You have to think a lot about packing these days whether it’s for a business or holiday trip.
There's nothing that annoys me more than finding that I either took stuff I never wore or that I left out things I needed. So when the opportunity to get a formal lesson in the art of packing arose, I took it. My tutor was a well-travelled Brazilian used to crossing time zones and different climates several times a year always arriving crisp and fresh whether it's Rio, Shanghai, London or New York.
Marcio Quintela is a top stylist with Louis Vuitton skilled in the art of teaching people how to pack properly. Louis Vuitton, he reminds me when we meet in the private client rooms in New Bond Street, was a master packer to the wife of Napoleon III, explaining that trunks in those days needed two people to carry them and had curved lids to keep out the rain. Vuitton's masterstroke was to use waterproof canvas to make them lighter and waterproof. The rest is history.
Today Vuitton's lightest bag, a Pegasus, weighs just 4.9kg and the company has been the first to use carbon fibre material in its luggage. Quintela has just returned from a staff training session in China on packing and says that high-flying business people are particularly interested in the techniques while some of his bigger clients send their butlers to study the process. Here's what he showed me to do:
1 Lay out everything needed for the trip on the bed, in head-to-toe outfits. Then take a good hard look at it and remove items that you're not sure about, that aren't necessary or that are not versatile.
2 To balance the weight, place shoes (each in a shoe bag) at both ends (and stuff with socks, stockings, chargers, belts, rolled ties). Place toiletries bag, (usually the heaviest item) in the centre.
3 Pack the gaps with rolled underwear and rolled knitwear (place arms in the centre, roll from the neck tightly then roll again. Avoid chunky knitwear. Use the same method for T-shirts and fill gaps with them. Sunglasses and jewellery bags can also fill the spaces, so that everything is tight and compact on the first layer.
4 Now for the second layer. Fold jeans into three and fold softer trousers lengthwise. Then place folded jeans in the centre of the trousers, and carefully fold the trousers over them and place on one side of the case. Any spare jeans can be rolled.
5 To ensure that the front and collar of a man's shirt will be wrinkle free, open collar as wide as possible and stand it up, open top button and place second shirt and third (not more than three) on top, bottom to top. Now fold over the sleeves and tails.
6 And the third layer. Dresses similarly can help each other, one in soft material, the other harder. Fold the sleeves of the harder one across the bust and fold in two. Now place that on the softer dress and fold the softer dress over it. "Jersey makes your life 100 per cent easier" says Quintela.
For a three-day trip you now have outfits for each day. A spare jacket can be placed on top – fold in its sleeves keeping shoulders straight then fold it in half to fit the length of the suitcase – don’t button the jacket .
Another tip is how to stop trousers slipping off a hanger. First slip one trouser leg through the hanger and bring it halfway to meet the crotch. Then slip the other trouser leg through the same hanger folding it in half towards the waist of the trousers. It can be a bit tricky initially, but persevere!
Finally a lightweight hold-all, if needed for extra luggage, can be folded and flattened on top before the case is closed.
The only question that remained was what to do with that washbag when going through security?
It seems that you either have two – one without the liquids and gels – for the bag and the other in your handbag.
A free packing lesson can be booked at the Louis Vuitton store at 17-20 New Bond Street, London without any obligation to purchase any item. See louisvuitton.com.
