Hong Kong - what to wear

[miss direct]

I'm going to Hong Kong next week for the whole summer to work at the British Council. Checked the weather and its around 30c and raining almost every day. What clothes should I take? I live in dresses and flip flops in summer here...

 

[Yu_Gi_Oh]

The problem I have (I'm on the mainland) with flipflops is that they float off, or your feet keep slipping out of them when it's really rainy. I have a pair of walking sandals which I wear instead when it rains.

It'll be humid as well as hot. I live in shorts and breathable fabrics during the summer. It's by no means a dry heat.

 

[Yu_Gi_Oh]

Oh, I wear linen trousers and linen t-shirts at work, in black so that the sweat doesn't show.

 

[Yossarian]

You'll need to dress both for the extremely hot and muggy conditions outside, and the Arctic air-con temperatures that prevail indoors. I've heard a lot of good things about the Council from people who worked there but don't remember if they said whether the air-con was especially icy.

 

[Virtual Blue]

+1 for linen - there's plenty of work clothes in this material.

 

[Yu_Gi_Oh]

H&M do very cheap women's linen t-shirts in a variety of colours. They're buried among everything else, but they are there. Uniqlo have a variety of women's linen/cotton blend trousers in at the moment too.

 

[JimW]

I needed pale shirts or fabrics that didn't show salt marks.where the sweat dried.in the fierce aircon. Sorry for that image.

 

[miss direct]

Thank you. I'll pop into H&M in Istanbul before I go. I have some linen trousers and skirts. Might have to find some suitable shoes as well. And I have a nice raincoat What about clothes over there? Just for tiny people?

 

[Yu_Gi_Oh]

All the big high street names are there. Loads of H&M and Forever 21 and other European sized brands. I dunno if I could wear a raincoat in the summer here though; it'd be so hot.

I don't know what your hair is like, but mine just goes to shit in the humidity. You might want to bring some product or something.

 

[miss direct]

Great information, thank you. So do people just get soaking wet when it rains? Or use brollies?

My hair is flat and thin, nothing really affects it...

 

[Yu_Gi_Oh]

Yeah, just umbrellas, ime. Parts of HK are connected by elevated covered walkways and they're pretty useful when it's raining.

 

[8den]

Have fun!

 

[devit]

In addition to light clothing/umbrella, ensuring you have a pack of Tempo (Tempo Hong Kong) on you at all times is critical! I'm on about a pack a day currently *everyone* has these!

As someone mentioned, the contrast from steaming hot to freezing cold in the offices/mall is crazy - I don't mind this, just bring on the cold!

Enjoy your few months in this wonderful place

 

[miss direct]

Thanks for the ideas. I have a few more questions - not about clothes but food. Is it easy and reasonably priced to buy the following things in Hong Kong - oats, soy milk, chia seeds? What about decent shampoo etc? Sorry if these seen like silly questions but 9 years abroad mean I know some things are unavailable or hard to find. I have a generous baggage allowance so sill bring things if i need to. Thank you!

 

[Virtual Blue]

Thanks for the ideas. I have a few more questions - not about clothes but food. Is it easy and reasonably priced to buy the following things in Hong Kong - oats, soy milk, chia seeds? What about decent shampoo etc? Sorry if these seen like silly questions but 9 years abroad mean I know some things are unavailable or hard to find. I have a generous baggage allowance so sill bring things if i need to. Thank you!

Oats - easy.

Soy Milk - oh yes.

Chia Seeds - nope, I remember searching for flax seeds and it was a pain. Probably there are some health shops - maybe you should research before going (the MTR and getting around is generally very easy).

Shampoo - easy, pretty much the same brands.

I not been back to HK for 7 years - maybe things have changed.

 

[JimW]

...

Soy Milk - oh yes.

...

Vitasoy vending machines even IIRC.

 

[pinkmonkey]

Try City Super for Chia seeds, its a posh supermarket, Mega Lifestyle Specialty Store | city'super | LOG-ON | cookedDeli that's where I'd look first. Everything else is easy to get, it's a shoppers paradise. If you're no bigger than a UK 14 then you could always buy clothes there as you can then get things suitable for the heat. I'd be wearing leather Birkinstocks this time of year.

 

[miss direct]

Thank you! I'll bring my own chia seeds, I only eat a spoonful a day. Thank goodness I've been on a diet and am just about a size 14.

 

[pk]

One of my fave cities in the world. Also worth visiting Macau, it's the Vegas of the Far East.