Greetings from Singapore! I’m here for about five weeks to spend Lunar New Year with my family, hang out with my friends, and eat my body weight in my all favourite hometown dishes. Tomorrow, my sisters and I are also going to spend nine days in Taiwan to see relatives from my late mum’s side of the family. I’m excited.
I wasn’t going to write anything this week, but I was packing for Taiwan this morning, and my sister was rather surprised by how little clothing I brought from Australia. But I like travelling light, because I hate feeling burdened when I’m on the go. And the longer the trip, the more interesting the puzzle.
Always at the back of my mind is this image of Tonne Goodman—a lovely mix of disciplined chic with personal touches scattered throughout: the jewelled toned satin sandals from Prada, a sleek tote, a stack of white jeans, a small selection of scarves. Everything says, “I know who I am.” She’s not trying to anticipate every activity that could be thrown her way and trying to pack for it; she’ll roll with the punches if she needs to.
While I have not attained Tonne Goodman levels of sartorial coherence, I was pretty happy with how I packed last year for the same trip home (you can read about it here). I wasn’t the picture of chic all the time, but I didn’t lack for anything and I didn’t get bored and start shopping.
Which brings me to the topic of today’s newsletter: the challenge of dressing for days upon days of hot and sticky weather—wearing the bare minimum of garments at any given time, which have to keep you as cool and dignified as possible AND convey style while the humidity is trying to smother you. As I write this, it’s 32°C, humidity is at 70% and according to my phone, it “feels like 38°C”. Style just isn’t as important as not melting into a puddle of perspiration and soggy clothing by the day’s end.
As a tropics girl born and bred, I feel qualified to talk about this, particularly because I am someone who breaks into a sweat the minute the humidity index creeps up—all damp patches under the arm, rivulets of sweat rolling down my face. It’s not pretty. I don’t have any real styling advice, but I do have some key principles I swear by, and I use that to guide me into choosing clothes that will make me feel me, even if they’re not anything to write home about.
Try not to wear more than two pieces of clothing
So much styling advice is about layering, but I’m sorry to say that this is quite a stretch in truly tropical and humid weather, unless you spend a significant amount of time in air-conditioning. It’s true that Singapore is very well air-conditioned, but it comes down to your itinerary—are you walking around a lot, exploring the city? Is your accommodation air-conditioned? Are you eating in restaurants or sweating it out in a hawker centre?
As a person who can’t deal with layering in hot weather, it means each and every piece I wear needs to stand on its own—simple, yes, but it also needs to say something. If you’re sticking to basics (a t-shirt, a muscle tank), make sure they’re sharp and fit exactly as intended. Even better if they have a twist in the details—an oversized fit, an interesting neckline, as part of a tonal look. Whatever it is, it needs to feel deliberate.
Shoes also make all the difference when your outfit needs to be super stripped back. I’m not much of a shoe person—I live in trainers and Birkenstocks—but I always try and bring one extra pair of shoes that are light but aren’t just for practicality.
Cotton, linen and tropical wool FTW, but don’t shy away from synthetics that wick
Natural fibres like cotton, linen and even tropical wool can’t be beat for breathability, but sometimes you need to cave to practicality. If you’re sweating a lot, you have to wash your clothes after every wear, and you may end up washing clothes (sometimes by hand) nearly every day. In these cases, fabrics like viscose dry a lot faster. I don’t like the feel of synthetic tops, but I find a tried-and-tested synthetic skirt or pair of shorts super useful. Just make sure you know the material is breathable—not all synthetics are equal.
I love white in summer, but I love black even more
Sweat, sunscreen, and rushed laundering on the go are not kind to white clothing, which is why I always travel with an arsenal of black tank tops and tees. There’s less worry about stains, and the bonus is that black hides sweat patches pretty well too. The same cannot be said of any other solid coloured tops.
I also don’t think black feels hotter to wear under the sun—I stick to 100% lightweight cotton or linen, and so far it’s never been a problem.
Little details count
Tops that dip at the back. Cropped lengths that let in a bit of breeze. Silhouettes that don’t cling. Dropped armholes for ventilation. NO LININGS. These pieces are my hot weather heroes, and I always travel with them. One of them is this old blouse from Apiece Apart—it’s cropped, breezy but still has a bit of structure, and it’s easy to wash and wear.
Separates, not dresses
If you have a one-and-done dress, by all means go for it. Personally, I have yet to find one, so when I travel, I find that separates go further than dresses. They’re much easier to launder and sometimes when I feel gross mid-way through the day, I can just change into a new top to freshen up. Separates also give me more options for mixing and matching.
Bonus items: Handkerchiefs and a vacuum flask
If you’re a sweaty-faced person like me, you’ll be glad to have something on hand to mop up the perspiration cascading down your face and neck. I like to buy handkerchiefs as souvenirs, and I think the unbeaten destination for buying them is Japan—anything from simple cotton ones, double faced ones that are terry on one side, smaller ones for women (a little gendered to be sure, but very practical if you want a small handkerchief for small purses; men’s hankies are much bigger), embroidered ones. Sadly, I’ve not been to Japan in years, but if there is a Muji in your city, you’ll find a great selection of affordable and good quality cotton hankies.
In Singapore, I go everywhere with an insulated flask of iced or chilled water—it stays cold for hours in my Kinto tumbler and it’s such a relief when it gets truly sweltering.
What I packed
Singapore is a very casual place—yes, the “Crazy Rich Asians” version of Singapore exists, but most of us do not play mahjong and take afternoon tea in couture and silk. I’m spending most of the time in the homes of my family and friends, or dining out casually, so I kept my options simple—lots of shorts and tank tops, a black and white palette, a skirt and a shirt in case I want options. I also packed some warm layers as it’s winter in Taiwan (albeit a very mild one).
I packed in a bit of a hurry and I actually forgot a few pieces (my glove flats! 😭) but so far I am doing ok and haven’t felt a real need to buy anything.
Some notes:
I packed three pairs of shorts because experience has taught me that this is what I want to wear when I’m in Singapore, especially since I’m working from home on the days I don’t have any social engagements. Then I added some things for fun—a lightweight chambray midi skirt, white barrel-leg jeans and my trusty Beams HD trousers, all of which I will also wear in Taiwan where the weather is cooler.
So far, the two Uniqlo bra tops I brought are doing all the hard work. I brought one with a high and straight neckline that has a more clean, modern look, and one in silk-jersey-ish fabric that has a softer feel. Both are from Uniqlo’s collaborations with Mame Kurogouchi and they look a lot more elegant but have the same level of comfort and performance as their basic range. I can wear them with my midi skirt or white jeans for a slightly dressier look.
For Taiwan, I brought a couple of long-sleeved tees, a denim jacket and a jumper. I also packed a long puffer vest from Uniqlo that squishes down to nothing in my suitcase, just in case we run into unexpectedly cold weather, but hopefully I won’t need it.
Last year, I felt bored by my bag options, so this year, I brought my Acne Musubi crossbody bag, but I haven’t used it at all. That said, it’s a pretty good travel bag as it fits loads and I think I will enjoy using it in Taiwan.
I’m sad that I forgot to pack my glove flats. Luckily, I’m staying with my sister and our feet are the same size so I can borrow her shoes when I need variety (including her fancy Celine loafers, which are surprisingly comfortable).
While writing this piece, I was inspired by
and her piece about “minimal effort” casual summer outfits. Her style is much cooler and more directional than mine, and inspiring for people seeking ideas to dress in a less “basic way”. I’m very basic, but I’m inspired by how she pays close attention to the details—picking basics with modern details like asymmetric hems and unique necklines, having a mix of textures and playing with proportions—and she doesn’t lean too hard into fussy styling. I think that’s the key to dressing for the heat. It’s not about five ways to tie a sweater, it’s about identifying the clothes in your wardrobe that can stand on their own while keeping the heat at bay.I also love that she isn’t afraid to throw in a statement piece or two when she wants to play with a look. I don’t own any truly statement clothing; but I always bring at least one piece that has something a bit louder to say when I’m travelling—this year it’s my white barrel-leg jeans from Studio Nicholson. White jeans are always impactful because of the colour, and the voluminous leg with its playful curve adds dimension.
Finally, yes, all my stuff packed into a carry-on suitcase, including shoes and toiletries. I used a large tote as my “personal item” bag, which held my laptop, water bottle and my Acne bag, and I wore my chunkiest items for the flight—my denim jacket (handy because it has many pockets) and my sneakers.
And that’s it. See you all in March, and hopefully I have more to say other than rambling on about what’s in my suitcase.
As someone who lives in Texas, I agree with all of these tips for dressing for hot weather! I personally also love a long sleeve linen top paired with shorts as this also helps provide a bit of sun protection on my top half. I hope you enjoy your trip and thanks for sharing!
I am always intrigued by how people pack (in reality, not in the 3 suitcase sense) and that picture of Goodman may now haunt my aspirations!