Travel Wardrobe: Second Round Draft Picks
Hong Kong tram. Image via Pinterest
Thanks so much for all of your feedback on my proposed travel wardrobe for Hong Kong and Vietnam! I’d truly hoped to compile this travel wardrobe without any new purchases, but I think the demands of the climate (heat and extreme humidity) may require some special “equipment” not found in my current wardrobe. From the standpoint of selection it’s absolutely the wrong time to be searching for summer-weight clothing, but from a discount standpoint, if you can find something that works, chances are it’s on mega-sale.
Based on (overwhelming) majority opinion, I’m going to ditch the boyfriend jeans and replace with something lighter. The one pair of linen pants that graced my closet was six years and twenty pounds ago, and has been long since donated. Luckily, a quick search turned up a lot of options, most of which are on sale including some in darker colors. I’ve ordered a pair in a straight leg style in navy, which should go nicely from day to evening.
The two skirts currently in my wardrobe are both just-above-the-knee pencil skirts, which are great for evenings but not the best for daytime walking/sightseeing. Both of these from Eileen Fisher have possibilities..
Asymmetrical skirt, Silk skirt (imagine if you can with different shoes…)
I’ll report back after I’ve tried them. I’ve looked at “skorts” online but haven’t seen any that are long enough for my comfort zone. And here’s another question for you…are bare legs with skirts considered acceptable in Hong Kong? I can’t imagine wearing tights during the day in heat and humidity.
The good news is that I’ve been acquiring knit linen tees for a couple of years now, and they currently are available at every price point. This one from Madewell seems to have been designed with tropical conditions in mind: it’s very light and drapes nicely.
Linen swingline tee, available in multiple colors
Last year I purchased this simple white linen tee from Eileen Fisher, and a few weeks ago picked up the striped linen tee from J.Crew (mine’s grey/black). Between these and my silk jersey tanks and tees, I think I’m in good shape for tops.
The shoes are a conundrum. Most of my walking shoes are either boots or sandals. Boots will be too warm, and many of you have advised against sandals. My Taos sneakers are a great in-between option, but I feel as though including a second pair of walking shoes in case those get wet is prudent. I’ve been eyeing these slip-on sneakers from Vince for some months now, and am going to try them out.
I’m hoping the perforated leather will translate to a cooler shoe in the heat. Again, will report back. I will still need some dressier shoes for some evenings (which should not require lots of walking) and am not sure what to include if not the low heels. Some of the planned activities on our Halong Bay cruise (like kayaking) will require sandals that can stand a dunking, so will probably just take my Havianas.
Again, I very much appreciate all of the great feedback and suggestions!
And a general housekeeping note: we’ve had some big projects at work lately that are sucking up a great deal of time and my mental energy, so I haven’t been able to visit your blogs as much as I’d like. We’re nearing the end of the project, and I’m hoping to do some catching up over the weekend or soon thereafter.
Do you have any other tips for putting together an “out of season” travel wardrobe?
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