Are you a light traveller? Or do you like being prepared for all occasions? Do you like to dress for your location or are you more of a comfort is key kind of traveller? Do you take a limited amount of outfits while travelling and recycle them, or do you pack enough for you time away with outfits to spare…just in case you get stranded or lost or your flight accidentally gets diverted to another hemisphere? Bottom line – is your wardrobe a big factor when travelling overseas?

I’m generally a serial researcher when it comes to travelling – from location, to the country’s history, to the kind of climates expected… and even down to the dress code. I like to know what I’m getting myself into and I like to be prepared! There were a few factors I had to keep in mind when packing for Istanbul – first off I was packing for Summer while we were in the midst of the coldest winter of the decade; and seeing as this was not a planned vacation, it meant I had to make do with my existing wardrobe and prayed hard that it all fitted.  Another thing I had to keep in mind is the predominantly Muslim community;  and even though the locals are quite modern and – it meant I tried to keep my wardrobe on the modest side. And probably the most important point mentioned all over the internet was to wear comfortable shoes. This is not a lie…if you’re headed to Istanbul, please pack comfortable shoes.

With all of that being said, if you look at our pics very carefully you will notice that my husband is a three shorts, 5 t-shirt, rinse and repeat kind of traveller and freaks me the heck out!!

Now I don’t usually do a style diary when away on vacation. I’m usually the one behind the camera. But this time round I took full advantage of having teenage kids and got them to take plenty of pics of me along the way too. I couldn’t let all these pictures against the beautiful Istanbul backdrop go to waste so… here we are!

The Faithful Old Maxi

While hikers boots and backpacks might leave you looking like a typical tourist, it will also leave you looking a little out of place in Istanbul – so a modest maxi felt like a better choice for me. On day 1 in Istanbul I opted to hit the road in this light, flowing, cool and airy  maxi that I got from Zara a few years back, and it proved to be a great choice except for the bit of inner thigh friction I had going on in the scorching heat (people carrying a few extra kilos will know what I’m talking about), and my choice of footwear. I wore flat sandals that left the soles of my feet burning after a full day walking the inclined and cobbled streets of Istanbul.

The Jumpsuit

Now this was a clever choice! Nobody really liked this jumpsuit when I did an Instagram poll…but that’s the thing with fashion and style…it’s personal. As it turns out, this Poetry jumpsuit was great for the Istanbul Summer. It had all the “light, flowy and airy” elements of a maxi – but without the thigh friction dilemma. I paired it with my most comfortable pair of sneakers and I was good to go and super comfortable for a day on my feet – WIN!

Can’t go wrong with Jeans

I relied a lot on my faithful old skinny jeans on the occasions I knew I was going to do a lot of walking…and you’ve probably guessed why…yip, that inner thigh dilemma had me on this trip! I paired it with various loose fitting tops and was my go to when things got hot and sticky.

A Yellow Midi Dress

I bought this over a year ago at a thrift shop in Thailand for R70 and never quite got around to wearing it, so I was determined to make it work in Istanbul. I was instantly drawn to the colour and the print of this dress, and even though the cut of the dress is not my usual style, I bought it anyway. My husband wasn’t really a fan of the dress on the hanger…but what does he know – he rotated the same few garments for 10 days! Paired again with comfy sneakers and a hat, I think this was my favourite outfit for this holiday 🙂

Floral Print Wrap Dress

This dress has all the elements of my signature style. Floral – check. Maxi – check. Wrap – bonus style points! I’ve always had a love affair with floral maxi’s and a  HUGE fan of wrap dresses and skirts, so I know I’ll be wearing this till the seams come apart. Anyway, the super light weight fabric made this a dream to wear in the relentless Istanbul heat  despite the long sleeve . I saved this dress to wear to the Blue mosque because of the coverage, and paired it up with a scarf I picked up at the market place.

Thanks for reading!

Peace,

NAMU 🙂