Sunshine and Rain - Dressing for Tropical Climates.

So, since I didn't get to do a post before I left, I thought I would at least do a quick post here from sunny Barbados! Although the climate is a drastic improvement from the grey skies and bitter winds of London, many similar fashion dilemmas still arise, and it is not as easy to predict the weather here, particularly as it varies so much from place to place! Despite the fact that Barbados is so tiny, it is very common for it to be raining on one part of the island and for another part (sometimes just down the road) to be perfectly dry with sunny skies. This creates obvious problems when deciding what to wear as you really cannot tell exactly how the weather will be where you are.

It is for this reason that when here, there are certain adjustments that I make to my fashion decisions which are slightly out of character for me. For example, I am very very particular when in London to plan my footwear based on whether it is going to rain or be cold. No such planning can be done here and in a way it doesn't need to. A shower in Barbados is what in London would probably be called heavy rain, the only difference is that it is short lived. This means that whatever shoes you have on, your feet will get wet regardless as the likelihood of wearing wellies is...unlikely. So, closed toe or open toe, it really depends on your preference, I don't mind having wet feet so usually I opt for open.

The biggest challenge that I face dressing for Barbados weather is in fact man made. With daytime temperatures averaging 28ºc at this time of the year, there is no escaping my most hated device - the dreaded air-conditioning! As a naturally cold person, air conditioning makes my life hell, particularly those set to unnaturally cold temperatures. Constantly going from super hot to extremely cold means that it is hard to maintain a stable body temperature, making colds almost inevitable. Carrying a cardigan or shirt to throw over if inside for long periods of time is the best bet, however if going in and out regularly (like when shopping) means most of the time I just have to suck it up and deal with it...

Yesterday was a hot day but had several heavy showers. Here is a replica of what I wore...

How do you dress in unpredictable weather? Any advice? Let me know!!!

Ciao for now ;-) HMLDN xx