photos by Colin Sokol and me
Time for the real version of this. I’ve been to Hong Kong now three times, the first when I was little and lived there for a year (after Japan and before California), quickly adopting a British accent that I definitely should have tried harder to keep, the second with my family mostly to reminisce about said year, and now this here time I’m sharing with you. There’s such a familiarity and distance when it comes to places you “knew” as a child, the corner shops and absolutely unchanged star ferry made me yelp with the excitement of recognizing something but then when it came to logistics I was probably at least worse than any average tourist. We stayed on the island side, briefly venturing to Kowloon but then spending the remainder of our free time trying to see as much as possible, which included Lantau Island, a true “wet market” (this experience redefined sensory overload for me), beautiful Victoria’s Peak, Wan Chai, Lan Kwai Fong, Stanley Bay, Star Street, and of course Lane Crawford. I wore heels a couple times but spent most of the time in sneakers and simple separates because Hong Kong is a good place to preserve all the nimbleness you have been allotted in life. Thank you so much to our hosts at Red, the magazines and newspapers that were such a delight to talk to, and especially my darling Erato! Can’t wait for Time 4.
photos by me and Colin
Ok it’s way too easy to take photos in Hawaii, there’s a powder sanded sunsoaked beach or a perfectly rundown ____ or a trippy lava rock formation coming at you every other millimeter. Or so. I packed a mix of Phillip Lim men’s and resort (most notably those leather overalls and the first peplum top I’ve ever been okay with), old standbys that can as easily be slept in as worn in public, a neoprene bikini by Lisa Marie Fernandez, and a leather tshirt by Swedish brand Monki which I’m now re-addicted to. Footwear was the absence thereof, Birkenstock Kairos, Havaianas, or my Isabel Marant Bobbys. I tried wearing heels for 5 minutes and it was just too funny, even for me. And I know Birkenstocks are pretty much a curse word in fashion but I’ve been into their shamelessly ’90s look since succumbing last summer..and they’re probably the best shoe I can think of for spontaneous 5 mile waterfall hikes.
Recommendations….first, expect your hair to grow about three times faster the second you get there. It is amazing and you’ll just have to accept it. The Road to Hana is breathtaking both because it’s crazy beautiful and oh also cause you feel like you’re actually taking your last breath on some of those turns. If you see people selling coconut candy, you should buy it. The Honokalani Black Sand Beach is a necessary stop and the red sand one is too if you have time to find it (we didn’t). My favorite beach was down a long staircase off the 30 right north of Kapalua, but Big Beach was actually the best too. Stay at a house instead of a hotel if you can and shop at Mana Foods in Paia..Mama’s Fish House is good but the mussels I had at Café Mambo were some of the best I’ve had. The hike to Waimoku Falls is just worth it but you can’t stop to even freaking tie your shoe or the mosquitoes will end you. Wear Birkenstocks and have at least 5 bikinis in your car at all times. Be okay with a backpack cause normal bags seem awkward all of a sudden and there are Kind Bars and DSLRs and Caudalie products to be lugged around. It wouldn’t be crazy to bring a water filter. Things marked as superettes are full of interesting things. Be amazed at the lack of need to steam your clothes cause the humidity does it for you. Don’t stack stones, no matter how tempted you are. Choice Health Bar is the place to go for a super clean lunch. Get as rugged a vehicle as makes sense for your aesthetic cause you’ll be driving on what are more similar to horse trails than roads appropriate for vehicles. Don’t get bored of rainbows. Eat all the ahi poke and apple bananas you can cause they can’t be replicated to that degree of perfection anywhere else. Connect the dots with my Instagram shots and head to my Formspring if I’m missing everything which I probably am cause my brain is shot from trying to put these photos in an order I’m ok with. I hope you enjoyed our diary!
2012 was a really, really good ride, so many beautiful places and unforgettable moments. I found a lot of unposted photos while preparing this post (um oops) so I’ve included those along with my favorite looks this year!
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