How to Pack a Suit (And Other Things)

Weddings, conferences, more weddings—we’re about to hit peak travel season. You may soon find yourself boarding a flight with a suit and tie in tow, making now as good a time as any for a guide on packing suits, shirts, and ties with minimal wrinkles.

Before we begin, a note on garment bags: they’re the best way to travel with a suit. But as we live in a world of strict carry-on limits (and limited hands), garments bags aren’t always an option. So this guide will focus on storing your clothing in conventional luggage.
 

Packing a Suit Jacket

It may seem challenging at first, but packing a suit jacket is remarkably easy—it just requires a little origami.

Start by turning the jacket (except the sleeves) inside out. Then gently pinch it by the shoulders and fold it horizontally so that the shoulders meet together. Make sure that the shoulders are pushed in and that the sleeves are hanging down flat on the inside.

If your luggage is long enough to lay down the jacket as-is, great. If not, fold it in half vertically so that the collar is nearly parallel with the hem. 

Packing Shirts

You’ll want to fold the sleeves behind the back of your shirt and then fold the shirt vertically at the center so that its two halves are equal. If you’re packing multiple shirts stack them with the collars alternating at each end to reduce the amount of pressure and wrinkling on each collar.

Packing Trousers

Packing a pair trousers, suit or otherwise, is much more straightforward. Simply fold them in half horizontally, so that the waistband is pressing against itself, then fold them in half vertically and lay them down flat in your bag.

Packing Ties

Some ties, such as the David Fin ties sold at Blank Label, come in boxes that can be reused to keep ties protected during travel. If you do not have any tie boxes or traveling cases, you can sandwich a tie between your folded suit jacket and trousers to help keep it flat and in place.

Unpacking

How you unpack can be just as important as how you packed. Remove your clothing from your luggage and hang them up as soon as you’ve reached your destination. And if any of your clothing has picked up wrinkles, hang them in the bathroom while you shower: the buildup of steam will naturally cause some wrinkles to fall.