Cheryl Shops

If it seems like I'm traveling a lot lately, well, I am. I have always loved to travel, and the pandemic pretty much brought that to a screeching halt, so now that life has (pretty much) gone back to normal, I'm making up for lost time. My day job is also 100% remote, which means I can work from anywhere, so when Sean has a business trip in an interesting location, I tag along. And lucky him, he had a work conference in Honolulu last week! Flights from San Francisco to Honolulu were very reasonable and I had a free place to stay (thanks, Sean's work!), so it was kind of a no-brainer. (Although, to be fair, my workdays started at 6:30 a.m., which was an adjustment to say the least.) I mean, who's going to turn down a trip to Hawaii? (Not me!) Here's what I wore.

Dinner at NatuRe Waikiki 

Our first hotel was just down the street from NatuRe Waikiki, which was hands down the best meal we had on the trip. I decided to get dressed up for the occasion in one of my favorite vacation dresses, which you last saw on the Big Island. I almost didn't pack this one because it takes up a lot of room (and I only brought a carry-on), but I'm glad I did. The weather was a little funky—warm yet very windy—so it kept me perfectly comfortable. The Isabel Marant sandals were a RealReal find, and the bag was, of course, a birthday present from Sean. 

OUTFIT DETAILS: Devotion Twins Petra dress | Isabel Marant mini Skano bag | Isabel Marant sandals (similar here)

Working from the room

We were on the 25th floor with a nice view of Waikiki (plus, to be honest, I took my laptop down to the pool several times), which was a lovely change of scenery from where I normally work. So, of course, shorts were in order. These are from Madewell and are my go-to vacation shorts; they run big, so size down. I love wearing them with this Amazon top (this outfit is pretty much the same as one I wore in Croatia last summer) and my Isabel Marant belt, which I now own in two colors.

Shopping at Ala Moana

The nice thing about starting work at 6 a.m. is that you're done by 3 p.m., so one day when the weather was not so great (and Sean was stuck at his convention), I took the bus to Ala Moana, which is this ginormous outdoor mall in Honolulu. The big draw is the luxury shopping: All the heavy hitters have stores here, like Chanel, Hermès, Celine, YSL, Prada, Bottega Veneta, etc. There are more middle-of-the-road stores too, like Zara, Aritzia, and Madewell, plus a huge food court, a Target, and probably a gazillion other things I didn't even get to. I wore this Isabel Marant skirt that I've had for years; she makes this style every year, but they've reissued it in the exact same print, which has always been one of my favorites. 

OUTFIT DETAILS: Aerie tee | Isabel Marant skirt (also here) | Isabel Marant sandals (similar here)

Sightseeing on the East Side

A lot of people go to Oahu and spend the entire time in Waikiki, which is fine, but there's so much more to the island—you could spend a week hopping from beach to beach and still not see everything. We spent a couple days cruising around the east and north shores of the island; the east side, especially Kailua, was my favorite. And if you love snorkeling, Hanauma Bay is a must. For all of these activities, I recommend lightweight, breathable pieces that dry quickly—linen is ideal—and the comfiest Birkenstocks of all time. 

OUTFIT DETAILS: Rag & Bone tee (similar here) | Isabel Marant mini Skano bag | Isabel Marant Lecce belt | Free People Chelsea shorts | Birkenstock Arizona EVA sandals 

Traveling home

I did not make the wisest packing choices (I over-indexed on strappy sundresses and didn't bring enough casual tops) but thankfully the Madewell pants I bought at Ala Moana were a great choice for the plane ride home. I'm going to devote a separate post to them, but for now, I'd recommend going down a size (I'm in a 4). They are incredibly comfy and breathable, and I have a feeling I'm going wear the hell out of them this spring. 

OUTFIT DETAILS: Proenza Schouler tee | Madwell trousers