Stuff I Like - Spring Break Edition

written while listening to 'the tortured poets department'

We’re fresh off an extra long weekend in Hawaii, 6 luxurious days filled with some sun, a little rain and the joys of entertaining a 2 year old in a 400 sq ft hotel room on the outskirts of Waikiki. Hawaii is my happy place. My husband and I spent over a week together in our early days of dating on Kauai and now make annual trips to Maui and/or Oahu. Since having our son, Oahu is our go-to at the moment as it’s incredibly low effort - we just have to make it through a 5 hour flight and we’re in the midst of paradise with all the conveniences of home (ie : Whole Foods mac n’ cheese). As an added bonus we also have good friends on the island who have kids around Dougie’s age so he gets to play with them (and their toys) while we get to catch up.

Originally when we booked our trip back in February, we intended this to be one of our last trips as a family before I got sucked into the black hole of opening Wylder IRL, however I’m unsurprised to report we are *still* in the process of signing our lease. Hopefully this is the last revision and our broker is cautiously optimistic for a May 1st start which means we’ll be able to get moving soon. That said, I had placed quite a bit of weight on the trip as it was my ‘one last chance at relaxation’ which, for those of you who have ever vacationed with a toddler can understand, while it may be a lot of things, ‘relaxing’ is usually not one of them. Also prior to departing our weather forecast looked unexpectedly wet, and I had to repeatedly remind myself for the week prior to our departure that my happiness is not dictated by the sun (it is). While the more relaxing moments proved to be few and far between luckily so did the rain and most of our trip was all warm, blue Hawaiian skies which meant Mom got sun and the mister got to spend time playing in the sand and the ocean with Dad.

the perfect vintage sweatshirt (w a custom patch that says ‘happiness is hawaii’ on the chest) purchased on our first morning when our beach plans were rained out. should you also find yourself on oahu on a rainy morning visit ‘oliver’ and its nearby women’s store ‘olive’ as you will not be disappointed. i only got the sweatshirt but matt + dougie made out like kings.

I am by nature a terrible packer of things and in an attempt to pack ‘light’ will ultimately still overpack but end up editing out some key piece of clothing that I originally thought I might need but then convinced myself I wouldn’t need when in reality it will end up being the one item I would have very much needed. In this case, it was a simple sweatshirt. Something I had intentions of packing but forgot because I was wearing a jacket on the flight and ultimately figured I wouldn’t really need anyway because it’s Hawaii and if I needed sleeves, I’d have my jacket. Fun but what I didn’t plan on was a) wind - our hotel was on the beach, and most days the lobby was an actual wind tunnel and b) air conditioning - our room at best could be described as freezing no matter what we set the thermostat to.

Interestingly enough a few of the items I packed thinking I would only wear once or twice at best turned out to be the things I wore for 90% of the trip. These are the items I decided to hero as part of my spring break themed ‘Stuff I Like’ list this month, because even if you don’t have a schedule that incorporates an official ‘break’, a trip to a tropical destination is worthy of a spring break mindset + wardrobe no matter the time of year. And also hopefully you won’t be like me and overpack things you don’t need in lieu of the things you actually do.

1. An Easy Button Up That Is As Fun As But Not a Hawaiian Shirt
   I bought the shirt I’m wearing below last year on a whim when I was promoted to part-time stay at home mom-preneur, when I had grand hopes of dressing in things that could only be described as pajama-adjacent but had yet to realize SF is not nearly warm enough 90% of the time to be dressed in anything that is not fleece.

   
   While I might not wear it a lot in my current zip code, this shirt has proven to be a fantastic travel companion. I wore it last year when we were in Italy (paired with some cotton eyelet pants and havaianas) and nearly every day of our Hawaii trip. It’s proven to be surprisingly versatile, ranging from an easy match back to a printed pair of linen shorts for dinner to my techy soccer shorts for the beach. It was so fantastic I’m tempted to buy another because isn’t two always better than one?

   

   The shirt I wore was purchased last year from VRG GRL, a random Australian brand fed to me via an Instagram ad that I can’t unpack if I’m too old for but anyway, the print is oysters, the fit is a little wonky but it’s fun. Other great options include this one (also from VRG GRL), this bode-esque little number, a terry towel Kule option and old Prada via the RealReal.

2. Techy Shorts
   My go-to summer shorts since Dougie was born have been these Umbro soccer shorts. I sized up so they’re incredibly comfortable and easy to throw on with anything - a t-shirt, a fun button up (as per above), a fleece, a sweater, a field jacket etc. Had we had a few more days on the island I would have 100% worn my run shorts for this purpose too but since I had more than enough shorts to keep me covered I saved them for running only on this trip. There’s also something a little easier about throwing on an unlined nylon shell of a short over my swimsuit than dealing with a built in brief.

   

   my umbros - looking great on land or at sea - other options at right include my favorite run shorts and a pair of nylon shell shorts from the great i currently have bookmarked as a potential future summer purchase.

3. Fun Shorts
   If I wasn’t wearing my Umbros, I was wearing some other form of loose, comfort-forward short that could also bring a little personality to the party. I know the trend is skewing a bit more 90s minimal, men’s boxery this summer, but I would like to make a case for something a little more fun, a little less serious, and a little more statementy instead. Such little clothing is required when it’s 80 degrees out so why not lean into something with a little more flavor?

   Surprisingly what I didn’t pack this trip was anything denim aside from one pair of (full length) overalls I did not touch. I edited out a pair of longer jorts as well as a shorter ecru pair at the last minute in favor of easier, softer options that didn’t require belts or styling. I have absolutely no regrets about my decision and all I could think of was just how uncomfortable everyone else looked wearing theirs. 10/10 would do this again.

   

   me + the mister ready to walk to breakfast together in our fun shorts. his are zara this year, mine are VRG GRL last year. other options : these eyelet ones from the outnet, these paisley sandro ones, a different cc of the great nylon shorts, these and these that give 60s hawaiian feels in a very good way

4. Boat Shoes
   I wore birks on the flight and packed three other pairs of shoes for the trip, which might seem a bit excessive for only 6 days but surprisingly the outlier actually ended up being the birks. I wore my havaianas to the beach, my brooks for running and for everything else I wore these boat shoes (but in tan). They instantly gave every outfit relaxed dad-on-vacation vibes and honestly I probably could have just worn them on the flight too and left the birks at home.

   

   i actually only wore these with shorts - i felt a little *too* covered when i tried them with pants even though they were the Dougie-approved option. other great styles include these mango ones that look suspiciously close to something far more expensive, these + these sperrys..the OG boat shoe brand

5. Surfer’s Salve
   As much as I mentally love the sun, at some point in my mid-thirties my skin decided it didn’t. Now after 2, maybe 3 days of sun, sunscreen and salt water I will break out into the most annoying itchy red rash. Sometimes on my chest, this time it was on my arms. Always engaged in a battle between my mind and my body I pack this ointment every time I travel to a warm weather destination. Dougie also tends to get a rash on his cheek (something he developed last year after he caught a cold) and this works wonders on him too.

   

   i first bought this years ago at the airport in kauai and discovered you can buy it at any hawaiian whole foods. now i’m never without a jumbo tin of the stuff.

6. Travel Yoga Mat + Running Shoes
   The two things I always pack in my suitcase for any trip I take. Since we’re still attached to a nap schedule, it’s super convenient to be able to squeeze in a pilates class or potentially a run on a whim mid-day. Because we had a few days of not awesome not super hot weather I was actually able to fit in a couple more runs than expected, which proved to be an unexpected treat that made a few cloudy days far less annoying.

   

   i’ve owned this mat for years and have been pleasantly surprised by how much i’ve been running in these brooks.

7. Travel Tea Kettle
   Matt bought me this for Christmas last year and I cannot even tell you how excited he was to give it to me. I am a creature who thrives on routine, especially my nightly one and I rely on it even more when I travel to help me sleep. I feel like hotels used to always have kettles in the room but now even a nespresso machine isn’t a given and he’s heard me grumble one too many times when we’ve found ourselves somewhere lacking one or the other. I have no idea how he found this but it’s genius and I lug it with me on all our trips so I can make tea in the morning, magnesium in the evening and when we’ve got Dougie with us I use it to warm his bottles at night.

   

   the perfect travel kettle, the best magnesium sleep drink + travel packets of matcha tea.

In the past I used to panic shop before any major trip (business or pleasure), usually the result of feeling some sort of ‘lack’ within my own wardrobe for whatever my destination might be. I’d fixate on an item for days until I had myself convinced it was the one item I *must have* or else I wouldn’t have the right coat/bag/shoe or wherever it was for where I was going. Interestingly, I didn’t experience any of that this time around, and there was no urgent item that needed to be had. Maybe it’s because I’ve slowly built up a closet full of warm weather clothing I love but never get to wear or because I’m a bit more internally grounded in my own sense of style now, not as influenced or concerned by external trends. Or maybe it’s simply because we’ve been to Hawaii enough times that I know what to expect and what to pack.

Whatever the reason, there is something comforting in realizing for the first time I was fully confident, comfortable and content with the contents of my own suitcase. Minus a sweatshirt.

*k