Checking In and Carrying On: How the Fashion Pack Packs

Some roll, some fold, some cram. Some, the minimalists, limit themselves to whatever fits in a carry-on bag, while others, the maximalists, haul along as much as the airlines allow. At the fall 2018 men’s wear shows at the Pitti Uomo trade fair in Italy this week, thousands of fashion editors, retailers, publicists, photographers, models and occupational peacocks will descend on Florence, second stop on a five-city tour of duty that began in London and won’t end until the last model has made his final runway exit during New York Fashion Week: Men.

Packing for travel is inherently a test of patience, planning skills and an ability to calculate spatial relations. Yet for the guys (and they are mostly men) traveling this circuit, there is the added challenge of choosing garments to carry them through a month of shows, designer meetings, buying appointments, dinners, workouts, photo shoots and the mandatory parties everyone loves to complain about — and stuffing it all in a bag. As if that were not sufficiently daunting, a further consideration raises the degree of difficulty: dressing for Instagram.

Here, a handful of seasoned pros open the lids of their suitcases and reveal their packing habits and travel quirks.