Winter in Miami
On how my brief visit to Miami exposed the gaps in my wardrobe
Last week I was fortunate enough to visit Miami for the first time with my sister Lauren and our cousins, Jordan and Kasidi. Our 48-hour bender was packed with one-of-a-kind dining and nightlife experiences that only Miami could really offer. Even in the cold and gloomy weather, Miami was one of my favorite U.S. cities that I’ve visited in recent memory. Packing for this trip, however, brought to light a lot of the stylistic gaps that I have in my wardrobe.
Between our flights, the clubs, lounging by the hotel pool, the upscale dinner restaurants, and brunch on the beach, there were a lot of occasions that called for a specific attire or even a dress code. A lot of the clothes that I brought just seemed to miss the mark. Having denim on at the club, for example, certainly wasn’t my comfiest or best style choice. Wearing a ball cap to Pharrell’s elevated brunch restaurant in the Design District didn’t exactly feel appropriate for that setting either. I definitely dropped the ball when I overlooked bringing some sort of weatherproof, lightweight outerwear for our gloomy and rainy weekend in Miami. My Levi’s trucker jacket wasn’t exactly useful once the rain arrived and it certainly didn’t keep me warm during our cold mornings at the airport.
Throughout the trip I found myself struggling to piece together outfits that were both functional and also made sense for whatever we were doing at the time. I think this was largely the result of simply packing incorrectly and lacking overall versatility in my current wardrobe. In my mind I kept wanting to reach for clothes that I just don’t own. I would look at what Jordan was wearing and think to myself: Wait, why don’t I have a pair of comfy trousers for strolling around in? Why do I not own any dark button-up shirts or lightweight jackets that I can wear to a nice dinner or the club?
My sister and my cousins were certainly more prepared and better dressed than I was. Lauren and Kasidi looked effortlessly chic and elegant in their dresses throughout the trip, while Jordan killed it all weekend in his flowy trousers and white penny loafers. Even at the airport they were dressed easy and comfortable in oversized sweaters and cozy pants while I chose to sport a Canadian tuxedo for some arbitrary reason. I have to say that my favorite standout pieces of the weekend had to be Lauren and Kasidi’s leather jackets and Jordan’s woven bucket hat.
In the end it all worked out fine. I did the best with the clothes I had and I still enjoyed myself with people I love. It’s not like anyone stopped me or shamed me on the street for being dressed a certain way. Like I always say, they’re just clothes we’re talking about here. It’s never that serious. But for someone like myself who is intentionally trying to develop their personal style, I’ve found that it’s helpful to practice dressing for events and occasions in your life. You slowly discover how you want to present yourself and what pieces or accessories you need in order to achieve that. In this case our trip to Miami presented a lot of events and occasions that I really didn’t have appropriate outfits for. After some brief reflection these are my big style takeaways from the trip (more like notes to myself for the future):
Denim is not necessarily your friend when flying. Try to incorporate more breathable, soft garments in clothes that are fitted to not hug your skin so much and make you uncomfortable on long flights.
I need more dark colored button-up shirts and elevated, lightweight outerwear (e.g. black or navy single breasted sport coat, linen dress shirts) that I can wear on a night out and not worry about sweating in or feeling underdressed around the people I’m with.
I like to indulge and lounge around when I’m on vacation. My wardrobe could benefit from having lighter weight fabrics overall, pleated trousers that are forgiving on the waistline, and outerwear that compliments my casual tailoring that isn’t necessarily a heavy coat or a suit jacket.
Weather can be unpredictable when traveling to a new city. Have some type of easy-to-pack, all-weather jacket in your rotation that you don’t mind taking a beating.
It’s funny how traveling and visiting a new place can force us to take stock of our wardrobe sometimes. At least it does for me. I loved Miami and I’m grateful that I had the privilege of visiting the city. I already can’t wait to go back.
As always thank you for reading.
Take care,
Brandon