Summer heatwave clothes
Another thread is busy sorting out the underwear, but what to wear on top in a heatwave is concerning me.
I’m not talking about when one is lounging around at home.
I’ve been shopping for something a bit smarter and found nothing suitable.
For a start, the store I was in had nothing in a soft cotton. I don’t want a coarse cotton. Or synthetic fabric.
I’ m someone who rarely uncovers her arms, and never reveals her shoulders. The shop had some lovely dresses but nothing that would suit my shape. I don’t want to wear a long or three-quarter-sleeved dress in this heat. I have one short-sleeved dress which I usually wear with a cardigan or dress up with a jacket but it’s too hot for that. I have one sleeveless dress under which I wear a T shirt, but my daughter says that looks silly.
I went on to a church coffee morning in my blue patterned cotton trousers, white T-shirt, covered with a loose fitting unbuttoned shirt. I was very comfortable, as the church was pleasantly cool, but I felt scruffy.
At least nowadays one can wear trainers, with or without socks, with a dress. My feet do not like sandals. Having had broken toes in the past they feel vulnerable.
I don’t like summer heat.
I’m not talking about when one is lounging around at home.
I’ve been shopping for something a bit smarter and found nothing suitable.
For a start, the store I was in had nothing in a soft cotton. I don’t want a coarse cotton. Or synthetic fabric.
I’ m someone who rarely uncovers her arms, and never reveals her shoulders. The shop had some lovely dresses but nothing that would suit my shape. I don’t want to wear a long or three-quarter-sleeved dress in this heat. I have one short-sleeved dress which I usually wear with a cardigan or dress up with a jacket but it’s too hot for that. I have one sleeveless dress under which I wear a T shirt, but my daughter says that looks silly.
I went on to a church coffee morning in my blue patterned cotton trousers, white T-shirt, covered with a loose fitting unbuttoned shirt. I was very comfortable, as the church was pleasantly cool, but I felt scruffy.
At least nowadays one can wear trainers, with or without socks, with a dress. My feet do not like sandals. Having had broken toes in the past they feel vulnerable.
I don’t like summer heat.
Comments
Rather than sandals, perhaps pierced shoes. Or something like this perhaps ?
Next have quite a good selection of semi formal linen stuff in this summer.
There's a kind of relaxed vibe in a coastal tourist town, where everyone is wearing something breezy and colorful and fun for their vacation. I don't expect that many dress like this when they land back home in the cool windy and damp.
https://www.jakisboutique.co.uk/?page=2
Shameless plug for my friend, but you get the picture of what I'm talking about.
AFF
It took some time this morning to find an outfit that didn’t feel like a blanket - very old linen trousers and a cotton top I tend not to wear on account of the Biblical neckline (low and behold).
I think nowadays trousers or even capri pants with a blouse would be considered perfectly smart on a woman, especially if you dressed it up with jewellery. For dresses you might be better off going to Etsy than the UK high street - lots of reasonably-priced linen dresses from Lithuania (one of the big linen producers in Europe) for eg. LinenIsLove does a lot of art prints in short sleeved dresses and blouses. StudioVSM is British but more expensive and mostly does William Morris print cotton dresses, but it's all handmade so easy to get the right length sleeve and hem etc. VedahDesigns is based in India so shipping takes longer BUT the designer has access to really lovely handwoven cotton and silk fabric for very reasonable prices, and will happily custom-make something (most of her dresses are sleeveless but adding a short sleeve wouldn't be difficult).
From a discount store, last day of additional 10% off.
So now I have choices.
Thanks for the various suggestions.
Yes! I'll be stealing this.
....I am English?
@Alan29 is English.
Yes, and I was replying to @Spike replying to me that being barefoot in sandals isn't the point of them if you're English. I am English and being able to be barefoot in sandals is the point of wearing sandals for me.
In recent years one of our bigger but not ritzy chain-stores has had culottes as part of their summer range and I have stocked up big time. I keep some for good and wear them until the change of season says it's time for jeans. I often wear them with a t=shirt at home and a blouse when going out (which is rare for me). I found a pretty white broderie blouse with a frill on the bottom and the culottes can at times be mistaken for a skirt, so I think they are dressy enough for a coffee or for church.
I often find it's difficult to find anything that is not a synthetic fabric, so I'm very pleased when I find something like the top mentioned above. I don't like synthetics in the hot weather.
I often think of my Mum who was quite a glamorous dresser and she would always put on tights to go to out to the shops. I think she was in her late 60's when we convinced her to move to knee highs in the winter and to go without tights in the summer. I think in the end comfort won the day.
Guilty as charged - almost to the point of Hollywood stereotype!
A certain age +n.
It should really be wandering down a sunny street somewhere with bougainvillea, rather than looking out on a damp grey Edinburgh but there you go.
It will be kipper ties next.
Those that do accompany their sandals with hosiery - do the socks have to be a matching pair?
I tried various tops under the sleeveless dress but, I have to agree with my daughter here, they all looked silly - and felt hot. Another dress felt much too heavy. So I settled for one of my new cotton / lacy tops over a loose fitting long skirt which is older than I can count. On my feet I wore the new white shoes together with those little foot covering things made of tights material, ( name?) and my feet were very comfortable and looked smart.
I do want to find a way to wear the sleeveless dress. If it is hot enough to wear it, it is too hot for a cardigan.
Anyway I have now got enough clothes to pack for a five day summer school later this month if the heatwave recurs. I’ll probably have to pack for all eventualities though.
There is a big part of me that couldn't cope with non-matching socks. Some wear white trennis socks with sandals. I prefer brightly coloured ones. Actually thats not true. My brightly coloured ones (if not neon) were a present from my wife who thinks of me as a much more colourful person than I actually am.
There was a time in my life when I owned a pair of brightly-colored red socks, and a similar pair of brightly-colored green ones. Naturally, I insisted on wearing port and starboard socks.
Oh, good, I am now in fashion. I have to wear sandals all year due to neuropathy, so, of course, I wear socks in the winter. I always tried to match them to the color of the shoes so they would be less noticeable. But now I will feel free to go wild and crazy.
I have never understood slip-on shoes, because of their propensity to slip-off. Call me Mr. Picky, but a basic requirement that I have for footwear is that once I have put it on, it remains installed and functional until I choose to remove it, without requiring additional input on my part.
Perhaps I just have slip-off feet.
Perhaps a coordinating short-sleeved cotton or linen jacket or short-sleeved overshirt? A woven fabric rather than a jersey or knitted fabric. You could also try a linen cardigan - even in knitwear form, linen will keep you cool due to the long staple fibres.
I don't think the comments about looking silly are specific to daughters! Dungarees are supposed to be worn over a base layer, dresses typically are not.
Interesting, I know that as a New England meaning of "dungarees". In the UK (and I think Aus/NZ) dungarees = overalls.
What I would call "overalls" in British are the same as what I would call a boiler suit. I think Americans might call it "coveralls".
Ah yes, this is what I would say - I meant that "overalls" to some (most?) Americans = dungarees to Brits.
Accordingly some Americans call shorts dungarees "shorteralls".
Shorts overalls are "shortalls" where I live.
My parents, who definitely were not from New England, called denim pants dungarees. It’s a usage that I think died out with their generation.
That’s what I’d call them.
I haven’t heard shortalls.
I've only seen women and girls wear them.