Or more specifically, Cape Town South Africa. Having travel a little, in North America, I have a renewed awe for the beauty that is the Cape and have decided its time to spend this years summer holiday being "a tourist" in my own city. Many of these things I've done over the years but not recently and as these are such fabulous fun places to go to, and as my boyfriend has not done some of them, I think its time to do it all again :)
The one problem with Cape Town and its surrounds is that the weather is SO unpredictable and you can often have all 4 seasons in a single day! A real nightmare to dress for when you heading out for the day. So, I have put together a "capsule wardrobe" for visiting South Africa in the spring (starts in September) to summer (ends around April) months.
The best way to deal with the potential "all weather day" is to layer. As it gets extremely hot in the height of summer which would be December through to the end of February its advisable to pack light airy fabrics that breath thus also allowing for the odd day when things get a bit cooler as you can layer thinner fabrics. Also be warned that even though its summer, Cape Town is known as the windy city. It can be relentless and for this reason tights to be worn under dresses and skirts is a must have.
So, working out way down the list of items:
1.) a variety of cute casual tops in different colours and styles that can be layered
2.) cute sundresses are a must if visit during the height of summer as they keep you cool
3.) a variety of shorts and skirts are also a good idea as well as jeans for evening when it gets cooler
4.) as the weather is unpredictable I would suggest bringing one coat or windbreaker for the cooler days and evenings for when going out and a jacket for during the day for just in case
5.) flat shoes are your best bet as there will be a lot of walking and sight seeing and a lot of the fun things to do are outside and include water, sand and mountains ;)
6.) lastly, the small essential items that you will need are, a big spacious handbag (with a zip - safety reasons), sunglasses, an umbrella and as mentioned before tights wear under dresses and skirts
So this is what you should pack if you coming to South Africa this up coming Summer. I volunteered to do a "City Chic" article over at the Glamourous Grad Student and embarrassed to say that its been a whil and haven't completed my article but I will be putting the finishing touches on it so keep you eyes peeled for a "City Chic" article in the next week which will complement this article nicely.