Therese - thanks so much! Very helpful advice, particularly the tip about the denim jackets. Sounds like cardigan/scarf for day is best (can throw into bag and carry easier than a jacket) and perhaps a smart blazer for night.
Angie and/or Therese- thought of another question: if we do a harbor cruise at night, what to wear? I'm assuming you want to dress for wind chill. But do people dress up for these cruises?
Tam - to summarize:
1) Pack your nicest clothes. When in doubt, dress up.
2) Weather: will probably seem hot to me. But it will be freezing indoors. Not all that sunny because the buildings are tall (this is like Boston or NYC).
3) Smart casual for day: dark denim jeans, nice sleeveless dressy blouse (sweet pea tops ideal because they can be washed), your best bag, and a cardigan because it's cold inside. Angie was comfortable in long jeans in October. Pack clamdiggers and day dresses only if you tend to run hot (which I do, so I probably will).
For blouses, this weekend (with HK in mind) I bought these two, which I figured were perfect:
http://www.anntaylor.com/catal.....pe=Regular
http://www.anntaylor.com/catal.....pe=Regular
So my plan is to wear silky, dressy blouses in fall colors.
4) Comfy walking shoes! Plan your wardrobe from the feet up! You will do more walking in HK than in NYC.
Will be on your feet all day. I'm packing my silver and bronze Me-Too's, as I can and have walked all over the city for an entire day, day after day, in these.
Boots: more of a personal thing. I tend to run hot, so I think this will be too hot for me - though I suspect the new Star Ling's would be comfy enough for tons of walking.
Cons: good option if you like them. I feel too dressed down in them, so I'm not bringing them.
5) Pull out all the stops at night. A dress with a jacket, heels, a clutch etc. Men should dress smart too.
However, I am thinking that it is quite likely DH and I will do our usual schedule, which is leave hotel late in the morning, and stay out all day long, not coming back to hotel until late. This is what happened in Paris, even though I brought along a nice dress and heels - never wore either. We just kept going and going. Or on the nights we did wind back at our apartment near dinner hour, we were too tired to do much more than hit one of the three local restaurants on our street for a casual and relaxing dinner.
However, I will still bring one really nice outfit for a special dinner out, just in case. I'm thinking LBD and Paris jacket, with heels. In event we manage more than one nice night out, I will be covered because I can easily change up the LBD accessories and/or pop the Paris jacket over jeans and a nice blouse.
Honestly? With some creativity, I could probably wear that LBD five days in a row, dressed up or down day and night! And it is a material that would be easily hand-washed and dried overnight. Not that I'm going to do that, but I'm just saying it could be done.
I will probably also throw in a black pencil skirt.
6) Pack to the limit of your luggage allowance. You don't want to be caught regretting not bringing something hanging back home in your closet.
