A fashion editor’s carry on essentials during Fashion Weeks abroad

Wallet, phone, passport, keys, headphones.

You know the opening scene of The Devil Wears Prada, where fashion insiders glide on hosiery like they’re buttering toast, pick out perfectly steamed shirts, curl their eyelashes, kiss their model-adjacent boyfriends goodbye, and somehow step into the day looking impossibly effortless? Yeah, that’s not me. 

While I’ve always wanted to be one of those women – the smooth, methodical, meal-prepping, wardrobe-prepping types – as a writer and editor straddling life between London, Melbourne and Sydney, my routine looks a little more haute mess than haute couture. Can you blame me though? I’ve been living out of a suitcase for almost six years and during Fashion Month, I’m hoisting that broken (in every essence of the word) vessel across Europe.

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My mornings usually involve jittery wake-ups (never enough time), quick work-outs (to take the edge off), ‘show-scrolling’ (doom-scrolling but for editors), and piles of half-tried-on outfits before settling on option one. There’s also inbox triage, Google Mapping runway venues and a frazzled up-down in the mirror before sprinting out the door, praying I haven’t forgotten my JBL  headphones, passport, keys, cards and phone charger.

That’s why my carry-on essentials are my real lifeline during Fashion Week, keeping me looking (and faking) composed, even when I’m running on caffeine, adrenaline, and sheer FOMO while navigating a sprawling metropolis to make it to a show on time… And exhale. 

The bag

It all starts with the vessel: le bag. It needs to be ludicrously capacious to host all of one’s whims and needs, and a lighthouse for attracting attention. I’ve dabbled in slinky, sexy little things only to forget them under my runway seat. Sometimes size does matter. 

Crucially, the bag needs to legitimise the runway-to-dinner-to-afterparty transition because there’s rarely time to switch purses mid-schedule. My trusty plus-one of late is the Mulberry Bayswater, the original Brit It-bag. Classic in oak brown, it elevates every outfit (early fans Alexa Chung, Kate Moss and Sienna Miller proved that much). Made from soft leather with gold hardware, it’s also durable and importantly, it’s roomy enough to rival Mary Poppins’ bag. Here’s what’s inside: 

Tech

If there’s one thing people know about me, it’s that I’m committed to the wire – earphones, that is. I always need background music and I just want something reliable. But lately, I’ve been swapping my tangible tangles for wireless, using JBL’s new Tour One M3 Smart Tx Headphones. The inability to charge my phone and listen to tracks simultaneously finally got the better of me. Time to enter the 2020s, stylishly. 

A tech-cessory in every sense, my mocha pair goes with my ’70s-inspired aesthetic, much like a Walkman once did to the kids of the ’80s. They blend style, sound and self expression, working with any outfit, and even doubling as earmuffs come British winter. The nifty ‘Smart Tx’ transmitter (a pocket-sized screen for controlling audio) is a Y2K statement in itself.

Beyond fashion, I’m more plugged in (or rather, unplugged) than ever. On the Eurostar to Paris, I can relax knowing my headphones won’t die (a five-minute charge gives me an extra five hours from a whopping 70-hour battery) and on the streets of London, I can take calls using the Smart Tx like Cher’s pager in Clueless and can switch between songs to drown out sirens, all while keeping my phone safely zipped away (the city’s now a global hub for phone thefts). A few flicks of the Tx and I’m sorted.

Even on long-haul flights, using the Auracast feature I can wirelessly tune into Crazy Stupid Love without pausing in-flight entertainment, or share playlists with travel buddies through the JBL Smart Tx Audio Transmitter.

Beauty

I don’t carry a makeup bag per se, but I’m always armed for touch-ups. You won’t believe the smudging damage a takeaway coffee or croissant can do between shows. I’m loyal to Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturiser and Kosas’ Revealer Concealer, both of which slip neatly inside a detachable pocket, alongside my Violette Bisou Balm in Bêtise for that just-bitten lip and my travel-sized Benefit mascara. And as a fringe girlie of nearly seven years, I never leave the flat without a Barbie-sized brush.

Rocket fuel

Normal eating routines vanish during Fashion Week (though it’s definitely not advised). I stash emergency granola bars to tide me over  and lollies for a sugar hit – hardly the healthiest option, but fruit feels like a pulpy Mulberry disaster waiting to happen. A refillable water bottle and a pack of gum also live inside my bag, hydration and fresh breath being the bare minimum of survival. 

Wellbeing

It’s a long-running joke that I always have blisters. And with thin skin comes preventative action, in the form of Band-Aids (or ‘plasters’ as the Brits call it). Fashion Week delivers looks, not necessarily medically-approved footwear, so I’m never without a few packs.

The same goes for travel-size tissues (for makeup blotches, irritants, or the inevitable drizzle) and hand sanitiser. Safety first when navigating the Tube, I kill germs while keeping my hands nourished (and scented) with La Bruket hand cream.

And finally, I never travel without sunglasses; aviators, specifically. Partly for protection, mostly for disguise. There’s no better tool for hiding Fashion Month exhaustion (and one too many champers) than the fashion girl’s eye mask. 

Purchase the JBL Tour One M3 Smart Tx Headphones online here.