats. One for warmth. It’s an event weekend, so the Tuxedo for layering is required (B). Both for style, all the same. I’m sending you here for one of ours secondhand.

The Miscellaneous: sheer tights, opaque tights, fishnet tights, 2 pairs of navy socks, one pair of white gym socks, one pair of leggings for workout (which I did not do). 2 strong statement earrings, 1 handbag for evening and one for day, and my blue carry on. All good.

Also you can checkout traci.tibi instagram where she’s posted all her fits for the trip!

Ready for takeoff.