[trip style = any]
I'm as good as sold on any travel product that scrunches, shrinks or folds. With overhead bin space shrinking and carry-on weight requirements on a permanent diet, packing light, compact and folding pieces for travel is not just a trend-du-moment, but a necessity.
During my recent trip to NYC, I went shopping {quelle surprise!} and came across five compact items I purchased for my future travels. Though none are hot off the runway, some are surprisingly stylish. Now if someone would only invent a pair of folding Jimmy Choos! Tamara Mellon, are you listening?
Folding Water Bottle When I saw this anti water bottle it was love at first sight. It shrinks, folds and doesn't have the extra weight of traditional plastic, metal or glass bottles. Does it get any better? I took it for a test drive this weekend while walking around Seattle. It's small enough to pop in your purse and doesn't weigh you down.
Folding Matte Rain Coat I hate packing a raincoat---maybe it's the bulkiness or the assertion it might rain. I've seen a few travel raincoats in my day, and most are ugly, but I recently found this one from the Japanese retailer Muji. Folding to the size of a small t-shirt, this coat is functional and cute. PS - it's under $15!
Folding Shoes I wish I'd thought of this idea. Foldable shoes? Hello! How many girls long for flats after a night in heels? Moi et toi. I featured this type of shoe in January, but I wanted to feature them again because I found a brand that looks like an actual shoe that you'd wear day-to-day. They are called CitySlips and came in handy this weekend when I wore highish heels to a concert and slipped these babies on for the walk home!
Pill-Sized Towels I have to admit, I bought these super shrunken towels inside a pill container because they were cute. Cuteness aside, they're handy for those times you need to wipe your face or hands with something more girthy than a flimsy disinfectant cloth. With a few drops of water, they expand into a 9 x 11" multipurpose towel and are biodegradable.
Credit Card Cutlery How many times have you stopped for to-go food on a road trip and gotten plastic cutlery with your order? If I counted all the plastic cutlery I threw out or recycled in the past year, it would stack up like a grocery store display. In the spirit of reduce, reuse and recycle, I love this simple credit card cutlery. Perfect for keeping with you at all times, and easy to wash after use. The planet thanks you.
Trip Styler Tip: If you're in a city with a Museum of Modern Art {MoMA}, make time to visit the store. Each MoMA store I've visited is the type of place in which you could get lost and dazzled by design-savvy finds.