Aloha, Maui!
Light peeked in through the gauzy curtains over the row of windows lining the top of our bedroom, and a soft splash in the distance was coaxing me out of the cool, crisp sheets tugged tightly into the sides of our bed. I tiptoed out of our room, and walked to the source of light gently creeping into our dark living room. Past the window door and bug screen, I saw palm trees, the ocean, the swimming pool... We're not in New York anymore. We are in Hawaii!
The view from our hotel room at Aston Kaanapali Shores.
My morning started like this every day of our trip—waking up way too early because of the six-hour time difference (and the general curse of being a morning person). But in a way I am grateful because I got to soak in the quiet, beautiful Maui sunrise from our hotel balcony every morning.
It was my first time in Maui and Hawaii, so Google was my friend in preparing for this trip. It told me it’s normally in the 70s and 80s (about 21 to 26°C) during the day and upper 60s (around 15°C) at night. Since most stores were still selling winter/spring clothes at and I had been eyeing some summer items from last year, I decided to do a fashion-travel series on outfits combining discount pieces from 2017 (which you would probably have in your wardrobe) and spring this year to debut my Kawaii Life blog!
When I think about Hawaii, I think of flowers, sunshine, and the ocean. With these imageries, the expected temperatures, and the expectation that I will be walking a lot in mind (one I don't often prepare well for), I chose airy, light-weight clothing and accessories, prioritizing anything with florals, that’s comfortable, and is waterproof and sunproof.
On the first day of our trip, weather forecast said it was going to rain on the island. I thought we should take it easy and walk around our resort in Kaanapali and then hit Front Street, a shopping district in Lahaina filled with souvenir stores, restaurants, and historic sights just 10 minutes away.
For a casual day of sightseeing and shopping, I picked out an embroidery t-shirt by dazzlin that I had been eyeing from their summer collection last year and a pleated, tiered lace and floral skirt by mercuryduo released this spring. Side note: I was pleasantly surprised by the high-quality the fabric (silky but thick) of the t-shirt. It’s definitely not your average t-shirt.
My wardrobe consists mostly of white and pink. I tried to branch out a little with my Hawaii picks by incorporating more colors like the mint of this t-shirt and yellow and blue from the flowers of the skirt. The natural thing to do is to set off these bright colors with some white accessories, like these Ank Rouge platform sandals, LIZ LISA wicker bag, and dazzlin shell hair clip, all from 2017.
Turns out normal rain in Hawaii meant a light drizzle for about an hour, so even if you didn’t bring an umbrella, you don’t have to worry about getting one. The heat was actually more of a concern, and it’s super important to stay hydrated and continuously reapply sunscreen while you’re out and about! (I will share more of my beauty tips from the trip in another blog post!)
While we were desperately looking for something iced to drink, I stumbled across this pineapple tumbler exclusive to Starbucks in Hawaii! I am normally not one to invest in tumblers, but I think this is one of the best souvenirs you can get in Hawaii—one that you will use over and over. Not to mention it’s a cute accessory that will brighten up your outfits any day.
It’s also important to seek out shade to avoid sunburn and heatstroke, which makes the Lahaina Banyan Court Park one of the best landmarks to visit. Standing at over 60 feet (18 m) and spreading out over an area of 200 feet (61 m), the banyan tree (paniana) in Lahaina is the oldest living tree in Maui and one of the largest in the world.
The banyan tree at the old Courthouse Square, now the Lahaina Banyan Court Park.
After taking a break on one of the benches under the banyan tree, we moseyed over to Lahaina Harbor, which was just a short walk away. One thing that constantly astonished me in Hawaii was how beautiful the ocean and the scenery was. The sky and ocean were always bright blue, and there were hibiscus of every color everywhere. It may seem like an obvious observation to make, but I don’t think you can truly grasp how beautiful it is until you visit.
Next time, I will show you not only another outfit repurposing items from past seasons but also how to transition from a day to beach look in a flash. Stay tuned for more beautiful Hawaii photos as well!