Travel Like an Editor: Andrea Cheng

"I like the idea of a one-piece, but I had always ever worn two-pieces. The girls behind swimwear brand Mikoh have dreamed up the coolest, sexiest suits that look like a two-piece from the front and a one-piece from behind. Granted, it takes a bit of shimmying to get into it (it feels like some sort of contraption mid-way through), but it's worth it." Mikoh suit, $202; mikoh.com

"During NYC winters, I tend to gravitate toward dark structured menswear-inspired pieces. For Phuket (a tropical place that boasts sunshine year-round), I eschewed my usual aesthetic in favor for fluid pieces washed in an ocean-inspired color palette of aquas, sapphires, and deep azures." findersKEEPERS playsuit, $188; shopbop.com

"Another blue-centric outfit here[MDASH]I wore this for an afternoon of shopping little street markets.The breezy pieces allowed for maximum ventilation without excessive skin exposure." Shop the look below:

American Apparel top, $50; americanapparel.com 

Whistles skirt, $270; whistles.com 

Ray-Ban aviators, $150; ray-ban.com

Straw tote from Phuket

Bracelets (from top): Miansai ($200; miansai.com), Gorjana ($120; gorjana.com), and House of Harlow 1960 ($95; houseofharlow1960.com)

Loeffler Randall sandals, $325; loefflerrandall.com

"Yes, I know it's incredibly impractical to pack a beach towel from New York City to Phuket, but this one from Woven Promises ($60; thelittlemarket.com) is so, so beautiful. It's hand-spun, hand-dyed, and it's as versatile as they come. And it looks amazing against your suit, like my Mikoh cut-out one-piece ($202; mikoh.com). How could I ever settle for a standard hotel towel now?"

"Lace-up sandals, like this one from Ancient Greek Sandals ($141; ancient-greek-sandals.com) are a much chicer alternative to ordinary flip flops. And they can carry you from the beach to a shoreside dinner. I wore them with a swimsuit during the day and a cocktail dress later that night." Others pictured: Bonlook sunglasses, $69; bonlook.com. Woven Promises towel, $60; thelittlemarket.com.

"The easiest way to go from laying out to drinking shoreside cocktails? A pretty cover-up." Flagpole Swim cover-up, $428; flagpoleswim.com

"I wore these metallic leather ankle-tie sandals (Loeffler Randall, $325; loefflerrandall.com) whenever I wanted to inject a teensy touch of glam to my look."

"I'm a huge stickler for sun protection. I brought all kinds of SPF under the sun, from lightweight liquids (perfect for the face) to heavy-duty lotions (for the body) to solid sticks (for both face and body) to lip tints (for, well, the lips). I have an acne-prone complexion, so after I lay out, I never fail to use a cleansing towelette to lift the beach's dirt and grime from my pores." Shop the products below:

From left:

Pacifica Coconut Water Cleansing Wipes, $6; pacificabeauty.com

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Face + Body Stick, $11; ulta.com 

Fresh Tinted Lip Treatment, $23; fresh.com

Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Lotion, $39; shiseido.com 

CeraVe Sunscreen Stick, $10; drugstore.com

"Separately, I wore the flirty white ruffled cami (Tibi, $398; tibi.com) with blue denim cut-offs during the day. For a fancy night out, I styled them with these dramatic silk culottes in sandy stripes (Tibi, $795; tibi.com), gilded sandals for a hint of glint (Loeffler Randall, $325; loefflerrandall.com), my usual stack of gold jewelry, and a sleek topknot."