Clothing Update:  OK so I’ve been busted a couple of times for having clothes not on my original packing list and packing for a year (yes, I want to travel through January rather than pass back through NY’s winter) is it’s own puzzle.

So, first off – I wore my grey skirt, purple tank, scarf and white jacket on the plane to Cali.  Turns out that the white jacket was a good pick.  The weather in Japan was steamy so the white was nice and cool and the black version stayed packed at the bottom of the case.

Second, I snuck in a last  minute purchase from Athleta – a skort and a white performance shirt that I bought for Lauren who dismissed it out of hand and my white converse.

OK so that’s how we started.  I picked up lightweight pants and a white tank at Uniqlo – an impulse purchase that I rationalized by the unexpectedly hot weather in Tokyo.  Bag bulge already starting, I resolved to stop shopping.    Unfortunately, by the end of week two in Kyoto I suffered defeat in the shoe department.  The Tevas that I thought would be my saving grace were an epic fail.  I had planned to wear them as daytime walking shoes with my skirts and dresses.  What to do?  The grey heels were too nice to traipse around in and I planned to (and did) ship them home after Shanghai so…I bought flats.  Black rubber ones and neutral Campers in Shanghai.  The black ones lasted one week.  So off to shoe shop in HK went I.  Luckily, HK is filled with malls.  I replaced my white converse which were looking grungy with a pair of black ones.  I found a pair of red Keen’s that were just so comfy I had to have them!

And so now I have:

Red Keens, Black Converse, Camper Flats, Water sneakers, Havianas, AND…Lauren’s black Keens.  She hates them but she knows she will need them at some point.  Until then, I guess I have those as well.

I’m not really sick of my clothes yet – we are only 6 or 7 weeks into this trip.  I have found a couple of dresses that I liked and that were better for the hot weather.  I bought a dress on sale from Takashimaya  in Kyoto; I bought two silk dresses in Shanghai; and I bought a very cool t-shirt from Ginko here in Hanoi  – “Vietnam Telecom”.  The cotton is such good quality and the long sleeves come in handy as the weather is only in the high 60s here right now!  And…..another Viet Nam purchase is a Viet style dress called an Ao Dai.  I had my fitting today and it will be ready in four days.  The silk and tailoring here are inexpensive and the quality is very high.  I might be sporting one at next year’s black tie holiday soiree!

Wore the skort to hike the Peak in Hong Kong and then forgot to pack it for kayaking in Halong Bay (duh).

Note the Tevas in this photo.  This was one of the last days I wore them and it was only week 2.

Now sporting the sneakers with Miyake dress in Dragon Rice Terraces of Guilin area.

Vietnam Telecom really does look like this.

Fitting of my Ao Dai!

And then there was this great dress that has Hmong embroidery – bought it even though Andy thought it looked like an apron ! Picture is a little dark for you to see but I like it…You?