Orlando Travel Capsule Report

We just got back from our trip to Orlando, where it rained (thunderstormed, deluged) every day and posted heat indexes over 100°F. Definitely a trial by fire (and water) for my travel capsule.

It did really well! I had two items go unworn: my silk tank, and the silk kimono. I just couldn't bring myself to subject silk to the amount of sunscreen and bug protection we wore each day. If we'd spent more time indoors, I'm sure they would have been great. Also, the kimono suffered from the fact that I brought a second (less delicate) one along to use as a pool coverup. Everything else in my capsule got at least one wear, and the dresses and skirt each got two. I loved having a pair of lightweight pants to change into for evenings after an afternoon shower, even though the temperature didn't drop much, it was enough, and the long pants provided some extra mosquito protection.

Things I learned:

Linen is amazing in the South. It's so much less wrinkly in humid air!
Because of the rain, my three pairs of shoes were bordering on not enough. I ended up wearing my Mary Jane slippers on the plane, because all three pairs of real shoes were wet.
I definitely wouldn't be keeping my bangs if I lived someplace more humid. My attempts at straightening there lasted all of about an hour.
This sort of weather requires more clothes. I can often get away with showering every other day in Colorado (especially in cooler weather). In summer, in Orlando, I showered 2-3x daily.

I failed miserably at my attempt to not buy wearable souvenirs. I did manage, with one (okay, two) exceptions, to limit myself to loungewear. I got a purple Pandora tank with a draped neck, a cozy but lightweight Expedition Everest hoodie, some pajama shorts (not shown), a blueish-gray scarf with the deathly hallows symbol, and finally, an authentic Ravenclaw cardigan from Harry Potter world. Surprisingly, the cardigan is 100% Scottish wool, from the same mill that made the movie costumes. It's really lovely, though I won't be wearing it for a while!

I don't have many photos of myself that aren't big group pictures, but here's one that my husband took of me from above. I'm wearing my EF linen dress, walking past magnolia trees, and looking cool as a cucumber, if I do say so myself.

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8 years ago

Jenn

(website)

Veteran

Here are a few ensembles from the capsule. #1 was my travel outfit both ways. My son, btw, took one look at me in the slouchy pants and poncho and said, "Girls have way better clothes. How come guys only get to wear some variation of pants and shirt and you get all this crazy, tribal, Hoth wear?"

JAileen

OMG! What a trooper! Although I lived on the Gulf Coast for ten years, that kind of weather kills me. You look great in your EF dress and straw hat. I like your souvenirs, especially the wool sweater.

Carole

I can't even comprehend that type of weather... it rains a lot here but it's cool when it does! Your travel wardrobe looks fantastic (I love the color palette) and sounds like it served you well! And the view of you from the air is very cool and chic!

I'm noticing your cognac cross body...seriously love that...need one so badly!

texstyle

We go to Florida about once a year to visit family so I can relate to the high humidity and bangs. Looks like you had a great capsule for the trip. Linen and cotton looser weaves are the best! I like to shop when I go because they always have more warm weather clothing than I seem to find in Texas - despite our high heat.

Note on hair- I mostly just embrace a curlier look while there but I've learned over the years to use a *very* light but consistent coating of jojoba or similar oil on my hair to save it from the worst of the distress. (I rub a pea or two size in my hands and start applying at the driest part first - then at the end I do the bangs). It works pretty darn well and is much better for the hair than the silicone type "smoothers" out there.

Suz

Wow, this is so instructive. As someone who dresses by the weather I was especially fascinated about your linen report. Of course! Now I understand why it seems scratchy to some and not to others and why "making peace with the crease" is a bigger deal in some locales than others.

I think wool and cashmere are similar. If the humidity is very high I find them scratchy and if it is lower and the weather cold enough, I do not.

rachylou

Very instructive indeed about climate. Love your hat and dress. Boy I don't know what I'd wear these days in Florida, since I've started to really burn in the sun and really need lace up shoes...

Jenni NZ

I love the pic of you, you do look cool as a cucumber! And love your son's comment, but what in the world is Hoth? I am a Harry Potter fan too and so love those items except I am not a scarf wearer x

Style Fan

Love your son's comment! Crazy, tribal, Hoth wear. Is that your new style statement? Your travel capsule looks perfect for Florida in summer. I agree that hot and humid weather loves linen but fights with bangs. Nothing beats a linen outfit during a heat wave. And a hat.

Anonymous

It sound awesome and a little bit horrible too: the qualities you look for in a real adventure! I won't tell you about my adventures in cancun with my kids

Do you think flip flops would have been good?

Neat to hear that linen doesn't wrinkle as much there, and 3 showers a day!!?
Whoah!

It has to be a shock going from Colorado's dry air to Orlando's humidity. I remember electrical storms with a few minutes of heavy rain every afternoon. It just made the humidity worse. Footwear is a huge problem. Too closed in and your feet sweat and slip around. Too open and there is no protection from the crowds stepping on your toes or gravel.
That is helpful information about linen. You look cool and fabulous. Your souvenirs will be fun reminders of your trip.

I'm sure all of you from the South are giggling at my revelations. Thanks for humoring me!

smittie, I'm the wrong person to ask about flip-flops, as I feel about them the way some people feel about ballet flats. I find them really, really hard to keep on my feet, so the only time I wear them is in gym showers. I do think they would have been rough for anyone with the amount of walking we did. We averaged about 7 miles a day.

Style Fan, even my sister-in-law's normally stick-straight hair got a little wave in it during the week. Hats were essential.

JenniNZ, I just couldn't resist the Harry Potter things. I could have come home with a lot more! Hoth is the ice planet from Star Wars. I was pretty bundled up for the cold plane.

rachylou, yup, I wore lace-up shoes most days too...and was diligent about sunscreen every two hours. I think I brought six bottles of sunscreen with me, and I still got a tiny bit pink one day,

Suz, when I tried on that wool sweater, I actually thought, "So this is what Suz means!" It felt quite scratchy, (and weirdly damp) even in the air-conditioning, but I knew it would be perfect at home in the winter.

texstyle, thank you for the hair tips! I will try that next time, for sure. If i still have bangs by then!

Carole, the cognac cross body is by Fossil, and it served me really well!

JAileen, I grew up with heat and humidity in the Midwest, but I think I'd forgotten. I especially noticed when we went swimming. Here, no matter the temp, you're always freezing when you get out of a pool, so I kind of hate outdoor swimming. It felt so good to be in the water there, though!

Joy, we got really unlucky with the rain. It rained for hours a day, and barely cooled off, though the cloud cover was nice. I think we missed the transition from spring to summer here in Colorado while we were gone. Seems like everything in my yard came into bloom over that ten days!

Ledonna N.

Jen your son sounds awesome.

You had me at Harry Potter lol

Very lovely looks

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