Pretty trippy: Silk tees

A silk tee is an indispensible travel piece, weightless in a suitcase, breathable, and when it's time to wash, just swish it out and dry in the shower. Silk breathes, and in hot climates is cooler than cotton interlock.

Once upon a time, they were ubiquitous, in both knit and woven varieties. These days, they're harder to find, but worth the hunt. I limited my picks to washable silk or silk-blends (with one exception), and gave a miss to costly versions from Rag and Bone, Chloe, etc. If you're on holiday, you don't want to worry about dropping curry on a precious shirt! The choices below offer colourful, relaxed, low-maintenance style.

Silk and silk-blend knits

Eileen Fisher Scoop Neck Cap-Sleeve Tee, above, in silk knit jersey, is fluid and graceful. In white or ivory, $88 from Eileen Fisher. Also at Nordstrom, in regular and petite sizes. Pricey for more rugged destinations, but good for city wear or business travel.

Wintersilks own the mid-priced silk tee market, and have been, for me, a reliable e-vendor. They offer a blend of 70%, 30% premium cotton knit that's machine washable, and comes in summer colours and neutrals.
The longsleeved crew, far left, at two for $30 (or one for $32.95), is a travel staple.

The same 70/30 blend is available in a basic v-neck, near left, for $29.95. I like the longer-than-cap sleeve, the depth of the vee, and their wide range of sizes.

They also sell a featherweight, "gossamer-light" elbow-sleeve crew (shown here) or v-neck styles. Wear one, two or three layered together, $24.95 each.
Roll in a baggie in your carry-on, and flip a couple of layers around for a flexible, washable mini-wardrobe.

Easy tops of woven silk

A Vietnamese embroidered silk tunic from National Geographic's store whispered of mystery and adventure. I could not resist the pink, on sale for $29.95. (Also available, a rich ruby and serene lavender.) With flowing pants and jeweled sandals, I'm ready for dinner on Vicky's sailboat.

If I were city-traveling, I'd wash (the label says dry clean but I'm going to trust handwashing), then touch up with an iron, or twist while damp and wear 'crinkly'. As you would expect, the National Geographic Store ships anywhere!

I wanted to show a close-up detail of Soft Surroundings' Seychelles Tunic, for tropical travel or your local tiki bar. You'll receive a packet of pearly shells of all sizes in case a few of yours don't survive the mambo contest. Tropical colours include Blue Hawaiian, Sunrise (a soft coral) and Daquiri, shown, $98.
(Shipping within US only.)

Asian-motif clothes are one of my favourite themes, so I'd also like a look at this Soft Surroundings Washable Silk Paisley Top, on sale for $69.99. Also available in lime/grape.