Were You Wearing Heels? Wardrobing for JourneyistheDestination, 1995

Wardrobing for JourneyistheDestination

Look #1

Some of you have expressed an interest in what I was wearing 20 years ago on my solo backpacking trip around the world. I have blocked the filthy rags from memory, having incinerated them upon my return, but I have pictures!!!!!!! 

 

Two things: 1. This was before Christian Louboutin came out with his red soled stilettos, which I surely would have preferred to the Paragons. 2. Despite the really pared down wardrobe, my rucksack was like 50 pounds.  Maybe 60. There was a lot of unnecessary crap in there. I don't have photo documentary on this, but I do have witnesses, such as my parents, boyfriend, and best friend, who shook their heads sadly when I tried to drag the beast out of the house to the airport.  My best friend ended up carrying 3/4 of the contents of this monstrosity back to the US from Bangkok five months later after meeting me for a few weeks to travel together in Thailand.  Now picture all that weight, on top of my own quite healthy, well fed weight, on those teeny  Louboutin spikes...actually no,...take that back...structural engineers have made tremendous strides since 1995, note the Manhattan skyline, so maybe now in 2015 it could be done but back then no, definitely not an option.  I had to do the Paragons, and the horror of those boots, my embarrassment, feelings of frumpiness and was my only complaint about the trip.  I mean, I lived in Seattle, during the grunge era for 5 years and I would not have been caught dead in Paragon Sports urban day hikers.

Look #2

The Essentials

Tops: 

Long sleeve tee shirt, 1 black (see model, left), 1 white

Short sleeve shirt, 1 black, 1 white (on model)

Bottoms:

Featured ankle length skirt in black and white (see model above)

super baggy lightweight black pants (see model, left and below)

jeans, baggy

Footwear:

Paragon Sports Day Hiker Boots in Green & Brown (on model)

black leather sandals, of the flat, sturdy, foot covering variety

Outerwear: Mens black Gortex hooded rain jacket in Medium (not sure why I felt I needed something that huge, it was pre-baby in the bjorn days...)

Unmentionables:

Well, let's leave it at that, but seriously, if you are traveling for longer and harder than your underthings can hold out, have someone in supersize me America send you new undies, along with your new guidebooks.  Mine gave out in Thailand and comparing my relative girth to your average man's I did have concerns when going to the market to procure replacements.  I hand gestured for the BIGGEST size panties ( all were prewrapped in plastic so you can't tell), and by golly were they about three sizes too small....it's all about the journey.

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