Cracow Summer 2021: Planning My ‘Himekaji’ Outfits + Tips

We are leaving for an eight nights trip to Cracow tomorrow. It’s a relatively short trip and we most likely won’t be leaving the city so it’s fairly easy for me to plan a somewhat cohesive and concise outfit plan. I will try to take you through this process with me and maybe it will give you some inspiration/ideas on planning your own ‘j-fashion’ vacations. I will pretty much include all the clothes I will be taking sans undergarments (not that interesting, me thinks…). I will also be omitting a modest, simple outfit that I will be taking with me in case we end up going to Memorial and Museum Auschwitz-Birkenau. I just think it might be a little inappropriate to stroll in there with a full on himekaji coord.

First of all, it is September… so still summer technically but it looks like it’s going to be on the cooler side. This means that the whether can go from sunny and warm to cloudy/rainy and cold in a matter of days or even hours. This is the first thing you should consider in general when packing. My second challenge is to limit the amount of accessories (shoes, outers, bags etc.) to as little as I can manage without stuff getting too boring. This will naturally lead to picking a color scheme for your trip as it’s the easiest way to keep your portable wardrobe to a minimum. Lastly, you need to consider what kind of activities you will be doing while away. For example, on our last trip to Podlasie, I knew we will be mostly hiking/camping in the national park so I didn’t actually take any himekaji clothes and instead went for different wool sweaters, hiking boots, a raincoat, sneakers and a few pairs of plain, cotton leggings. The only stereotypical ‘kawaii’ item I put in my coords were velvet hair bows. On the other hand for our last Japan trip I was going to spend some time hiking and other times city dwelling so I got about an equal mix of both styles.

Considering the possible weather conditions I knew I will need different weight and feel of outer pieces. A winter coat is not quite appropriate yet so I went for my Liz Lisa AW 2014 pink, Two Way Trench Coat (142-8015-0) with removable cape. This was a winter release so I might not need to wear it all too often but it’s good to have for particularly cold days or evening/night outings. As I was gonna go for only short skirts/dresses I didn’t feel like my maxi length Le Reve Vaniller trench was necessary (I’m personally not a fan of skirts poking from under a trench too much… it gives me church granny feel… idk… just an opinion.) Second of all, I wanted a lighter, causal outer piece. As I settled on pink & bordeaux color scheme I decided to go for my Ank Rouge oversized denim jacket with cherry embroidery. Lastly, I needed a cardigan and at the moment there is just no better, more versatile choice in my closet than the spring 2020 oversized Candy Button Cardigan (111-3002-0) in neutral white.

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For bags I went for Jill by Jill Stuart Bijou Tote in maroon & Maison de FLEUR powdery pink faux silk tote bag. The tote can be easily folded so it won’t take a lot of space while at the same time offering a sizable ‘storage space’ on the go. The maroon purse will fit most of my coords and will serve as the main bag while the pink tote is a great casual alternative.

For small head/hair accessories I’m going for Le Reve Vaniller velvet hair bows in, once again, pink & bordeaux as well as my fluffy white elastics (Aliexpress). On top of that, as a big beret wearer I wouldn’t want to miss out on taking my favorite head garment – a milky white/creamy plain beret (GU) & a simple black beret (Stradivarius). I will probably get one or two pairs of earrings too as well as my Olivia Burton pink watch but that will be about it for jewelry.

But how did I pick the color scheme to begin with? Well, it was rather simple this time… I just got these bordeaux Liz Lisa pumps from 2016 (162-9607-0) and I’m kind of obsessed with them thus I really wanted to bring them with me to get the most out of them. I thought a completely bordeaux wardrobe the whole trip will be kind of boring so I decided to also go with pink. To make this work I tried to pick pink pieces that will suit bordeaux accessories as much as possible. For my second pair of shoes I went for Liz Lisa cream Musical Note Charm Boots (152-9662-0) from 2015. ♡ Shout out to my awesome online friend Sara (if you are reading this, loff you, thank chuuu!) who suggested these boots for me and kindly sent me a Mercari link as I was not particularly aware of their existence. ♡ This will make sure I got something dressy to go with all my coords + I love boots and won’t miss an opportunity to wear them. ^-^’ Lastly, I needed a pair of flats that will act as my travel & emergency shoes for when heels become too much. The simplest and most versatile option here were simple, platform canvas sneakers in white (Even & Odd).

Now, finally, for the actual outfit ideas! I have eight coordinations in total. Starting with my comfy/travel outfits and proceeding to my city dwelling choices. Most of the accessories can be switched out for another one of my choices so it’s not necessarily their final form but it gives you an idea. I haven’t planned them out per day – I will be picking them out as I go depending on what will be the most appropriate/ how I feel at the given moment.

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1. Liz Lisa AW 2020 Cupcake Bear OP (107-6035-0) hoodie in pink
2. Bershka Sailor Moon oversized sweatshirt *for both of these I wil be using the the pink shorts from Liz Lisa SS 2021 Sailor Set Up (111-6006-0) as a safety undergarment.

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3. Liz Lisa AW 2018 Heart Sweets OP (185-6026-0) in pink.

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4. Liz Lisa AW 2020 Grand Magasin Print OP (105-6001-0) in bordeaux.

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5. Liz Lisa SS2017 Rabbit Ribbon OP (171-6019-0) in pink.

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6. Liz Lisa SS2021 Sailor Set Up (111-6006-0) in pink.

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7. Liz Lisa AW2021 Chocolat Pattern Skirt (115-4001-0) in pink, Tocco Closet Flower Knit top in white.

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8. Ank Rouge AW2018 (I believe, don’t quote me) Rabbit Ribbon border print skirt in bordeaux, H&M simple high neck black jersey knit top.

My last two tips will be to think about how you’d like to wear your hair with each set. I’m personally just thinking of possibilities over strict -must do- styles ,however, I find it useful to ponder about before hand so I can bring the necessary hair tools/accessories. And lastly, use a sewing dummy, if you have one, to plan your outfits. It makes it quicker and easier to get an idea of what pieces do or don’t go together within your wardrobe. It’s much quicker than trying everything on. Alternatively, you can start by laying them on a flat surface (floor/bed etc.) in front of you but I find this a little less effective as you won’t get a good fit idea this way. If you are unsure of a certain combo you can always try it on just to make sure it matches but usually just the dummy try on will do the trick.

All this might seem quite obvious but I have to admit that I have a history of over-packing pretty severely and not thinking through the contents of my suitcase enough before going on holidays. It’s a trail and error process. I hope that any of these tips and reminders were useful to you. Till next time! ♡