Silk is a lustrous and beautiful fabric that is very strong and hardwearing yet it can succumb to wrinkles. Travelling for business or leisure means not only remembering to pack all the essentials but to pack efficiently so as your belongings travel as safely as possible. Whether it’s a business trip, holiday or weekend away, if your beautiful silk garments are going to be coming with you, we have some helpful packing tips and techniques. Ensure your garments remain crease-free during your journey and arrive in style with Sophie’s guide to how best to pack your silks.

The key to packing your silk garments for travel is to ensure they are well protected and are unable to move around during the journey no matter how long or short it is, so as to prevent wrinkles and creases. Make sure each silk garment is correctly fastened – all buttons on the shirts should be done up and any zips closed.

At the bottom of your suitcase, firstly pack a layer of soft clothing and then around the edges of your case, pack the heavier and bulkier items you’re taking, such as shoes. The soft clothing acts as a protective layer when placing the silk garments over the top. The heavier items must be placed at the bottom and at the sides so as these do not rest on top of your silk garments and cause indentations or creases.

For silk shirts, do not fold individually, but stack the shirts in a carefully layered pile before you start folding. This means that there are no sharp bends in the fabric but rather the multiple layers of fabric roll over each other in soft bends. Fold the pile of sleeves across the body of the top shirt forming an ‘X’ shape in the centre. If you are only packing one silk shirt then include another soft item to wrap it around such as a jersey top.

Place the stack of garments carefully into a garment bag or a plastic dry-cleaning bag. If the suitcase is big enough, fold the garment bag in half only once; otherwise fold it into thirds. The garment bag protects your beautiful items from wrinkles and also toiletries and sharp objects, as well as reducing the movement of the silk garments during travel. The soft handle and drape of silk means that it is exceptionally fluid and could have the potential to move and slip during transit. Protecting your garments with a layer that provides friction will prevent this and ensure they travel as securely as possible.

For your silk dresses and skirts, the same method applies. Stack the silk dresses, starting with the longest dress at the bottom and working your way up to placing the dress with the shortest hem length at the top of the pile. Once the sleeves have been crossed over, bring the longest hemline inwards towards the body of the dress, folding into thirds.

When placing the garment bag into the suitcase, ensure it rests on a flat, even and smooth layer, avoiding anything bulky or bumpy. Place a lightweight layer of clothing over the top of the garment bag to hold the pieces in place and stop any movement.

Once you arrive at your destination, unpack your silk items as soon as possible and hang them up, allowing any slight wrinkles or creases to fall out.