Hello, hello! I’m back from my work trip to Ojai and excited to share my thoughts on using the “Sudoku Packing Method1” for the first time. The math behind this method is simple: pack three tops, three layers, and three bottoms, and you end up with 27 “unique” outfit combinations. I put “unique” in quotes because, in my opinion, many of them start to feel pretty similar once you get past the first nine laid out in the grid below. But considering I’m perfectly happy repeating outfits on vacation, nine “different-enough” combinations feels like plenty. Ok, let’s see how it actually went!
TOP #12 | LAYER #1 | BOTTOM #1
BOTTOM #2 | TOP #2 | LAYER #2
First things first, this trip was short- three days, and it required six outfits only. Also, I cheated- in addition to the above, I brought a black t-shirt, a white button down, workout pants, and a navy sweatshirt. You’ll see my six outfits below used 12 items total. So, that’s one strike for packing only nine items.
One more thing to mention- I brought a dress in lieu of a third “bottom.” Mathematically, that takes the nine-item combination count from 27 to 21. Still, an embarrassment of riches for a three day trip.
SHOES #1 | SHOES #2 | CLUTCH | EARRINGS*
SHOES #3 | SHOES #4 | SHOES #5
I was able to fit four pairs of shoes in my carry-on, and to simplify things I brought one clutch and one pair of earrings. In hindsight, I could have brought one more clutch… but it was fine.
Now let’s talk outfits!
BONUS T-SHIRT | BONUS SWEATSHIRT | BOTTOM #2 | SHOES #4
This is what I wore on the plane, and this outfit accounts for two of the “extra items” I brought - does it count if you don’t put them in your suitcase? Maybe not! BTW some people were shocked I flew to New Orleans in jeans, so you’ll be relieved to know I reverted back to the best travel pants known to man for this cross country journey. In case you’re curious, I do machine wash mine (I have the crepe version) on the delicate cycle and then hang to dry. Anyways! Moving on.
LAYER #3 | TOP #2 | BOTTOM #1 | SHOES #3
(AKA, THE DIAGONAL OUTFIT ON THE GRID)
What I wore to the group cocktail hour and dinner on night one- love this outfit so much, no notes.
BONUS T-SHIRT | BONUS WHITE BUTTON DOWN | BONUS WORKOUT PANTS | SHOES #1
“Ojai Emily” woke up at 6:00 to go on a group nature walk across the property. Text from my husband to prove how out of character this is for me:
(AKA, THE THIRD COLUMN ON THE GRID, MINUS THE BLAZER)
Back in my room, marked safe from a nature walk, I changed into my day outfit, which needed to work for a few casual group activities. I repeated my pants - thoughts on that in a minute…
LAYER #2 | DRESS | SHOES #2
(AKA, THE BOTTOM CORNER OUTFIT ON THE GRID, MINUS THE TOP)
Quick change for dinner, and I repeated my go-to move from the night before - a blazer over my shoulders. Maybe it’s an alter ego thing, but I always feel amazing when I do this.
LAYER #1 | TOP #1 | BOTTOM #2 | SHOES #5
(AKA, THE TOP CORNER OUTFIT ON THE GRID)
I wore this to grab breakfast on the property, and then for a few zoom meetings before heading to the airport. I changed my shoes back to the mesh ones for my (redeye) flight back to NY.
Ok, now for my thoughts. It’s easier for me to bullet this out…
I did wear every item of clothing, but I only took advantage of four outfits from “the grid.” On a three day trip with six outfits total, this almost feels like any other packing job I’ve done in the past. I’m not sure how much having 3 x 3 x 3 format helped me this time? I usually build out outfits in Indyx and then pack from that list, and I think I will revert back to that in the future. Although it often doesn’t fit in a carry on.
I packed five shoes, and wore every pair. Noting this as my magic shoe number for future trips.
Taking travel completely out of this, I actually think creating a grid like this is a great exercise for figuring out gaps in your wardrobe. I highly recommend playing around with your own closet to see how you would execute this. For me, this shone a spotlight on the fact that I need more pants variation in my closet. All my pants are black, and as I mentioned above, I wore the fisherman pants twice in three days. I’m fine with that, but I do think a pair of non-black pants are on my shopping shortlist now.
For the next portion of today’s newsletter, I thought it would be fun3 to try this out in a more hypothetical sense. I’m planning another trip to Paris and of course my outfit wheels are turning and I’m centering my next few clothing purchases on Paris Worthy Things™️ (adding PWT to the official POV lexicon). With that in mind, if I needed/wanted to buy a travel capsule from scratch, here’s my wishlist!
SHOES #1 | SHOES #2 | SHOES #3
EARRINGS | LIPSTICK | LIP LINER | NAIL POLISH
Immediate thoughts? I rate these outfits a 10/10, and I think there’s enough variation across the bottoms, tops, and layers to keep the nine combinations feeling fresh. This is Sudoku packing done right. And now I want every single thing, cool cool. BTW Jordyn Sharfe brought the Emily Dawn Long shawl to my attention recently, and it’s living in my brain rent free ever since4. Damn my wool allergy! Ugh!
Now let’s try a more “Outdoor Barbie” version of Sudoku packing. I’m going up to the Catskills in a few weeks, and again, my outfit wheels are turning. So many items below that I want to add to my closet!
SHOES #1 | SHOES #2 | SHOES #3
EARRINGS | SUNGLASSES | BAG #2 | SHOES #3
EARRINGS | SUNGLASSES | BAG #1 | SHOES #2
EARRINGS | SUNGLASSES | BAG #1 | SHOES #3
Immediate thoughts? Nine items that have a common vibe while still maintaining variation really do produce a functioning travel capsule. I love how these pieces mix and match - and I think I actually need this jacket and this bag.
P.S. Ok, it wouldn’t be a POV travel post without a few photos, right? For posterity’s sake, here we go:
Thank you for indulging me!
Let me know your thoughts on 3 x 3 x 3 packing (and if you’ve ever tried this) in the comments!
Talk soon :)
Emily
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I didn’t link to comp items for things I packed that are older/sold out. Do you find it helpful? I could try to do this more in the future if so! LMK!
This is literally my idea of fun. Making outfits in Canva. LOL!
Why do you do this to me, Jordyn? JK, you’re the best!
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