I will be visiting San Fran in Feb for business. It is winter time then and I think it will be cold and rainy. Does anyone know what kind of formal winter wear is suitable for this weather?
San fran is okay, the indoors have heatings, not like Northern Thailand.
Here's some ideas so as not to make your luggage too heavy. I hope you are female though.
a) Take along a lightweight cashmere/pashimina/silk shawl in your hand luggage. It can serve as a scraf for your neck, lightweight head covering ala our muslim sister & a big enough shawl for when you are dinning indoors at a heated location. In the hand luggage; you can also pull it out, fold into a small pillow on the plane.
Get those plain reversible colour ones. I got mine at Bugis Juction Stall, 2 for $15.
b) Socks, get those sports socks a size bigger, they are slightly padded at the soles and are of a tighter weave so you can be kept warm when you sleep. Even under covers in bed, your bare feet most likely will feel the cold then the rest of your body in pyjamas.
c) Gloves, those cheapo woolen tight knitted ones works best. Stuffed them into your jacket pocket so its easier to locate them when you put on your jacket.
d) And if possible, a toque, balaclava or at least tight on your head jockey cap cos heat escapes easier thru the head. (You can use the cashmere/pashmina/silk mix scraf too as a temporary measure but I am sure you might want something you wont have to adjust every time.
e) those long sleeve long pants inner winter wear thingy, they look horrible, hard to take off and may puff you up like a michelin man, but they save my soul when I was in northern Thailand and I was regretting not bringing it on USA tour where we camped outdoors in the cold. Just take one set just in case in your luggage lah. And wear it when you are going to be outdoors near the sea area. (Just in case you want to tour alcatraz or fisherman market or take the cable car at night. they call the trains at San Fran Hyde Park cable car cos it operate by cables.) The innerwear dont cost much either.
f) A waterproof padded jacket with hood make sure that is at least a size bigger then what you tried on in Singapore.
I got one from that Stella & keith ...kinda hip hop apparel chain shop for $29.90 and it looks okay.
g) Bring rubber slippers, not the thongs kind where you a strap goes in between your big toe & 2nd toe. Those a bit like ah pek kinda slippers where its a broad strap that goes over from both side of the slipper.
I find them useful for wearing into the shower, toliet at the house or hotel room , especially in your socks. And it protects you from the chilly shower floor and those hidden floor germs that might give your feet ringsworms and so on.
And...I now swear by Vaseline. Not the cream, the petroleum jelly. thanks to jetta's advise the last time.
If you find bringing the tub ones too troublesome. Try dropping by Mustafa Centre to find those Vaseline Petroleum Jelly in handy tubes.
Its fantastic as a moisturiser, hair gel, face & lipbalm and rain repellent.
