A few days ago, a woman commented on one of my Facebook posts and said her entire suitcase was dresses. That's it. No pants, no tops, no bottoms. Just dresses.

And I have to be honest with you... I kind of want to try it someday 😅

If you've been here for a while, you know that I think matching sets are more versatile than dresses. Two pieces, mix and match with everything else in your suitcase, multiple outfits, done.

But I also genuinely love a good dress, and I usually travel with one or two because the right dress is secretly one of the easiest things you can pack. One piece, zero "does this top go with this bottom" math I'm always yapping about.

The catch is those two words: the right dress.

Because a "home dress" and a "vacation dress" are not always the same thing. So today I'm sharing the 3 best dresses I've actually traveled with this past year, and exactly what makes a dress earn its spot in my carry-on.

🧳 But first, what makes a dress actually travel-friendly.

This is how I think about it. Some are non-negotiable, some are bonuses - use this info to get clear on your own non-negotiables:

1️⃣ It's comfortable enough to live in. You might wear this thing for a 20-hour travel day or 20,000 steps through a city. If it digs, rides up, or you're fussing with it all day, it's a no for travel. Comfort first, always!

2️⃣ It's easy to layer. This is the big one for me. Can you throw a button-down or denim shirt over it for daytime, AND a sweater or jacket on top when it cools off? A dress that layers both ways isn't one outfit. It's a summer outfit, and a fall outfit, and an air-conditioned-museum outfit, all from one single piece.

3️⃣ The fabric bounces back. Here's what that means in practice: silk prints, Ponte, jersey, and TENCEL crush into a packing cube and survive the ride. A stiff cotton or structured linen can come out looking like an accordion 😅

4️⃣ It doesn't eat half my carry-on. A dress is one piece, but it's not automatically a space-saver. A heavy knit or a voluminous maxi can take up as much room as three or four flat-folding pieces, so I look for fabrics that compress down small.

5️⃣ It dresses up or down with just a shoe swap. Sneakers by day, a nicer sandal for dinner, same dress. If one piece can do both, it's pulling double duty in your bag.

⭐️ Bonus: a built-in bra. Not a dealbreaker, but a gift. It's just nice to not wear a bra sometimes, you know? Especially when it's hot outside.

⭐️ Bonus: pockets. I will never not be excited about a dress with pockets. I never put anything in them for too long, but for some reason, it gives me joy.

Mini, midi, or maxi?

Quick thoughts, because length matters more than people think when you're packing light.

My pick is the midi dress. It's the most versatile of the three: covered enough to feel polished, easy to dress up or down, works with flats or sandals.

Maxis are GORGEOUS, but they take up real space and fabric in your bag, so if you bring one, know you're sacrificing room somewhere else (I did this for 6 weeks in Asia in a carry-on. I wrote about it here)

Minis are SO cute but a little less 'worry-free'. I mean, a strong wind and you flash an entire city. But there's one exception I'm about to show you👇

⚠️ Quick interruption: if you have the Quince app and are reading this email on your phone, my links won't work. This sucks, I know. But it's not my fault and they said they're trying to fix it. The links work fine on desktop or if you don't have the Quince app.

The 3 dresses I've LOVED traveling with:

1️⃣ The everyday black midi.

This one in the photo is from Ann Taylor, but it's old and no longer available, so I'm linking similar ones from them here.​

A fitted black midi is the ultimate workhorse: dinner, travel day, walking tour, all of it. I traveled with this as my only dress for 3 months of fall in Southern Italy a couple of years ago. I wore it so many times. Keep in mind that I dress like this is not that easy to layer because of the waist detail. But I still consider it a great travel dress!

• ​This dress from the Spanx Air Essentials collection is GORGEOUS and it's very close to the one I wore in Italy! And Quince has a very similar one for less than half the price! (I own it too, it's wrinkle-free as well and fits like a dream)
• My MIL has this one from Quince and it looks stunning on her. She's tall (5'9") and apple shaped. Fits like a midi.
• All Spanx dresses here - All Quince black dresses here​

2️⃣ The polka dot silk midi.

This is my hero. I have this polka dot silk midi from Quince in size S, and it's so flattering it almost feels like cheating. The silk crushes down to nothing and shakes out beautifully, which is the whole game.

One important thing to mention, silk does wrinkle. But printed pieces hide the wrinkles really well. This one is advertised as washable silk, and I can happily report it has survived every single wash and fold to date (no drier).

Look how hard it works in the photo: layered under a linen vest, tied with a white button-down, then layered under a long cardigan when it cooled off. One dress, three completely different vibes.

If thin straps aren't your thing, it also comes in a sleeveless version with more coverage that's just as pretty.

3️⃣ The sporty skort dress.

Ok I just realized all these dresses are black 😅

​This is the mini dress exception I mentioned at the beginning of this email.

​This is technically a tennis or pickleball dress, but I love it! It has a built-in skort which means there are shorts hiding under the skirt. Plus, it has a built in bra as well!!

Here's why that's a travel game-changer: you can sit, climb into a boat, deal with a gust of wind, or chase your luggage up a flight of stairs without a single thought about flashing anyone. I care about this 😅

I've styled it layered, on its own and even with sandals + headband + accessories for dinner.

Other brands with EXCELLENT travel dresses:

• ​PACT makes lovely organic cotton dresses that feel like a hug (and the price is right)
• ​Columbia. If you want something with a more technical, quick-dry edge for hot and humid trips.
• ​Talbots. They have a travel dress collection that's both modest and modern. Talbots and Ann Taylor are the first places I go if I need a gift for my mom or MIL.
• ​Athleta. Sporty meets cute. Easy to style dresses that are easy to travel with.
• ​Unbound Merino. They make beautiful merino pieces, including dresses, that are naturally wrinkle-resistant and temperature-regulating. Merino also stays fresh far longer than cotton between washes, which is exactly what you want when you're traveling.

There are of course a gazillion other brands out there, but now that you know what to look for in a travel dress, I hope you feel equipped with all the tools to find a comfy one that works for your next trip.

And hey, if you do end up packing a suitcase full of nothing but dresses before I get around to trying it myself, please let me know!

Hope you're having a great Sunday, and wishing you an amazing week ahead 💜

XO,

Aimara

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