Packing for Peru: A journey in outfits

“We seemed to breathe freely, a lighter air, an air of adventure”

Che Guevara’s ode to South America in The Motorcycle Diaries is probably the most apt description of the continent. Its landscapes are littered with magic and a sense of adventure – we spent just one month in Peru but in that short period of time we witnessed barren deserts lit by the orange glow of the setting sun, rainforests abuzz with hundreds of butterflies, pristine salt farms nestled between glorious valleys, and Incan ruins outlined on the horizon.

I thought about this as I chanced on an intriguing quiz on cheapflights.co.uk on which airline suits your personality (let’s blame it on late night bouts of surfing the net and subscribing to one too many travel websites – we all have those don’t we?). One of the questions prompted me to pick my ideal destination for a holiday – that destination would probably be Peru because its colours and culture left me spellbound.

I packed a host of bright fuchsia and red clothes for Peru – the perfect accompaniment to sun-bleached landscapes. There were also lacy tasseled kimonos, silk shorts, and lush tropical prints, for flowing in and out of the glorious Amazon Rainforest and sweltering under nonchalant summer rays. Pops of dark burgundy and charcoal were reserved for our break at an indulgent lodge on the shores of Lake Titilaka. A whole slew accessories inspired by sunshine and easy living ideals – feather armlets, flower crowns, dreamcatchers, and hamsa necklaces – lent the finishing touches to my wardrobe for Peru.

Three things that made Peru stand out were the panoramas, the people we met along the way, and the journey. In keeping with this, our lookbook from Peru isn’t so much about the outfits (after all, I was living out of a li’l backpack for 2 months in South America!) but the dreamy landscapes and people we met along the way – everyone from the shamans dressed in resplendent reds to local weavers and kids. Hope you enjoy it.

This one is for Peru – definitely one for your gypsy atlas 😀

PS For those of you who don’t follow Bruised Passports on Instagram, I’ll have you know I bought the shaman’s bright hat for myself:

For those who saw yesterday’s post, the hat’s called a Chullo and much to Vid’s amusement, I now have one ??

A photo posted by Savi and Vid (@bruisedpassports) on Aug 6, 2015 at 7:28pm PDT

I’d love to know – What are your travel fashion staples?

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Planning a trip to Peru? Read our Ultimate Itinerary for Peru

See all our recent lookbooks from Maldives, Malaysia, India, and Finland