Ms. Tonkin gives us a glimpse inside her suitcase.
Packing for a holiday can be a tricky thing. Between fitting everything in (fold or roll? A toughie), planning all your outfits out, making sure you have enough underwear to last you, and not overdoing it on the unnecessary additions (you’ll be fine without the cocktail dress, we promise), our suitcases usually end up looking more ‘last minute frantic’ then ‘jetsetter nonchalant.’
So who better to show us the frequent flyer ropes than a certified travel pro? We tapped Aussie superstar and airport-queue veteran Phoebe Tonkin—the star of Smythson’s first-ever film, Journey to the Wild Side—to give us the low-down for My Suitcase Essentials.
Take it away, Phoebe.
WHAT IS YOUR GO-TO, PERFECT TRAVEL OUTFIT?
“Honestly, I change into a hoodie and sweat pants the second I get on the plane anyway, so normally I wear jeans and a nice blazer or top until I get changed. Flats always, as I am normally running late for a flight and have to race to the terminal. I learnt this the hard way one winter when I was wearing those over the knee Stuart Weitzman heel boots, and I had to run the length of three terminals in those things, in the icy cold. Awful.”
“I normally wear Chanel ballet flats, in fact that is really all I wear! In terms of hoodie and sweat pants, I love the Australian brand Bassike.”
“Jeans are Frame, or this one pair of vintage Levi’s my best friend found (and I begged her to give to me). I love my Smythson backpack, because it fits my laptop, passport, and phone, and any snacks I have brought from home. Oh and a good book!”
“And I also love my baby blue Smythson passport holder. I like having a bright colour so it’s easy to find!”
DESCRIBE YOUR PACKING M.O. ARE YOU A PRE-PLANNER, OR A ‘WORK IT OUT ONCE I’M THERE’ KIND OF PACKER?
“I wear a lot of black, and that always works no matter what you pair it with. I am not a good packer though, I am terrible actually. I went to Paris this year with 6 pairs of Frame jeans and one tank top. Terrible ratio!”
“I conveniently forget lingere in Paris so I can go and buy sexy French pieces.”
“If I am being organized, I bring one pair of black jeans, one blue denim pair, a good blazer, a nice blouse (I love Xirena shirts) or a little dress by Isabel Marant, Ancient Greek sandals, Chanel ballet flats, and Converse. I rarely pack anything dressy, but I normally bring a Protagonist slip dress, I have one in pink and in black. That looks nice with sandals. I always bring lots of earrings, I am obsessed with this brand Bagatiba.”
HOW DO YOU SEPARATE SHOES, ACCESSORIES, AND BEAUTY PRODUCTS IN YOUR SUITCASE?
“I have real anxiety about my beauty products spilling through my bag so I am very careful to make sure everything is closed properly.”
“I buy those clear beauty cases from Duane Reade for my skincare products, but for makeup, Smythson have a really beautiful makeup case. I love the red one, it stands out and is easy to find.”
DO YOU FOLD OR ROLL?
“I know it’s better to roll, but I end up folding because it feels neater. But the return packing situation is definitely a lot more of a hasty… ‘scrunch’ if you will.”
NO MATTER WHERE YOU’RE GOING, WHAT ARE FIVE WARDROBE PIECES YOU NEVER TRAVEL WITHOUT?
Matteau black bikini, Frame black jeans, Isabel Marant dress, a vintage tee shirt, Chanel flats.
HAVE YOU LEARNED A TRIED-AND-TESTED WAY TO AVOID JETLAG?
“I have found that just hustling through the first day really helps. I never nap, if I do it will add 3 days on my jet lag. I try to sleep as much on the plane, and then the day I arrive, go for a walk, drink 2 litres of water, and try to stay up until about 9pm, to get on a semi normal schedule.”
“World’s worst tip—but it does work—is avoiding alcohol on the plane. But I never adhere to this as I love drinking wine and watching movies on the plane, it’s my favourite thing to do.”
WHAT’S THE FIRST THING YOU DO WHEN YOU LAND?
“Find a coffee shop! Drink two litres of water, and take a bath with Epsom salts.”
ANY SEASONED TRAVEL HACKS YOU’VE LEARNED FROM YOUR YEARS OF JET-SETTING TO ARRIVE FEELING FRESHER?
“I am big on a sheet mask. I love SKII. The Epsom salt bath is really great when you land. It really calms you down and de-bloats you. When I arrive, I will go buy a handful of packets of Epsom salts, they’re a great thing to do when you wake up with jet lag at 430A.M. and can’t get back to sleep.”
“Other travel tips, bringing Chlorofyll on the plane and adding a few drops to a big bottle of water.”
“I hate wasting plastic bottles, and I really don’t like when you’re on the plane and you just get those tiny 250ml bottles. You go through so many and it is such a waste of plastic. Before I board I go and buy a massive 1.5 litre bottle to bring on with me.”
Published October 16, 2017
by Mahalia Chang
Source