Vacation is definitely the best time of the year. It is the time when you can relax, let go of your daily problems and just enjoy. Nevertheless, from my personal experience, it can be challenging to choose the proper garments for your vacation, especially if you go to the destination with warmer climate. You want something that is comfortable, but still looks stylish. You don’t want to look like those typical tourists with oversized shorts, t-shirts and sandals. You want to look and to feel good, no matter what. In this article, I want to share with you, based on my personal experience, what are the key elements to keep in mind before choosing the vacation outfits and what combinations to wear.
It is all about proper summer fabrics
When it comes to selecting the right garments, the most important component is from which materials your clothing are made of and the fabrics construction. You might have the best looking and fitted clothing, but when those are made from fabrics, which are not breathable and uncomfortable, you won’t be able to enjoy a second of your vacation. This is something I would like to avoid.
So, when it comes to fabrics, what you want to look for, are garments made of linen and cotton. When buying those materials you also need to keep in mind the weave construction. There are various types of cotton, for example, where only some are appropriate to wear in summer. What you want to look for are fabrics with open weave construction. What does it mean? Simplified, it means that when held to the light, you can see the small gaps in the material. These gaps allow air to circulate through the fabric. If you want to know more about different types of summer fabrics and how to identify those, there is a great article here.
It might seem like a hassle, but believe me, choosing the proper summer fabrics will pay off and change completely your perception of what you can wear during summer.
Fit is still important
During vacation, it is fine if the clothing fits a bit more relaxed, to allow for some additional comfort. Furthermore, with above-mentioned fabrics, the fibers might not be that elastic (e.g. linen), thus not allowing for that super tailored fit. Nevertheless, the fit is still very important and there are some boundaries on how relaxed the clothing can be. For example if considering a shirt, it is ok, if it has more relaxed fit, but the overall length and fit still need to be somehow proportional to your body type. Or if wearing the pants, you can go with more loose leg, but you still need to ensure proper length and fit around the waist.
Summarizing, when choosing what to wear for vacation, in my opinion, you want to have the proper balance between how relaxed and how fitted it is.
So what to wear
Now, knowing what to consider before choosing the proper garment, let me give you some examples what to wear to look stylish no matter what 🙂 . When on summer vacation I differentiate between three types of situations – sightseeing, dinner / night out and on the beach.
For the sightseeing, you need something that is comfortable and breathable. Not to look like typical tourist, go with linen/cotton shirt or long-sleeve / regular polo instead of the regular t-shirt. Those classic items always look more refined and more put together. Pair them with some light colored linen or cotton pants or shorts (ensure that the length does not pass your knee). Those long bermuda shorts do not belong here anymore. As for footwear, espadrilles or soft leather loafers for sure look better than sneakers (white simple sneakers are also fine, but nowadays almost everyone has one) or flip-flops and are still super comfortable. Below you can see some of my personal examples.
When I travel, including vacation, I always take my suit with me. This is the most versatile item in my wardrobe and you can wear separates, giving you multiple combination opportunities. Additionally, well-tailored suit looks always pretty damn good. Thus, if you have some nice dinner to attend or a night out during your vacation, you want to look sharp. Consider taking the linen suit. You can wear it, be very comfortable and you can use the separates to create the multiple looks for various occasions. For example pairing the suit jacket with linen shirt and light colored linen or cotton pants (please no short here). Or the suit pants with simple linen shirt or long-sleeved polo. If you want some inspiration of how to wear the linen suit and suit separates, consider to read this or this blog post of mine. Below you can see some of my personal examples as well.
For the beach I would consider swimming trunks, which are well fitted and do not go beyond the knee line. I would avoid the longer shorts and please no “speedos”. Pair them with some nice linen shirt / polo shirt and as for footwear, instead of flip-flops try espadrilles instead. This will show that you still have some style, even if going to the beach and for sure will positively stand out.
To summarize:
- Consider the garments with proper summer fabrics – linen and cotton would be the best choice
- For fabrics itself take into consideration the weave construction – you want to have the ones with open weave construction
- The fit can be more relaxed, but is still very important
- Consider following combinations
- Take a well fitted linen suit – this is a very versatile item and allows for multiple combinations
- Linen or cotton shirts / polos are better alternative to the t-shirts
- Linen or cotton pants or shorts are better alternatives to the regular bermuda shorts
- Try espadrilles or soft leather loafers instead of sneakers or flip-flops
- For the beach try well fitted swimming trunks that do not go beyond the knee line
- Combine all mentioned above for stylish looks during your vacation 😉
Enjoy your vacation and stay stylish, no matter what!
Truthfully yours,
Vlad
