One bloody eye and a stubbed toe/missing toenail later, I’m officially scuba certified! Considering that on both days out in the open ocean I had a mild panic attack upon my first jump into the water, I’m surprised I made it through. There’s something incredibly unnatural about the initial moment when you sink beneath the surface — every fiber of my body was screaming to GET OUT NOW so it’s a lot of telling your brain to kindly shut the fuck up. I pretty much barely scraped by at most of the required skills but the two that I was great at involved either curling into a ball on the sandy floor or emitting a slow, gentle whine into my regulator as I practiced making an emergency ascent. I don’t think that bodes very well for my future in this sport/hobby but to be fair, I was a pretty shitty snowboarder for a very long time so I guess this a normal learning curve for me?
Speaking of challenges, packing for this trip was also trickier than usual. First, it was technically a work trip with Citizen Watch, so I had to be appropriately dressed, with the general idea that I’d be dressed like a fashion editor (read: stylish bordering on overdressed.) Second, my wardrobe and palm tree-filled destinations aren’t necessarily compatible. Considering every day consisted of temps in the high 80s with humidity to match, the general goal was to not melt or burn into a crisp out in the sun. Oh and the last requirement: whatever I wore had to match the black diving watch I was testing out throughout the week I was there (more on this in a separate newsletter to come next month!) That last part came pretty naturally, thankfully.
The easy part was figuring out the swimsuit situation: I packed enough black one-pieces for all of the days, mainly because I hate rewearing them. I find that nothing fully dries in tropical climates overnight, even if you’re in an air-conditioned hotel room. But for our two days of open water dives, I added in this Summersalt high-waisted bikini. Strangely, it dried faster than my one-pieces so I could wear it back-to-back. The rationale behind adding this swimsuit into the mix is that it’s easier to pee in two-pieces, a fear I had despite each boat ride being only about 3 hours long.
The harder part of packing was sorting out what to wear when not in a swimsuit. Just like wedding guest dresses, vacation wear has become a cliché in its own way. Yes, you can technically blame the same brand, (*cough*Reformation*cough(), because their dresses were basically designed with either occasion in mind. The problem is while you can get away with wearing conceptual, avant-garde pieces to a wedding (case in point Gia Kuan’s amazing Chinese-ish banquet where those types out of outfits were straight up encouraged), the same approach to styling doesn’t apply to a tropical work vacation. So this is one of those rare occasions when I decided to just lean into the clichés, at least partially.
What I mean by cliché isn’t what you think: it’s not like I’m going to suddenly forget all sense of self and show up in a cut-out crochet dress or matching sets in an array of bright colors. It’s the same approach I have to the rest of my wardrobe: stuff that makes sense if I style it into an outfit so it’s pieces that look equally as appropriate in New York as it does in the Bahamas. That translates into linen separates, a little bit of tropical print, and shorter hemlines coupled with statement sunglasses plus an array of hoop earrings. It’s not a capsule wardrobe per se but in my head it’s basically one.
So here’s what went into my suitcase:
The first piece I packed, after all of my swimsuits, was this cover up slash dress by Anemos. I’ve already mentioned how much I loved their skimpy-ish one-piece but their non-swim pieces are also pretty good. Made from a mix of linen and cupro, the dress is lightweight and travels well. I think the first time you button it up you might panic about the length but once you tie the front, the dress has enough coverage that you can wear it out and about off the beach.
My favorite sandals, that I’ve worn to death and now need to take to the cobbler, are a pair of knotted flatform slides by Jil Sander. Unfortunately they’re no longer available but these are pretty similar. The padded sole is so comfortable and it literally matches everything. If you’re looking for a different size, Saks has a bigger selection, but the price is $680 for some reason?
I’ve been testing sunglasses that work on low nose bridges and as much as I want to love brands that are especially geared towards people who have them, I’m not finding much to like. For the most part, these brands have shapes are kinda dated and sooooooo boring. Instead I’m trying to find styles from mainstream labels that work on my face and still look good. These, by Port Tanger, aren’t perfect but I love their shape — it’s kinda Gen Z, I know, but in a way that still feels elevated and cool. They managed to stay up relatively well with a bit of slippage now and then. It’s tolerable enough and I suspect they’d sit better on the face with some anti-slip nose pads, which I am dragging my heels about buying.
I’ve owned a similar blue silk dress by this British brand called Kitri for years. They don’t make the style anymore but Vince has one that’s nearly identical. While I love a black slip dress for the most part, having a navy one does come in hand, especially in a thicker silk that has a better drape across the body. I find that this piece is great on it’s own but I also like to wear it as a skirt, which is what I did for our last dinner.
I bought this men’s Prada floral button up on sale years ago and it’s such a fun piece to break out every so often. I’ve worn it boxy and baggy over skirts and slip dresses but it can look a bit shapeless, so I’ve taken to knotting it into a crop top instead.
A similar men’s floral shirt, which I’m equally as into, is this one by Sacai that happens to be on sale. I think it’d be great tucked into a short black skirt, to offset the boxiness, or I’d wear it tied over a black slip.
Saltwater can really do a number to your sandals, even if you’re diligent about rinsing them every night. For dive days, or just hanging by the pool, I was so glad I brought these Chaco slides. They’re inexpensive, extremely comfortable, and lightweight. I see why Strategist raves about them now. I’m not giving up my Birkenstocks or Tevas quite yet but these are good to add into the mix.
Yup, of course I packed this bodysuit. Like I said, I really do live in it all summer long and it folds down into the tiniest square for packing. Please do yourself a favor and get one too, it’s truly the best styling piece to get you through the hottest days.
So, I kinda lied. I swore I wasn’t going to shop after the DSM sale but this Prada skirt was very very well-priced so I bought it. No regrets! It’s a super fun, statement piece that’s going to make a reappearance or two come fashion month. The giant pocket and buckle at the hem felt apropos for a scuba trip in my head, especially when styled with a simple bodysuit and sandals.
This is a similar nylon one that has a buckle detail at the waist that I also really like! The price on this is much more affordable too.
I mentioned these sunglasses in my IG stories as being absurdly oversized to the point of looking like the ones you’d wear after some insane eye surgery. They definitely have a bug-eyed effect but I absolutely love them. I love how they don’t slip off my face because of the little arms hug the temples. And yet, they’re not so tight that you get a headache. Added bonus: more coverage around the sensitive skin around your eyes which means more protection against UV rays.
These linen shorts were my go-to for all of the dive days because they were easy, comfortable, and super flattering. My only issue is that they didn’t dry very well when they got soaked but that was my fault for not putting them into the waterproof pocket of my scuba gear bag.
Every time I wear these hoop earrings someone asks me about them. The style I have is a few years old and a bit thinner than the ones Dinosaur Designs currently sells, but I think the thicker version is actually cooler looking. They’re a teensy bit heavier than my other hoop earrings but not unmanageable. I love how white resin hoops are distinctive but still maintain the monochromatic vibe. I usually toss them into my suitcase for every trip because without fail, I wind up wearing them at least once.
And with that, see you on Wednesday, which will be a departure from the usual fashion content. The next newsletter focuses on beauty, namely how the hell I’ve managed to stay platinum for the last five plus years. The answer lies in my amazing colorist, Kirsten Stuke, who will talk more about what she does to keep it looking icy and healthy. More to come!
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Great pieces. I might buy the Commando body suit. Snapped crouch is a practical design. Is the Vince slip dress silk charmeuse? I recently purchased and returned Vince silk PJs in "washable silk". The sticky feel of the fabric gave me the scraping-nails-on-blackboard feeling. Thanks!