Travel wardrobe for Taiwan in October

As a former frequent flyer (for business), I think of myself as a pretty good travel packer, but that was pre-YLF.

So I'd like to appeal to all you fab ladies for your advice. I'm going to Taiwan (probably mostly Taipei) for 10 days in late October. Here's the weather outlook:

Average high: 80F/26C
Average low: 69F/20C
97% chance of a Humid Day (dew point over 65°F / 18°C).
(128 days out of 132 in historical record)
44% chance of a Sweltering Day (dew point over 70°F / 21°C).
(58 days out of 132 in historical record)
Some rain is likely

I am absolutely committed to carry on only. Pre-YLF, I probably would have worn a pair of jeans on the plane, and taken 1 pair of black stretch pants, and 1 black stretch knee length skirt, maybe two jackets (one on, one in the bag) and 4-5 tops. Lots of scarves, very little jewelry. No belts (because I was belt-phobic back then). 1 lightweight rain shell - not stylish! One pair of black shoes that would have been not quite right for either pants or skirt.

Now I'd like to be (much more) stylish - especially in Asia, where every woman seems to be teetering around on stilettos. I'm happy to wear the same outfit over and over again, but not willing to carry a larger bag than this one: http://www.amazon.com/Briggs-R.....B003VTZ81S plus a medium size backpack.

So what's your advice?

13 years ago

shana

Veteran

Katja, I traveled several times to Taiwan on business. Of course, I spent most of my time in a fab (where they actually made you strip down to your skivvies to put on a cleanroom suit!! Fun, fun fun!), so I only had to dress nicer for meetings!

The humidity can be a real killer. It would be like Florida. I think packing with a small color scheme is good. Do you have a grey skirt that you could swap out for the black one? What colors are your tops?

Katja

(website)

Active Member

Thanks, Shana. I should have also said this trip is strictly for pleasure - we are visiting our son who is finishing up a year of English teaching in Taipei.

Not looking forward to humidity, that's why I moved to Colorado from DC! Is it the kind of environment where you're constantly moving from freezing air conditioning to sweltering street?

I do have a lightweight grey skirt: http://www.jjill.com/jjillonli.....;pfid=1261

I have lots of colorful tanks: chartreuse, yellow, melon, turquoise, ...

bj1111

katja,

i strolled through your posted outfits. given the heat, i would choose skirts as the foundation. do you need bizcas or full-on biz wear as well as smart casual?

i was thinking about starting with the palm fronds skirt from your pencil skirt edition. head and shoulders above basic black, but the color scheme is sufficiently neutral. add or substitute your grey skirt. add a few tops, like the purple which would work with either skirt. pants or leggings and a tunic for the flight.

denim jacket would be great for the flight, cooler nights and potentially bizcas. or you can sub a more formal jacket.

add interest with your growing belt collection and some fabulous necklaces that you have.

chewyspaghetti

Maybe look at some gear type of active wear clothing that are moisture wicking? Athleta.com has some stuff like that. I would probably favor dresses, just for ease of packing/coordinating.

puffenstuff

Katja I only just posted my Travel Wardrobe post as I'm off to Europe tomorrow. I gained alot of insight from this post at Academichic. That helped me to develop an idea about what I wanted to pack. I havent been to Taiwan but have been to a few Asian countries and my Australian climate in Summer is fairly similar to Taiwan. I recommend a few things:

* Choose a color scheme you're comfortable with and work out from there. Base it mainly around neutrals with a pop of color - eg grey, cream & coral.
* Try to stick to fabrics with natural fibres for better ventilation
* Loose flowy tops with a bit of volume will do the trick, more comfortable than figure fitting clothes.
* Use accessories to add some zing & color to your outfit - I use light silk scarves and earrings or necklaces.

This is also a good blog about travelling which may help
http://www.travelingfashionista.com/

Joy

You can't go wrong with silk...light weight, loose and flowy to stay cool, can be washed by hand and dry overnight and packs down to nothing. A silk tunic over leggings and a tank, maybe, or silk skirt and tank. Look at Citron or joie brand at Nordstroms.
http://shop.nordstrom.com/c/ci.....brandindex
http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/31.....tback=2364
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/31.....tback=2615
http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/31.....tback=2866
I also like nylon like in the Sweet Pea tops as airy in hot weather, but not everyone feels it is a cool fabric. Polyester knit can look and feel similar to the touch but is hot to wear.

Joy, thanks for the silk recommendations - new brands for me to take a look at.

puffenstuff - yes, your post is what got me thinking about it again, and it was great to be able to look at your whole wardrobe in pictures. How much volume is that going to take up (ie, how many bags, and how large are they)?

chewyspaghetti, I actually went on a search for casual/gear-style dresses just recently. I looked at Athleta, Title Nine, Patagonia, REI, all the usual suspects. I even bought a couple, but just didn't find something I thought looked good. A lot were too short for my comfort level, and adding pants or leggings of course negates the cooling factor. I'll keep my eyes open, though.

bj111, thanks so much for looking at it from the perspective of my existing wardrobe! I think you're right about skirts being a good foundation. I'm not sure bringing jeans would even be a good idea, and of course they're heavy, take up lots of room, and take for ever to dry.

If it's not a business trip, you have many more options! I think skirts/dresses are the way to go in that climate. Maybe walk shorts. Lightweight, natural fabrics. Accessories are tricky - on one hand, they're a great way to dress up and add versatility to your wardrobe but I find large chunky jewelry items and scarves to be cumbersome in the heat & humidity. You could do some lightweight scarves and tie it loosely like Angie did in her post on scarves: http://youlookfab.com/2010/08/.....or-dressy/

If you do sleeveless, you can pair sleeveless tops with the scarf for a modern look. Jeans are great for the plane but they can be a little too warm for those temps. You can also take a look at Angie's HK posts (though I don't find Taiwan to be as fashionable as HK) to get a feel for what people are wearing:

http://youlookfab.com/2008/10/.....treetwear/

Angie's wearing jeans. I would have heat stroke if I attempted to wear jeans in 80 degree humid weather!

Angie

Fashion Stylist

I like Taiwan! Very fab actually. Have been there several times on business.

I would love you to reconsider packing a larger suitcase. Is that at all possible?

I'm so interested in your recommendations that I'm going to say yes, I'd reconsider. Aside from the normal issues of not wanting to wait for checked luggage or lose my checked luggage, as a wheelchair user I don't want to get into a situation where I've got more belongings than I can carry myself. But if I were to go with a larger bag, what would you suggest I take?

Well Katja, the weather can be relentless and if you don't plan on doing laundry, you'll need options! Also, the style quotient in Taiwan is high - you'll want to dress up when you go out. Make sense?

Oh, yes, absolutely.

I'm used to doing hand laundry on trips, but I know that things will take forever to dry in a humid climate.

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