3
Tops
One white, one color, one print or texture.
Allele · Vol. II · Shade DNA · Mini PlannerSummer 2026
Half your
suitcase doesn’t
work on you.
Most packing lists assume everyone can build around the same neutrals — black, white, denim, camel, navy, gold. That is why the suitcase looks sensible at home and strangely disconnected on the trip. Your capsule starts working when the anchor colors match your season. One PDF, twelve season-specific capsules, the math already done.
Mini Planner · Summer Travel
The Capsule Planner
12 Seasons12 Cores2 Worksheets
“For the person who packs black, white, denim, and gold because they are basics — and still arrives with nothing that works together.”
For readers whooverpack and underusehate the vacation photosrebuy “basics” every trip
§ 01
The problem is not
the number of pieces.
- One · Universal “basics” are not universal.Black, white, denim, camel, navy, gold. Most packing lists assume the same five neutrals work on everyone. They do not. The grey-blue linen that anchors a Soft Summer dissolves on a Bright Winter. The terracotta that grounds a True Autumn flattens a Light Spring. You have packed it before. The photos came back flat.
- Two · You pack pieces, not systems.An eight-piece capsule that does not share temperature, depth, and softness across the anchors is just eight orphans in a suitcase. The capsule starts mixing the moment your black, white, denim, layer, and metal belong to the same season family. The pieces do not need to be fancy. They need to match each other.
- Three · Vacation photographs forever.Your suitcase is built for the few days that produce most of the photos you keep. Harsh beach sun, golden hour on a balcony, a stranger’s iPhone at dinner. The colors that flatten you in that light are not the colors that flatten you under your bathroom vanity. The capsule has to hold in real light, not display light.
§ 02
The twelve-piece
capsule formula.
2
Bottoms
One denim, one non-denim neutral.
2
Layers
One light layer, one warmer evening layer.
2
Shoes
One walkable, one polished.
1
One-piece
Dress, set, jumpsuit, or repeated outfit.
1
Metal
One jewelry finish. Do not split the capsule.
1
Bag
Match your black, camel, or metal.
0
Orphans
No piece that only works with one outfit.
Start with the anchors. Then pack the outfits.
§ 03
Four sample
travel cores.
SPRING
True Spring
Warm, medium, bright
Pack rule
Use warmth as the glue. Cream, camel, denim, and gold should all talk to each other.
Your version
| Black | Warm chocolate |
| White | Warm ivory |
| Denim | Golden mid-wash |
| Layer | Classic camel |
| Metal | Bright gold |
Leave home: pure black, optic white, silver, cool charcoal.
SUMMER
True Summer
Cool, medium, muted
Pack rule
Build around cool navy and dove grey. Let camel become taupe.
Your version
| Black | Cool charcoal |
| White | Cool off-white |
| Denim | Medium cool wash |
| Layer | Cool taupe |
| Metal | Brushed silver |
Leave home: warm olive, yellow gold, orange tan, optic white overload.
AUTUMN
True Autumn
Warm, rich, earthy
Pack rule
Let brown do the work black usually does. Warmth is the system.
Your version
| Black | Chocolate |
| White | Bone |
| Denim | Rust-wash |
| Layer | Cognac |
| Metal | Warm gold |
Leave home: optic white, cool grey, silver, black denim.
WINTER
True Winter
Cool, medium-deep, bright
Pack rule
Pack crispness. Your easiest capsule is structured, cool, and high contrast.
Your version
| Black | True black |
| White | Optic white |
| Denim | Cool indigo |
| Layer | Classic navy |
| Metal | Polished silver |
Leave home: cream, camel, brass, warm olive.
+ Eight more season cards inside the PDF
§ 04
What’s
inside.
Page One
Cover · the twelve cores at a glance
- · The full 12-season palette grid
- · Who this is for, in one line
Page Two
Start Here
- · The 12-piece capsule formula
- · Use this for · do not use this for
- · The anchor-first principle
Pages Three to Six
The twelve travel cores
- · One card per season · twelve in total
- · Travel core · five anchor colors named
- · Pack rule · the one-line system for your season
- · Leave home · what undoes the capsule
- · Your-version slot table · black, white, denim, layer, metal
Page Seven
Worksheet · Build the suitcase before you pack it
- · Twelve numbered piece rows
- · Color-check column · does it match your anchors
- · Outfits-it-serves column · two-outfit minimum rule
- · Pack? column · the kill-or-keep decision
Page Eight
Worksheet · Seven-day outfit grid
- · One row per day · day outfit, evening swap, repeat piece
- · Anchor-fix fast rule at the foot of the page
§ 05 · The planner
Start with the anchors.
Then pack the outfits.
One-time purchase. PDF download. Yours forever. No subscription, no app, no membership — just the planner you wish someone had handed you the first time you came home from vacation with a hundred photos and nothing that works together.
Pack the capsule · $12→PDF · Instant download · via Gumroad
Not sure which season you are? Take the free Shade DNA quiz first →