Fancy Girl Packing: Waikiki

When my better half, Steve, told me he had a work trip to Hawaii and the dates coincided with the very first week of my summer break, I gave myself permission to buy the Tibi Kamara Print skirt and wondered if the Bobbi Brown Beach perfume I’ve been pulling out for more than a decade just was still good. Yes, it is.

As luck would have it for me, school has just let out for the summer, which means that for a few short weeks I am not responsible for an earnest but persistently needy group of boarding school students with double names (which I am secretly charmed by), like John Henry and Mary Helen, who have seventeen different versions of the question, “Do colleges care if I drop AP Physics?”

Yes, yes they do, Maxine (another favorite boarding school name).

Normally, this sort of trip doesn’t line up for us. We are not remote-work people. Among our friends, we are quite possibly the last two people reporting to actual physical locations every day. Even our college kids do more remote work than we do. Our best friends Chris and Mel take calls from ski lifts in Aspen and while standing in line for Springsteen. Not us. If we are working, we are generally wearing Real Pants and unable to take personal calls at work. As much as I hate to admit it, this is probably for the best in my case. Steve had to have a stern talking to with me during COVID when I worked for weeks straight in a caftan. The only thing really alarming about the situation was that it was the same caftan.

“This is not a vacation,” Steve said repeatedly before we left. “I’ll be working twelve hours a day so you’ll be on your own.”

EVEN BETTER.

Alrighty then, let’s pack for ten days of solitary beaching, shopping, eating Dole Whips paired with Prosecco, and reading library books in Waikiki.

Well, now that I look at this altogether it does seem that I’m a little heavy on the white tops 😂 doesn’t it? What can I say except that I was throwing items in with reckless abandon and I stand by my choices, mostly.

Tibi Shirred Back Tee - I’ve worn this so much already! On this trip, I liked wearing it backwards over my beach dresses (see below) as sun protection. Cutie cute cute.

Brown Skims tank - Say what you want about Kim K, the girl knows how to make a tank top. I sized up to an XL, and I wear this constantly at the beach. It’s meant to be a lounge item, but I count it as an actual top. The fabric is kind of slinky, silky if you will. Excellent on vacation bc it can also be worn to yoga and hotel breakfast. I have it in this brownish/purplish Ring 3 color from a few years ago which is not available now but I think I’ve linked the same fabric in this season’s colors.

Black Lululemon tank - Again, I sized up to an XL, and ditto all of the above. P.S. I have discovered that Lululemon makes local products here in Hawaii, and people line up outside before opening to buy them, and they are SO CUTE. Who knew? More to come.

Citizens of Humanity Tank - A more substantial, thicker tank in a very nice ivory. I like the high neck.

Frank and Eileen White Poplin Button Up - Goes w/everything, can be an outer layer plus a beach cover-up, I love button ups on the beach. I did have to buy laundry detergent to wash this - mid hotel stay - after spilling strawberry shaved ice on it but what can you do. A girl has to eat.

Jenni Kayne cotton fisherman’s sweater - This is the only JK piece I have, and it’s just superior to all other cotton sweaters. Trust. I do baby it, which is to say I do not eat or drink anything that is not clear while I am wearing it because I love it so much.

Lacoste Polo - just because. Mine is vintage, here’s one on Poshmark. For me, somehow the vintage one takes the edge off the prep?

Tibi Kamara skirt - the only item I bought expressly for this trip. Self explanatory. I wrote about it here.

Tibi Batik Print Shorts - These were from a few summers ago and I jumped on the board shorts trend immediately. Obviously I like a big print. Here is the skirt version on Poshmark. I wear these constantly in the summer.

J.Crew Satin Pants - Not really satin, who are we kidding. Mine are old and I’ve linked to a current pair that looks similar. I brought along scrunchies to try the Tibi trick of making these into balloon pants but that has felt like too much effort.

Tory Burch Ruched Skirt - Old, but can still be found on random sites. Did I really need two black skirts on this trip? Well, one is a mini and one is a midi, so yes. Plus, this one is also a top and a third piece. Not that I’ve ever worn it as a third piece but I like the option. I also like saying “third piece.” CREATIVE PRAGMATISM.

Tibi Tech Suiting Skirt - From the winter/spring collection. I was glad to find that I can wear it into summer. The two way zipper is so smarty pants.

Old Old Old Pink Chicken NY dresses on the left and right - so old, I can’t find them on resale. The evolved Pink Chicken brand is too preppy for me, but I still love these early styles.

Tibi Jalouise Dress - from last summer. Still love this, still wear it all the time. Here’s a size 0 on Poshmark.

“Swim” implies swimming but I’m not doing a lot of that. Wading, and perhaps the occasional dog paddle, but mostly my swimwear stays on dry land. Fun fact, I grew up in Florida but I can barely swim. Even as a child, I loved resort wear and the beach but did not like to get my hair wet or put my face in the water. The endless birthday parties at backyard pools were a major source of social anxiety.

Heidi Merrick Boy Short - My current favorite swimsuit bottom. I bought these two years ago in a large, lost a little weight, and had them altered which was cheaper than repurchasing. That’s how much I love them.

Heidi Merrick Vincent Top - I bought this to color match with the bottoms but it’s not as exciting as the boy shorts. Good if you can get it on sale, otherwise not sure it’s special enough to justify the price. Also, runs small!

Left on Friday High Tide Bottom - I was influenced to buy these last summer by the entire internet and they are Very Good. Are they changing my life? Not really, but they do the job. I have them in Agave, with the matching top which is a very pretty Ring 3.

Left on Friday Sunday Top - Ditto.

Left on Friday Barrel Bottom - Okay, garment name aside, I love these! I am a boyshort kind of girl and I am very happy in these. Not as high design as the Heidi Merrick, boy short, but they are great. 10/10!

J.Crew 1993 underwire top - Old, old, old. Why don’t they make this anymore? My favorite top. I wish I had it in more colors. Well, I do have it in red, actually, but I want all the colors. Well I do have it in read, actually, But I want all the colors. Here’s one on Poshmark.

Left on Friday Rash Guard - If you can tan, are tan, or potentially will be tan, I am jealous. If not, you will love this. Size up. A rash guard will never be cool, but if you must wear one, this is a cutie.

Lorna Murray Hat - My kids make fun of me in this one, but people on the street have stopped me to ask about it, so there. Big time attention getter. Big time sun protector. I have three different versions. Packs up super small. Creative pragmatism at its finest.

Mc2 bag - Old, I’ve always liked these bags. They come in a million colors.

Jack Rogers and Tory Burch Miller Sandals - Both are old, both are so out that they are either ironic or in again according to me. I like wearing Jack Rogers with long jean shorts or ridiculous mini skirts and can picture wearing them with the Umbro shorts I plan to buy - ie sort of ironically. Same thing with the Miller sandals. If you wear them as intended - with a sundress, for example - it’s too on the nose and you look like you are at a high school graduation in Tampa. You’ve been warned.

A smattering of elevator, shopping, and hotel selfies.

I really felt good in my (mostly) muted colors. Most of what I wore could go from the pool to the shops to dinner and, so far, I have only had one sunburn. I would say I am Winning at Waikiki.

• I’ve linked most of the items above plus the minimal makeup and beauty items I packed here.

• We have a Toto Toilet in our Fancy Hotel Bathroom and no, I am not linking it, but if you are unfamiliar, take a deep dive. Life changing. Steve is not as enamored. Me: “Can we get this toilet for our house - I’ll never ask for anything else again.” Him: “No.” Me: “Please.” Him: “Please stop talking about the toilet.”

• If I were going on an Actual Vacation to Hawaii, I would not choose Waikiki. It’s beautiful but crowded and loud and a big city - all of which I have at home. I have been to Maui (amazing) and would love to travel to the other islands. That said, the Waikiki shopping is FABULOUS. I’ve been able to try out lots of brands that I don’t have access to on the East Coast. I’m looking at you, Brooke Callahan. More to come on that front.

• June 10th would have been my 26th anniversary with my first husband. We divorced after 17 years, and he died in 2020 😞. We came to Hawaii on our honeymoon, then again for our fifth anniversary, and then again with our daughter when we were all so young and happy. June 11th was my five year anniversary with my Steve. So many anniversaries in one week! I don’t really have a point here except to say this is all messing with my head a little bit. Not to sound like all Fleetwood Mac Landslide, but how am I so old? How have I tricked two men into marrying me and bringing me (well, I brought myself but you know what I mean) to Hawaii? I’ve been thinking about my ex and I wish he could see who our daughter is becoming, I wish he could have been part of all of this Knicks craziness (he was a fan, such a big fan), and I already know that however long I have with my current husband, it won’t be enough time. I AM THINKING AND WRITING ALL OF THESE THINGS WHILE STEVE IS SNORING VERY LOUDLY NEXT TO ME. He’s probably dreaming of hula girls, the ocean, and poke bowls, and clearly, there are no angsty thoughts on his side of the bed. After all, he has to get up for work at 3:30 in the morning.

  It’s not a vacation.

Thank you so much for reading!

Notes:

1. I’m using occasional affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you buy something through a link I share. Thank you for your support!

2. If you are interested in shopping my closet, home, and office, check out my ShopMy. It’s an utterly fabulous work in progress, if I do say so myself.