I’m pushing this one close to the wire since the trip takes place the first week of June but better late than never right? Right? 😉 Hawaii is one of those destinations where people imagine themselves running off and living forever. I’ve never been but I know people that have, and they all seem to share that same sentiment.
The request is for 1 week in Hawaii with a side trip to Chicago for a work convention, and both need to be able to be packed within a carry-on. The clothes for this trip are summer clothes so there should be no issues fitting everything you need in to one bag when packed well (ahem, roll everything). In the main list I am including the Hawaii pieces and at the bottom I will show a couple of pieces that you can add to mix with the Hawaii wardrobe to have some work clothes. The two pieces I chose to include are a pencil skirt and a white button down. These pieces combined with several of the pieces in the list should give you enough outfit options for the work portion of the trip (except maybe shoes, see my shoe explanation below). I did a separate work clothes section to the “what to wear” outfit portion at the bottom of the post.
Hawaii is quite casual in general so shorts, sandals, tanks/t-shirts, and summery dresses are the norm, as is just wearing your swimsuit with a coverup. The swimsuit I included is actually reversible so it is like having two in one. One side bold coloured print, and the other side is black. I love a piece that gives you multiple looks from it, like scarves which can be used as sarongs, wraps, or shawls. It can lighten your packing list immensely.
June is considered one of the peak holiday months for Hawaii with nice, sunny weather (usually) with day time highs of 28°C on average. It can be windy and the evenings can cool down so a sweater or light jacket is important. I originally included a jean jacket as the light jacket option, but I swapped it out for a blazer so that it can be used for the work convention too. Putting a blazer over an outfit looks instantly more polished and put together.
I’m dancing about over the footwear decision because it is never necessary to bring more than 3 pairs. But due to the work convention I was contemplating adding a ballet flat but it would depend on what level of dressy the work part requires (like high heels). So right now I will stick with what I chose and use your discretion of what you would think is the most suitable choice.
Remember that your travel outfits are also included in these pieces so layer well to cut back on the amount you are packing. I included the jeans for the travel outfit option mostly, since they probably won’t be worn very much on the island unless there are some cooler days/evenings. But since I am a big jean wearer, I would just cuff them and wear them with some slides and a t-shirt, tank, or tunic top.
I’ve put together outfits options for the Hawaii trip and work portion in two separate collages located below.
I hope your trip is great and good luck at the convention!
I’ve had three coffees today and now I am sitting quietly, drinking a cup of tea and I realize how much more I enjoy tea. While I drink coffee in the morning mainly for its ease (Keurig) and the caffeine boost (not a morning person. At all.) when given the option I will pick tea every single time. My favourite Starbucks tea is a London Fog (also called an Earl Grey Latte). Even my two favourite mugs (Lionel, Mr. T [mine is pink]) that no one is allowed to use show my preferences. I guess I am really and truly British as per my DNA 😉 Which do you prefer?
Last post I put together a list for What to Pack for Havana, Cuba as per an Instagram request. It is a much more colourful list than what I usually do but there are just so many wonderfully bright, and beautifully printed pieces out there now and I felt it fit with the aesthetic I was going for, for this particular list. I have also been embracing more colour lately and think that this may have trickled down in to my choices as well.
This trip is for 7 days in June, which is part of the wet season and I put together 18 outfit options from the pieces in the list. There are also so many other ideas that could be put together if you get creative. Cuba is like many other Caribbean countries where there aren’t restrictions on what you can/should wear. You can bring your regular summer clothes and there will be no issues. If you want read more details on the trip, my clothing choices, and the accessibility to wifi in Cuba read the original post.
Are you feeling all of the bright colours and prints this season?
This weeks packing list request comes via Instagram. I was asked if I could put together some ideas for a one week trip to Cuba in the middle of June. I’ve never done Cuba before so I thought I would give it a shot. Cuba is tropical so it is warm all year-long so it has dry season and wet season. From May to October is the wet season, meaning that on any given day the sky can open and the heavens fall 😉 During the summer months the days hit the 30’s (in celsius) and the air gets thick and humid. The wet season is also cyclone season so pay attention to the weather before you leave.
I’m going full colour with this list because I was inspired by o=pictures of Cuba. Like most of the Caribbean countries there aren’t a lot of wardrobe restrictions, so the best things to wear are dresses and/or skirts, tanks/camis/t-shirts. breezy blouses, and shorts (I added a pair of jeans for travel and if it gets colder). A sweater or denim jacket is a nice light cover in case you get chilly, a kimono is a statement piece that adds bold print, colour, and can easily be thrown over a dress, shorts, or a swimsuit. Scarves also make good swimsuit covers or shawls in a pinch (bring two swimsuits if you don’t want to risk putting on a wet one). And don’t forget a hat and suntan lotion. The tropical sun in no joke. Seriously though, it’s intense.
There is so much to see and do in Cuba but also know that wifi isn’t as accessible in Cuba as you are probably used to. They do have HotSpots all over the country but yo need to buy a prepaid ETECSA internet card so it can get pricey. If your hotel has a wifi hotspot you may have to buy the time through the hotel vs the card. For many this may seem like a dream to unplug for a week and relax, for others it may not. So it is best to research and plan it out so you don’t end up in a panic because you can’t access all your social media 😉 So keep in mind, there is internet but it’s going to cost you.
Outfit Options will be in the next post.
A little mid week heads up is that Nordstrom’s Half-Yearly Sale starts to today. Up to 40% off store wide until June 4th. Also, we are getting a Nordstrom soon and I am beyond excited to see what the hype is about.
I didn’t think I was going to get it finished but did. This is look number three from the One Trip, three women, three different styles challenge that was requested this week. Look number one – Romantic Style, and look number two – Boho Style are from Tuesday and Wednesday’s posts. I tried to get this one up last night but honestly, my kids would not settle and I just couldn’t sit and focus. But since it is Friday it fits well with my regular posting schedule anyway.
I’m going to be honest and say that this list is right up my alley. It fits my style perfectly and kind of want to go through and buy everything 😉 You may notice that I didn’t include any shorts in any of these selections. For the romantic list I was requested not to, and for these last two I was thinking about it but considered it unnecessary since there are two dresses and the pants can either be rolled or pushed up anyway. Shorts aren’t as prevalent in many European countries like you see here in North America and a lot of times the people that you do seeing wearing shorts are tourists. But if you think you would like to bring a pair they can easily be swapped for something or even rolled-up small and slipped in your shoe while packing, because they won’t take much room. Note that the long floral dress can also be left open and worn as a kimono style, long over-shirt. This gives even more outfit options when you have pieces that can work several ways.
18 Outfit Options are at the bottom of this post.
I wanted to note that the Elephant scarf/bandana from J.Crew is not only beautiful but for a good cause. I am a sucker for animal causes and when I chose this piece I originally picked it because I loved it and it fit with the aesthetic (and I adore elephants) and then I read on the J.Crew website:
“Founded in 1977, the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust rescues and protects orphaned elephants and rhinos in East Africa from ivory poaching and extinction. To date, they’ve successfully rehabilitated 190 elephant orphans before reintegrating them into the wild. In their honor, we teamed up with Brooklyn-based artist Hugo Guinness to create this limited-edition scarf, featuring an illustration of our friend Edie the elephant. An adventurous (and slightly rebellious) teenager, Edie was rescued by DSWT back in 1999 when she was just four months old. Fifty percent of the retail price from the sale of this scarf will be donated to the Trust.”
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