Viva Stilettos

Dear All,

I am in Mexico — wish you were here — on a small island called Isla Mujeres, a half hour boat ride from Cancún. There are lots of Americans and taco stands everywhere. It feels kinda like being in L.A. except for the rain and the mosquitoes. I was in a bar last night, and they played the entire Temple of the Dog album, which ruled. Soon, we leave for a jungle hike that will take us into the Yucatán heartland and to some of the most magnificent ruins of ancient Maya culture.

Now, this is a postcard, so I’d better keep it short — but if you are planning any kind of jungle travel in the near future, I urge you to not listen to conventional advice.

BRING the high heels (I have three pairs, including one pair of white Candies).

BRING the purple sparkly dress from H&M.

BRING heavy wool pants, purely because they match your new green suede wedge heels.

BRING IT ALL.

Even though having a 50-pound suitcase makes getting on and off island ferries in the pouring rain kind of a drag, it’s soooo worth it — the locals have been flipping out over my hot threads. I have only been here two days and cannot count the number of times I have been complimented by apparently straight Mexican men on my adorable hat or my cute skinny jeans or my interesting haircut. Good fashion sense is a trait not often found among budget travelers, and it’s something that the locals clearly appreciate. In my opinion, it’s simply disrespectful to parade around in dodgy New Age head scarfs, tribal henna tattoos and beads just because you’re somewhere that’s hotter than home.

So I pledge to all of Mexico that, regardless of the heat, regardless of the downpours, regardless of the muddy roads and my diarrhea, I SHALL continue to represent the Style Council and our readers in the best way I know how .?.?. by dressing like a complete fool.

Love to all,

Caroline

For more Style Council adventures, go to: http://blogs.laweekly.com/style_council.