Packing Essentials for a Musician's Tour: Keeping Your Concert Attire Pristine

Embarking on a concert tour requires more than just planning the performance schedule and booking venues; it's also crucial to pack appropriately. This guide emphasizes the importance of having the right concert attire, blending style, comfort, and functionality to ensure a flawless performance. From selecting the best fabrics to protecting your delicate items, we'll cover all the essentials you need to consider when packing for your tour.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT FABRIC FOR YOUR CONCERT ATTIRE

First off, consider the actual dress, blouse and pants, or tuxedo you plan on packing. Is it silk, linen, wool, or lyocell? Certain fabrics are more travel-friendly than others. For example, clothing that is labeled as wrinkle-resistant might be made of a blended fabric that “bounces back” more easily, like most of the pieces in the Blackstrad Pro Collection.

Natural fibers can wrinkle more easily, although they are often easy to iron or steam if you have time. When packing concert attire, it's essential to choose travel-friendly suits and dresses. Luckily, darker colors like black are also better at hiding creases.

 

TRANSPORTING YOUR CONCERT ATTIRE

The length and mode of your tour have a significant impact on the bag you use to pack. Is it a weekend trip by car or a two-week tour by plane?

If you’re traveling by car, the best way to pack and transport your concert attire is to have it freshly pressed and suspend it, on a hanger, onto a hook in your backseat. This method minimizes creasing. You might want to put your attire in a garment bag to protect it, but otherwise, this method has the least chances of causing creasing.

 

PREPARING YOUR ATTIRE BEFORE PACKING

I recommend getting your item dry-cleaned and pressed before you pack it. If you’re doing it at home, please do it the night before your trip. If you try to pack your bag after a few passes of a hand-held steamer, make sure the item is completely cool before packing to avoid wrinkles.

BRINGING A TRAVEL STEAMER

If you have room, pack a travel steamer. Or, ensure the hotel, Airbnb, or place you’re staying has one available. A few sprits of a wrinkle-release spray or even water can help speed things up. Hanging a dress or shirt in the bathroom while taking a steamy shower can also help, but it’s not as effective as a straight-up steamer. If you’re staying at a hotel, inquire if they have dry clean pickup service and have them press your item after you’ve checked in.

MINIMIZING WRINKLES WHEN FOLDING CONCERT CLOTHES

If you must fold your concert clothes, roll and fold along seams or creases to make the creasing more intentional or less visible.

There are tips for packing a blazer if you don’t have a garment bag or can’t spare the room. The trick is to pack it inside out and fold along the garment seams. For delicate items with beading, place tissue paper between folds to protect them from snags. Fully closing zippers of packed items can prevent snags as you pull them out of your bag.

PACKING CONCERT SHOES

To protect concert shoes, use a shoe tree to keep their shape when packing them. Alternatively, stuff the shoes with tissue paper. Pack the shoes in a bag, a shoe packing cube, or a box to protect them.

Boxes don’t maximize suitcase space, but they are the best way to keep shoes pristine. Fill the spaces around the shoes with socks and underwear to maximize space. If you might need a quick polish for your shoes, bring a small shoe shine kit.

For jewelry, invest in a jewelry case that is soft on the inside to prevent scratches.

PROTECTING YOUR DELICATE ITEMS FROM SPILLS

Apart from tips on packing formalwear, pay close attention to how you pack everything else to avoid accidents. Pack scratchy or sharp objects far away from delicate items and be extra careful with liquid cosmetics. Double bag them or pack them in a different bag to avoid the risk of spills.

It can happen to the best of packers because sometimes when you check a bag, security might go through your luggage and not repack it the way you did.

 

Share Your Style

Now, go forth and dazzle them not only with your music but with an all-black ensemble that hits all the right notes! And don’t forget to share your favorite concert black looks by tagging us @BlackstradConcertAttire for a chance to be featured and inspire others. Happy touring and break a leg!