For Subscribers

What's in Your Carry-On? Shop owner and fashion designer Ilaria Urbinati fills us in on her carry-on must-haves.

By Kara Ohngren Prior

Opinions expressed by BIZ Experiences contributors are their own.

Celebrity stylist Ilaria Urbinati recently partnered with actor-turned-DJ Danny Masterson to open Confederacy, a hip boutique/cafe/gallery in Los Angeles. The 5,000-square-foot store carries duds from both major and indie designers, including a new line of fitted men's suits, which Urbinati co-designed with Albert Hammond Jr., the rhythm guitarist for The Strokes. A blend of fashion, food and art, Confederacy is a unique space where customers can linger for an entire afternoon. Urbinati, however, spends many of her afternoons flying to New York City to bring the latest styles back to L.A. Here's what she never leaves home without.

Time to catch up:
"I bring my Mac laptop and plug in. I get about 80 e-mails an hour, so it does help that I can access the internet on the plane. It used to be that flying was the only time I could completely justify not working for a full six hours at a time. I kind of miss the absolute inability to have internet access."

Mile-high munchies:
"If I'm on a diet, I buy a to-go salad from one of the airport restaurants. Otherwise, I'll bring snacks like Luna Bars and peanuts. I'm always either eating or sleeping."

Never travel without:
"My iPod with a whole lot of Bob Dylan, Joe Jackson and Fleet Foxes on it. I also always have an oversize scarf to use as a blanket, because I'm always freezing and the plane blankets are gross. I bring my own DVDs, because I travel so much I've actually seen all the movies on Virgin; they don't update them often enough for the frequency of my travel."

Reading materials:
"Just recently, I bought $100 worth of European fashion magazines and runway issues so that I could do all the research for my spring 2010 buying. I always bring a book, too; right now, it's Breakfast of Champions, by Kurt Vonnegut."

Kara Ohngren is a freelance writer and part-time editor at YoungEntrepreneur. Her work has appeared in publications including BIZ Experiences Magazine, The New York Times, MSNBC, The Huffington Post and Business Insider.

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