Packing Tips From the Pros

Folding

Great for:

• Structured suitcases.
• Wrinkle-prone fabrics, such as linen, rayon, and silk.
• Tailored garments (dress shirts, woven skirts, trousers, jackets) and thick sweaters.
  
  

How to Fold

A Dress Shirt
Do it the department-store way: Lay a buttoned-up shirt facedown and flat. Center a magazine below the collar. Fold in the right side of the shirt, using the magazine’s edge as a guide. Take the arm and position it straight down, parallel to the shirt’s body. Repeat on the opposite side. Fold the bottom of the shirt so that the hem touches the shoulders. Slide out the magazine from the top. If you have several shirts of similar shape and size, you can stack them, folding them all as one to cushion the creases.

Dress Pants
Fold along the center creases or the side seams so that the legs stack on top of each other. Fold in half so that the waist touches the hem. Fold in half again.

A Full Skirt or Dress
Put it in a large plastic trash bag. “The slippery surface keeps wrinkles from setting,” says Evelyn Hannon, the editor of journeywoman.com, a travel site for women. Fold it in half lengthwise so that the side seams line up—you’ll have an angle down one side. Fold the angled edge inward to form a rectangle. Fold the garment in half horizontally or, if it’s on the longer side, in thirds. Pack it on top of everything else in the suitcase.

See step-by-step instructions on How to Fold a Blazer.