Things I wore in Hawaii
Turns out you really don't need shoes.
The last time we were in Hawaii was for our babymoon when I was pregnant with Elin—cough, ten years ago! It felt good to be back sans heartburn and a limited wardrobe. One of the joys I have about traveling is planning a wardrobe around whatever trip we’re about to take drawing on inspiration from the colors to the overall vibe. Heavily in my mermaid/surf era with jewelry so this was an easy theme to run with. My mindset while packing was sea-inspired with a casual surf bum undercurrent—or rather borrowed t-shirts and hats from said surfer.
Here’s a run down of what I wore…
Here’s the thing about Hawaii with kids, you’re in the water 80% of the time and bouncing around between the beach and pool. I found shorts to be essential on this trip for early morning kayaks (these sport shorts with this knit were perfect for this) daytime lunches or as pool coverups (these linen shorts I wore the most with this linen shirt worn open on top) and casual evening looks (wore these drawstring Mikoh shorts and these blue linen Suzi Kondi shorts for dinner with a loose silk tank). This silk shirt and shorts by Munthe (a new brand I recently discovered) was probably the thing I was most excited to pull out in Hawaii, they had been hanging in my closet for a month before and the print felt like it was meant for an island. I also found shorts to have that casual vibe that Hawaii exudes so a couple of days I paired shorts with the vintage tees I brought and piled on some fun shell and bead necklaces—shellery jumble as my friend coined it.
I have to return to this linen shirt because it was truly been my hero piece of the summer. I sized up to the medium which means it’s almost oversized enough to wear on it’s own over a bikini—which I did a lot to grab a smoothie or run Lila to the bathroom—and functions as that extra layer at night. It’s one of those “can’t leave home without” finds for me.
I packed a few dresses that really carried out my mermaid on land vision… this white crocheted shell dress that I paired with raw pearl earrings, a sailor inspired dress that I wore to a festive 4th of July barbecue and this shell and coral print dress I paired with a gold crocheted bag that felt fishing net inspired—unfortunately sold out but some similar finds here and here. I have to mention this cell phone case that I have gotten so many compliments on that looks so cool hanging out of a bag or on my wrist. Also this skirt I wore during the day with a swimsuit but paired it with a black basic tee and black boy shorts underneath for dinner and loads of shellery.
Turns out you really don’t need a lot of shoes in Hawaii! We spent most of our time barefoot at Rosewood Kona Village, either walking in the sand or throwing on a pair of flip flops (I like the square toe on this pair) if we took the road back. I did wear these gold sandals in the evening with dresses and they were perfect! Also I bought these last fall and have to say they are the perfect barely there sandal and have held up so niceles, highly recommend. This black woven sandals by Jamie Haller were great as well, also felt on par with the black rock that surrounded us. I knew we wouldn’t be doing any serious hiking but I did bring a pair of sneakers which I only wore on the plane—something I would try to check off our Hawaii list next time because I heard the hikes are gorgeous.
I learned from our last island vacation to ditch the wide brim hat so I only brought a favorite baseball cap (similar green find) and the easiest packable crochet bucket hat. There was definitely a breeze in the afternoons that would have made any wider brim hat a pain so I was glad I kept it simple. My other accessory worth mentioning is this pair of acetate frame sunglasses (a code for ya! SamanthaW10) that I brought because it reminded me of vintage Hawaii. I wore them the entire time.
Lastly a few other suits and cover-ups… a black and white Marysia triangle bikini that fit me like a glove, this sarong I found on etsy—my new favorite source, so many great prints—a basic black one-shoulder one piece that was ideal to pair with the sarong and a black crocheted skirt I wore with a vintage tee one day. I don’t think I’ve ever traveled without a beloved Marysia suit as the cut fits me so well and I just feel good in her suits. I never leave home without this Eres black string bikini and totally fell for this blue suit although I sized up in the bottoms and regretted it—top fit perfectly!
More to come on our actual stay at Rosewood Kona Village… such a special spot!
xx Samantha
Love the Suzie Kondi bloomers!
Did you honestly wear bloomers to dinner?