Shoulder season is one of the fastest growing areas of travel – and dressing for it requires a little more thought. Long-standing personal stylist and StyleGrid founder Francesca Salih has spent decades flying around the world to dress her high-net-worth clients, so she’s devised a packing list that caters to varying temperatures while also ensuring she looks good.
First, a brief explainer as to what shoulder season is. For the uninitiated, the term is essentially another term for travelling out of season, typically from March to May and September to October. This isn’t the same as holidaying during off or low season, but rather the period in between. Think of it as the travel equivalent of what the fashion industry calls the transitional months, whereby you might be required to dress for wildly contrasting extreme temperatures throughout the course of the day. A trench coat might be the perfect foil for the morning autumn chill, but come lunch it becomes a bulky nemesis as the sun comes out and you can feel yourself overheating.
The style crowd loves this period, firstly because it requires more clothes; if you love fashion you tend to enjoy wearing more of them. But also because it calls for added skill – the ingenuity of artful layering, and knowing exactly what to wear when the calendar says one thing and the weather says something entirely different. In travel, shoulder season requires a level of consideration that high summer doesn’t – packing is never easy to nail, but we know what’s expected of a beach holiday or a city break in August. Yes, there might be a bit of rain where we all hide in the nearest taverna or aperitif bar, but by and large we know to take our favourite linen separates, breezy dresses, trusty sandals, swimwear and a few pieces of jewellery for the evening. Shoulder season demands a little more, sartorially speaking. It might be scorching by day, but by night, a good few degrees cooler. Climate change has made weather unpredictability more extreme, which means we need flexibility from our holiday wardrobe.
Step forward Salih, who has built a career out of distilling the fashion noise and helping women to find clothes that make them feel confident. Her app, Stylegrid, enables clients to see stylist edits in one place, so that it feels less overwhelming for all parties. She’s someone who wants to make dressing easier, so is well placed to talk us through her definitive guide of how to master the minefield of shoulder season packing.
The Wide-Leg Trousers
“I have two pairs that I depend on – Aligne’s Houston style (pictured below) and The Row’s Gala trousers, which I bought in both black and cream. A great pair of wide-leg trousers is so useful because they can be dressed up and down. Both pairs barely crease, and I can wear them with trainers and cashmere during the day, then switch to a cami and heels at night. For shoulder-season travel, I love pieces that work hard and can take you from one temperature and one occasion straight into another.”
The Cashmere Knit
“I never travel without cashmere. I love a vibrant colour to add a pop to an outfit, but I’ll also always have a neutral with me because I know it will work with absolutely everything. A cashmere jumper can be worn properly as a layer for cool mornings or nights, tied around my waist or simply thrown over my shoulders. Joseph and Khaite are two of my favourites. Joseph in particular always reminds me of my mum, who taught me the importance of investing in beautiful, classic pieces that you keep and wear for years.”
The White Shirt
“A white shirt has been a non-negotiable in my suitcase for almost 20 years. When I worked at Browns, the legendary Mrs B taught me, ‘never go anywhere without a shirt packed’, and that advice has stayed with me ever since. My go-tos now are from With Nothing Underneath; I love all of their different cuts. I like wearing one buttoned with jeans or silk trousers, or completely open over a vest or cami to use it almost like a lightweight jacket. It’s one of those pieces that works whatever the weather decides to do.”
The Neutral Linen Blazer
“I’m a big believer in spending money on really good basics because they’re the pieces I pull out season after season, and my neutral Brunello Cucinelli blazer is exactly that. This one was a very special gift to me from Brunello, which makes it even more meaningful. I love wearing it over denim during the day or simply draped over my shoulders with a dress in the evening. For shoulder season, it gives you that extra layer and polish without the heaviness of a proper jacket.”
The Silk Slip Dress
“A Rat & Boa slip dress is one of my ultimate suitcase saviours. If you suddenly have a cocktail night, dinner or even a random date night that you were unprepared for, a slip will save the day. They take up virtually zero room in a suitcase, feel instantly dressed up and are incredibly easy to style. During shoulder season, I wear mine on its own when it’s warm, then just add cashmere or a blazer when the temperature drops.”
Ella Alexander is Citizen Femme’s fashion features editor. She started her career at the Evening Standard, and has since held senior editorial roles at Vogue, The Independent and Harper’s Bazaar, where she remains a contributing editor. She also writes for The Telegraph, Sunday Times Style, Service95 and CNN. She is an author, having co-written Dame Zandra Rhodes’ memoir, Iconic: My Life In Fashion In 50 Objects, published by Transworld in July 2024. Her favourite travel destination is Catania, Sicily’s second city.
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