Your flights are booked and boutique hotels organised, now it’s time to contemplate what to pack for your Thai holiday. There is a certain skill to boarding a plane in one climate while toting a concisely packed wardrobe to suit another. However, the art of assembling a string of stylish looks for your Thai holiday primarily depends on the kind of trip planned.
Are you navigating your way across the rock-hewn coastlines of the Andaman Peninsula, exploring the elephant-laden jungle north of Chiang Mai or soaking up the effervescent energy of Bangkok? The key to packing for Thailand is to streamline your luggage into a rotation of foundational items before supplementing these with pieces to suit your settings and activities.
No Thai holiday style is complete without an infusion of personality, however. Everyone has baggage, but with careful planning, you can ensure yours embodies Raden’s glistening powder pink Resort 2017 set rather than Khao San Road’s Louis Vuitton knockoffs.
Form your foundations
Travelling involves exploring a multitude of sites on foot, so it’s best to work from the bottom up when deciding what to pack for your Thai Holiday. A pair of leather sandals is exceptionally versatile: they can be worn by the infinite pool in Phuket, at the beach in Koh Phi Phi and beside the food stalls of Bangkok’s Soi 38. Plaited Versace slides are ideal for men, while women’s sandals in low- or mid-heel varieties make sightseeing – and surveying the mind-bending view from the capital’s 63rd-floor rooftop Sky Bar at Sirocco – a humidity-free breeze. Look to Nicholas Kirkwood’s ‘Casati’ line for glossy pairs with pearl-embedded wedges in tantalising berry tones.
Once your footwear is chosen, it’s time to survey the rest of the basics. The ideal building blocks for Thai holiday style are items that travel well, both on and off the body. Natural fibres roll up inside your suitcase with ease, sans creases. Woman can avoid cultural faux pas with Erdem’s long-sleeved cotton maxis from Resort 2017. These one-stop outfits are demure enough for taking in the awe-inspiring gold-adorned interiors of Thailand’s Buddhist temples while breathable enough for the sweltering heat.
Maillots or swim shorts are, of course, essential when choosing stylish looks for your Thai holiday. Contemplate wearing a retro-infused two-piece by Lisa Marie Fernandez with loose beach dresses in solid hues or team a colour-blocked pair of Etro board shorts with a printed shirt.
Hone your suitcase
Often, decoding your Thai holiday style will be a matter of consulting the itinerary. If planning a trek through the Mae Taeng valley, for example, sneakers such as the pared-down Adidas Originals Stan Smiths are a reliable option and can be teamed with tailored shorts and a T-shirt – or even a swishy skirt for women.
If stretching out poolside at a five-star resort such as COMO Point Yamu in Phuket makes up the bulk of your itinerary, then you might like to recreate the kind of bohemian elegance presented by Clare Waight Keller for Chloé SS16. When working out what to pack for your Thai holiday, take inspiration from these effortless runway styles featuring sporty lines for day and floaty dresses for evening.
Guys can make a statement with a large print on either shirt or trousers — or both, for masters of mixing and matching — thanks to the looks sent down the runway for Valentino menswear Spring 2016. Motifs ranged from wheeling albatrosses to oversized white pineapples on a black background, and are ideal for bar hopping on the boho-luxe island of Koh Tao.
Decorate with personal flair
Your Thai holiday style wouldn’t be complete without an infusion of creativity. Accessories are a bold way to inject personality into your holiday looks as they travel light yet carry impact. A pair of Persol sunglasses, with their update on 50s Rat Pack cool, can elevate a timeless ensemble like a denim shirt and tailored shorts. The aim for this look, however, is more Liam Hemsworth’s laid-back Byron style rather than Corey Worthington’s infamous oversized yellow sunnies and matching blonde wig combination.
Sifting out accessories that reflect your personal style has the added benefit of making you feel at home away from home. An elegant maxi skirt and camisole for a Thai dinner at the Michelin-starred Sra Bua in Bangkok can feel far more refreshing when paired with your bright Givenchy clutch bag, for example.
Ultimately, the most stylish looks for your Thai holiday will be those that speak to you personally. Formulating a list of what to pack for your Thailand holiday is about what makes sense for you, but keeping simplicity in mind certainly doesn’t hurt. So, to avoid feeling weighed down by excess baggage à la Paris Hilton, opting for a colour scheme or particular cuts that mix and match well means less can be brought and more mileage had out of each garment.
It’s not a problem if packing isn’t particularly your thing, though, as that leaves additional room for browsing the stellar vintage clothing stalls of Bangkok’s Chatuchak Weekend Market post arrival.