Toothbrush? Check.
Phone charger?
Check. Blazer? Defi-
nitely check. Why?
Because even on casual
trips, fate might bestow
an invite to a fancyish
party or a last-minute
dinner reservation
at a spot where, no, I’m
sorry, you can’t wear a
denim vest here, sir. Yet
packing a blazer pres-
ents a problem: How do
you make certain it and
everything else emerges
from the suitcase look-
ing as good as it did when
it went in? With the
right prep work, you canKNOW HOW TO
FOLD ’EMALWAYS
PACK A
BLAZER.
ALWAYS.
It’s not just for Bond.
DRESSING SHARP
should be an option
on the road.- • • Folding a blazer
is a lot like folding a fitted
sheet—not as hard as
you think, as long as
you take the right steps.
Step 1
Turn the left sleeve and
left half of the jacket inside
out, then nest them
inside the right shoulder.Step 2
Pop the collar all around,
smooth down the mate-
rial, fold the jacket in half
lengthwise, and then in half
again. (An extra tip to avoid
creasing and wrinkling is
to place a plastic bag
between the folds. This
will allow the suit material
to slide past itself rather
than bunching up when it
moves during transit.)Suitcase ($2,060) by Globe-Trotter; jacket ($1,350) by Ring
Jacket; shirt ($595) by Brunello Cucinelli.ensure you won’t resem-
ble a scrunchie on the
other end of the journey.- Choose your blazer
wisely. For our money,
the Balloon jacket,
from the Japanese cult
brand Ring Jacket,
is the best travel blazer
around. Tailored yet
unstructured, it’s made
of a high-twist wool
that acts like a coiled
spring, bouncing back
after being compressed. - Get a dry-cleaner
assist. Question: What’s
the best way to fold an
oxford for a suitcase?
Your dry cleaner knows.
Drop off your shirts a
week or so prior to
departure and ask
that they come back
prefolded.- Unpack ASAP.
When you get to the
hotel room, don’t raid
the minibar. Instead,
hang up your jackets
and dress shirts. Then,
yes, raid the minibar. - Forget the shower
trick. Some people swear
that hanging a wrinkled
suit in the bathroom
with a hot shower going
will eliminate wrinkles.
It doesn’t. If you’re
desperate, it’s time to
track down a dry cleaner
for a quick press. (^) —A.W.
Step 3
Pack the jacket last in your
suitcase and hang it
up as soon as you arrive.
photograph: Jeffrey Westbrook
illustrations: Louise Pomero
y
the Code: Pack Smarter