British fashion designer and Booking.com style ambassador Christian Cowan shares his ‘Fashion Fix’ tips for travelling in style.
Having a well-planned wardrobe on holiday will not only enhance your holiday experience but you’ll look good in your holiday snaps too.
According to a recent Booking.com survey four out of ten global travellers (39 per cent) and nearly one-third of New Zealand travellers (32 per cent) say that wearing a holiday wardrobe is the secret to holiday confidence.
What’s interesting is that the effects of holiday style last much longer than the trip itself too. Almost-half of global travellers (47 per cent) and more than two in five New Zealand travellers (42 per cent) have felt inspired to make changes to their own personal style after being on holiday.
When it comes to style, travellers are not afraid to step out of their comfort zone while on holiday, trying new and different outfits that bring out hidden facets of a personality. Over one in three (35 per cent) global travellers and more than one in five New Zealand travellers (22 per cent) say their holiday outfits are brighter and more colourful than an everyday wardrobe. Global travellers are more adventurous with a quarter (25 per cent) saying they choose more daring clothing while on holiday compared with just 14 per cent of New Zealand travellers.
“A vacation is the time to get experimental with your style, the environment often allows you to be bold and adventurous with prints, textures, and accessories. It’s the perfect time to try out a new look that you wouldn’t necessarily wear at home, whether that’s due to a different culture or different climate,” says British fashion designer Christopher Cowan and Booking.com style ambassador.
Here are some of Cowan’s holiday style tips:
- It’s no wonder that what we see around us on holiday can transform what we wear at home. We get used to the norm of dressing a certain way back home but when we travel, our minds expand and we become open to new possibilities with style, fabric and colour. Watching the locals is the best way to get inspiration. Experimenting with local style and translating it to your look back home can make you feel like a new person, whether it’s simply wearing your hair differently, trying a bolder colour or tying on a scarf in a vibrant local print.
- A vacation is the time to get experimental with your style, the environment often allows you to be bold and adventurous with prints, textures and accessories. It’s the perfect time to try out a new look that you wouldn’t necessarily wear at home, whether that’s due to a different culture or different climate.
- We are all guilty of spending excessive amounts of time planning our holiday wardrobe. My top tip for packing quickly is to simply keep everything on the hanger. I have all my outfits on thin hangers, so they can easily fit right into a suitcase, and then on arrival I just pop them on the rail.
- This year will be all about animal print and unnatural colours. Be bold, vivid and exciting! Don’t be afraid to pack and mix different animal prints together, this creates a greater depth to your style, and shows you are unafraid. It is a style risk, but one that is sure to pay off.
- I love to stay in fashionable accommodations when I travel and for me there is no better stay than the super chic Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles, USA. I adore a spa stay anywhere, but Aqualina Resort & Spa is brilliant, the facilities are amazing and the view is second-to-none. I love the Cheval Three Quays at The Tower of London apartment too, in a great spot in central London and close to countless stylish bars and restaurants.
- There are so many incredible fashion capitals, the most dominant for me are Dubai, Las Vegas and Rome. Dubai has an extreme sense of opulence that is envied on globally. Las Vegas is the ultimate place to have fun and Rome is super chic and refined, and the style there represents that to a tee. I think it’s fun to visit places outside the traditional style capitals, some of these cities are up and coming, and totally experimental, so it’s a fun environment to sample new style personally.
- When it comes to taking photos for social media, show people the side of you in a way they haven’t seen before – wear your new swimsuit or favourite dress, with your hair up (or down) for a change! For selfies – make the background interesting to show people you are on holiday.
Booking.com, a global leader in connecting travellers with the widest choice of incredible places to stay, champions the all-encompassing nature of travel and its ability to inspire the way we live our lives, including the experiences we have that impact our style, confidence and our fashion choices while travelling.
