Wardrobe tool
The Petite Packing Planner
Turn trip constraints into a packing plan drafted for 5’4″ and under: garment roles with the measurements to shop them by, a day-by-day outfit plan, a laundry and rewear schedule, and an explicit list of what the plan does not cover.
36 garment rolesEvery plan is a shareable URLNo weather service
A plan, not a checklist
Packing lists fail in a specific way: they tell you what to bring and not what to wear. You arrive with eleven items and no complete outfit for the one dinner that mattered, or with four tops that all need the same trousers that are now in the wash.
So this planner does the harder half. It chooses garment roles, then schedules them day by day: against the formality each day needs, the laundry you will actually have, and how willing you are to wear something twice. If the list cannot dress a day, it names the day rather than leaving you to find out in a hotel room.
Every role carries the petite measurement guidance that makes it buyable: a 25″ inseam that breaks at the ankle, a 24″–26″ blazer back length, a tote no deeper than 13″. And the count is deliberately conservative, items are counted once however many days they are worn.
The brief
What the trip has to do
Longer than the other tools' briefs, because a trip has more constraints than a wardrobe. Each hint says which rule the answer changes, so you can disagree with the result intelligently.
Drafted from your brief
16 items for 7 days
Each line is a garment role, why it is in the bag, and the measurements to buy it by.
- Items
- 16
- Worn on the way
- 4
- In the bag
- 12
- Days covered
- 7
- Wear assignments
- 23
- Repeat wears
- 15
Work and leisure · 7 days · 12–18°C / 54–64°F · rain is possible · smart casual at the top · a cabin bag
What to pack
Wear on the way
4 items
The bulkiest pieces travel on your body, not in the bag. It is the single decision that does most for a smaller case, and it costs nothing.
Fine-gauge crew knit
CoreCarries the smart casual end of the trip on its own.
Body length 22″–23″ finishes at the high hip and keeps the waistband visible, which is what stops a knit reading as a tunic.
Worn on day 1
Straight-leg jean
CoreThe anchor bottom. Every top in the bag is chosen to work over it.
Choose the inseam independently of the waist where a brand allows it. That removes the usual petite compromise. 26″ lands at the ankle bone.
Worn on days 1, 7
Heavier-gauge knit
CoreThe formality dial and the warmth dial at once: the same base and bottom move a band under it.
A heavy yarn at a tighter gauge gives the same warmth with roughly a third of the projection. Keep the neckline open and the waistband visible.
Worn on days 1, 3, 5, 7
Low-vamp loafer or flat
CoreThe pair that has to work with every bottom in the bag.
A low vamp and an almond toe let the leg line continue further than a heel does. Repeat the deepest trouser tone and the leg and shoe read as one length.
Worn on days 1, 3, 5, 7
Garments
7 items
Bottoms take more wears than bases do, so the list is weighted that way rather than evenly.
Cotton shirt
CoreAdds a wearing day without adding a bottom, which is the cheapest item in a bag.
Works twice: buttoned as a base, or open over a knit as a layer. Check shoulder width first, because a dropped shoulder seam adds a false horizontal at the upper arm.
Worn on day 7
Fine-gauge V or boat neck
CoreAdds a wearing day without adding a bottom, which is the cheapest item in a bag.
An open neckline reopens the vertical space above the shoulders, which a high crew closes on a short neck.
Packed, not scheduled into an outfit
Column dress
CoreA whole outfit in one garment, the cheapest way to add a day to a bag this size.
One uninterrupted vertical line, and it takes a blazer over it without competing hems. The single most efficient garment in a petite capsule.
Worn on days 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Blazer
CoreThe formality dial and the warmth dial at once: the same base and bottom move a band under it.
Back length 24″–26″ for hip length at 5’2″–5’4″, with the top button at or above the natural waist. Shoulder width is the purchase decision. It is the one alteration that is rarely worth paying for.
Worn on days 2, 4, 6
Unstructured light coat
ConditionalRequired by 12–18°C / 54–64°F. It is worn rather than packed wherever possible.
Published back length 38″ or under keeps the hem clear of mid-calf at 5’2″. Back length is listed far more often than it is read.
Packed, not scheduled into an outfit
Opaque tights
ConditionalNeeded because the bag contains a skirt or dress and the days are not warm.
Sized by height as well as weight, and the height band matters more: tights drafted for 5’7″ sag at the ankle and knee on a 5’2″ frame, which reads as the wrong garment rather than the wrong size. Matching the tights to the hem and shoe tone continues the leg line.
Packed, not scheduled into an outfit
Sleepwear
CoreOne set. It is worn only at night, so one is enough.
The one place to buy the petite length rather than adjust: a trouser leg that pools is a trip hazard in an unfamiliar room at night. A 25″–26″ inseam or a short set avoids the problem entirely.
Packed, not scheduled into an outfit
Footwear
1 item
Chosen for how far each pair transfers across the days, not for variety.
Ankle boot
CoreCovers the formality band the first pair cannot reach.
Match the boot to the trouser or hem tone. An ankle boot in a contrasting colour puts a hard break at the narrowest point of the leg.
Worn on days 2, 4, 6
Bags and accessories
2 items
Scale and strap drop are the decisions here, not colour.
Day tote
CoreThe bag you carry all day, which is a different bag from the one you travel with.
Scale and strap drop both matter. A bag deeper than about 13″ reads as luggage on a 5’2″ frame, and a shoulder strap that lands at the hip cuts the body at its widest point: a shorter drop sits at the waist and keeps the line unbroken.
Packed, not scheduled into an outfit
Belt in the deepest tone
OptionalNot required for coverage. It changes where the eye lands, which is worth more than another garment.
Marks the waistband as the highest horizontal line in the outfit, which is where you want it. A narrow width reads longer than a wide one.
Packed, not scheduled into an outfit
Packing essentials
2 items
Not garments. Each one is here because a specific condition in your brief requires it.
Compact umbrella
ConditionalPacked because rain is possible. It protects the layers you brought.
Packed only when rain is expected, and packed rather than bought there: a hotel umbrella is a full-length one to carry home. It protects the layers you brought; it is not a substitute for a shell.
Packed, not scheduled into an outfit
Travel laundry soap
ConditionalThe plan depends on a wash, so it depends on this.
Included only when the plan depends on a mid-trip wash. A sink wash is what makes a shorter list cover a longer trip, and it is the difference between the plan working and the plan being short by day five.
Packed, not scheduled into an outfit
How it goes together
Every combination below is built from the list above and nothing else.
Casual
- Fine-gauge crew knit
- Straight-leg jean
- Heavier-gauge knit
- Low-vamp loafer or flat
Smart casual
- Column dress
- Blazer
- Ankle boot
Smart casual
- Column dress
- Heavier-gauge knit
- Low-vamp loafer or flat
Casual
- Cotton shirt
- Straight-leg jean
- Heavier-gauge knit
- Low-vamp loafer or flat
Day by day
Built from the list above and nothing else. Where an outfit repeats, that is the plan working, a bag this size covers the trip precisely because pieces come round again.
Day 1
Travel dayCasual
Daytime
Worn, not packed
- Fine-gauge crew knit
- Straight-leg jean
- Heavier-gauge knit
- Low-vamp loafer or flat
Day 2
Smart casual
Daytime
- Column dress
- Blazer
- Ankle boot
Day 3
Smart casual
Daytime
Repeat wear
- Column dress
- Heavier-gauge knit
- Low-vamp loafer or flat
Day 4
Smart casual
Daytime
Repeat wear
- Column dress
- Blazer
- Ankle boot
LaundryWash tonight. Everything worn so far is available again from tomorrow.
Day 5
Smart casual
Daytime
Repeat wear
- Column dress
- Heavier-gauge knit
- Low-vamp loafer or flat
Day 6
Smart casual
Daytime
Repeat wear
- Column dress
- Blazer
- Ankle boot
Day 7
Travel dayCasual
Daytime
Worn, not packed
- Cotton shirt
- Straight-leg jean
- Heavier-gauge knit
- Low-vamp loafer or flat
Laundry and repeat wear
One wash, mid-trip, washing on day 4. Everything worn before a wash is available again the following day, which is what lets 2 wears come out of each base.
- Bases
- 1 wear
- Bottoms and layers
- 3 wears
- Coats and shoes
- 6 wears
The honest part
What it covers, and what it does not
A planner that only ever says “here is your list” is selling confidence. This one states its shortfalls, its assumptions, and how it counted.
What it covers
Each requirement below is derived from your brief, with the figure it needs and the figure the list reaches.
Days with a complete outfit
7 of 7 (met
Every one of the 7 days needs a full outfit that suits its formality and is not still in the wash.
Casual days
2 of 2 (met
2 days at this formality need an outfit that reaches it.
Smart casual days
5 of 5 (met
5 days at this formality need an outfit that reaches it.
A lot of walking
1 of 1 (met
This activity needs something in the bag specifically for it.
Footwear
2 of 1 (met
At least one pair that works with every bottom in the bag.
Sleepwear
1 of 1 (met
One set, since it is worn only at night.
How the items were counted
16 items · 4 worn on the travel day and 12 in the bag, producing 23 wear assignments across 7 days, of which 15 are repeat wears and 5 are one-piece outfits. Items are counted once each, however many days they are worn. Layers, shoes and accessories are not treated as new outfits, and no weight is estimated: this counts what you carry, not what it weighs.
Why this packing plan works
1 bottom and 3 bases carry 7 days. Bottoms take more wears than bases do, so the bag is weighted that way rather than evenly, which is why a longer trip adds bases first.
15 of the 23 wear assignments are repeat wears. That is the plan working: a bag this size covers the trip precisely because pieces come round again.
Layers are the formality dial: the same base and bottom move up a band under a blazer and back down without it, which is cheaper than packing two wardrobes.
Adjust it
Each of these is a link to the same trip with one thing changed. Your current plan stays at its own address, so you can always come back to it.
Shared with the Capsule Builder
Your wardrobe
One short record of the roles you own, used by both tools. Stored in this browser only: no account, no sync, and nothing that identifies you.
Your wardrobe
A short record of the roles you actually own, shared by every tool on this site. It holds a name, a broad colour and how often a piece needs washing: no sizes, no measurements, no prices, no photos, no shops. Stored in this browser only.
Manage everything on the wardrobe desk →
Add a piece
Take it with you
Reading your wardrobe…
Keep it
Saved trips
Stored in this browser only. Export a file if you want them somewhere permanent, or print the plan to carry it.
Save this trip
Saved trips live in this browser and nowhere else. There is no account and nothing is sent anywhere: clearing your browser data clears them, and they will not appear on another device. Export a file if you want them somewhere permanent.
Take them with you
Reading your saved trips…
Methodology
How the planner reasons
Every number below is a fixed constant in the code, not a judgement made per reader. The same brief always produces the same plan.
You supply the weather; nothing is fetched
There is no weather provider, no destination field and no date field. You choose a temperature band and a rain expectation, and the planner reduces those to one of five requirement bands. That keeps the tool honest about what it knows: a forecast is a prediction, and a packing plan built on a silent prediction is worse than one built on a stated assumption. Check a forecast yourself before you pack.
The list is scheduled, not just counted
Roles are chosen, then assigned day by day against each day’s formality and each piece’s remaining wears. A list that is merely counted can be short by day five without anyone noticing; a list that has been scheduled either dresses every day or names the day it fails on.
Laundry and rewear set the count, not the trip length
A base gets 1 wear at moderate rewear tolerance and 2 at high; a bottom gets 3 and 4. A wash resets those counts. That is why a fortnight with one mid-trip wash needs roughly the bag of a week, and why raising rewear tolerance removes items faster than anything else you can change.
The bulk is worn, not packed
On a travel day the coat, the heaviest layer and the bulkiest shoes go on your body. The plan separates worn-in-transit from packed-in-bag and counts them separately, because that single decision does more for a small case than any folding technique.
Items are counted once
However many days a piece is worn, it is one item. Layers, shoes and accessories are not treated as new outfits, and a pair serving two formality bands is not counted twice. The plan reports wear assignments and repeat wears as separate figures so you can see the work each item is doing.
Your bag limit is yours; no airline is consulted
Item ceilings are 12 for a personal item, 20 for a cabin bag and 32 for a checked case. They are limits on what a person can reasonably carry, not any carrier's rules: no airline's dimensions or weight allowances are encoded anywhere here, no weight is ever estimated, and no plan can tell you a bag will be accepted at a gate.
Only optional items are ever trimmed
Where coverage needs more than your stated limit allows, the plan says so rather than dropping something the coverage depends on. Removing a core piece to hit a number would turn a visible shortfall into an invisible one.
Your exclusions are absolute
Rule out dresses and there are no dresses, even where that costs coverage. The cost becomes a named gap with the adjustment that closes it. Pieces you insisted on are packed even when they conflict with an exclusion, and the conflict is stated.
Guidance, not a guarantee
Measurement bands come from published garment specifications and are shortlisting filters, the figures worth checking before you order. Nothing in this tool has been worn or tested, and no plan guarantees comfort, fit, baggage compliance or weather suitability.
Alternatively
Travel capsules we have edited
Assembled piece by piece and written up, which is a slower and different kind of useful.
The Transitional Ten
Ten pieces for the six weeks when one layer is wrong in both directions.
10 pieces24 outfits
The Petite Workwear Capsule
Eight garments, one shoe, a month of combinations.
8 pieces21 outfits
Background
The reading behind the rules
Where the measurement bands in the list above come from.
The Inseam Map
Denim sold as petite spans a six-inch range. Knowing which inseam produces which break makes the category navigable.
8 min read
How to Layer Without Losing Four Inches
Autumn is the hardest season to dress at 5’4″ and under. Three rules keep the extra fabric from shortening the frame it sits on.
9 min read
Shoe Shapes That Keep the Line Long
Heel height is the least important variable. Vamp height, toe shape and tonal continuity do most of the work.
5 min read