Wish Me Luck!

A short packing dispatch—send me your good vibes, pls

I am writing to you this week as I prepare to pack up my clothes and hit the road for an ENTIRE YEAR.

I have been mentally preparing for this moment all summer. I am not a minimalist (lol), and I do a lot of creative—and to be honest, emotional—processing via getting dressed, so I spent the last two and a half months: 1.) deep-diving on what I think defines my personal style, 2.) gifting and donating clothes that are no longer part of that story, and 3.) trying to zone in on what my individual hero pieces are—the things I could not leave (or live) without.

In addition to my checked luggage, I get one large footlocker that will travel on the company trucks (carrying sets, props, and costumes). A reasonable amount of storage for one person. But I won’t be putting just clothes in my trunk, so still, a tight edit on the wardrobe!

I will likely be writing about this process in more detail (unpacking it, har har) over the next couple of months, but it’s go-mode over here right now. So, today what I have for you is a photo explosion! Via a shit ton of mood boards I am using as a guide to help me choose which clothes come with me on my year-long adventure.

I tend to save images that are one part aspirational and one part recreate-able. (A rhyme!)

Making mood boards to pack for a year might sound like unnecessary extra work to some people, but I’m a visual person, taking on the creative assignment of building my own version of a capsule wardrobe. And I take screenshots of looks I like on my phone, so the image library was pretty much already there. Some photos are for *vibe*, some are outfits I want to try to recreate, some are both. Occasionally I screen-grab outfits that look like combinations I have already worn, as a way to sort of underline my own instincts.

Treating this like a creative brief—I’m making the brand of Yance.

What I already know will be key (and a recurring topic of this newsletter): hard-working basics that flex casual-to-dressy, but that don't make me feel bored. I’ll lean into color palettes I know I like, and small accessories that pack a big punch.

Good colors, plus accessories that really shine.

I’ll also need clothes that I can be physically active in (for warm ups, plus 8 shows a week)—but I know feeling sloppy makes me feel low, so I’ll be aiming for ‘fits that don’t feel too casual. Clothes in this category should also be repurpose-able for lots of walking/city-exploring, when I can squeeze it. Easy layers—shirts, jackets, and coats— that make outfits feel a little more structured and intentional (even glam!) are probably going to do some heavy lifting this year. [Zoe Kravitz is great inspo for this:]

Easy to imagine these looks as layers in a rehearsal-to-street moment.

Things I will be packing, considering all of the above:

• Pants I can rehearse in but that also look nice with button downs or nice tops

• Flats and loafers that elevate my athleisure looks (also I’m thinking about a category I’m calling “fashion tennies”, more on that in a later newsletter), easy little low heels, my most versatile boots

• Denim

• Lots of solid tees (and little black tops)

• My favorite lounge clothes

• A few skirts, some very simple dresses

• Structured jackets and coats

• All my favorite jewelry (maybe the most “emotional” part of my wardrobe?)

Chic, effortless, a little sporty, a little glam.

Snatch whatever you want from these for your own regular-degular wardrobe inspo. And wish me luck!

The rack of current contenders, the dimensions of my trunk, the mood board in action.

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