Az you're RATE as it is, I imagine your summer garb could be perfectly fitting with your aesthetic if a little more casual. And hey, I style my hair like that all the time

(I'm thoroughly enjoying the hot weather this year. Wilting a bit, yes. Sweaty, certainly. But when it only comes around every few years I can't complain! Lightweight natural fibers, super roomy cuts, and an everpresent cooling plan are my musts.)

Sorry everyone -- I started this post and then didn't come back for 24 hours. It's busy these days! Thanks for your replies. Sounds like I'm not the only one who struggles a bit with the heat. Thanks for the suggestions too (yes, sack dresses are great, Diana!) but you know, it doesn't matter what I wear when the weather's like this. I'm going to be sweaty. And I can't feel good when I'm sweaty. It's not the same thing at all as having RATE style -- most of the year, I look a bit thrown-together and my hair is naturally sort of wild, it's true, but I'm CLEAN. And comfortable! And it's deliberate. Whereas when it's hot, I'm physically wet and uncomfortable and I don't have control over it. That could be the root of the problem, actually...perhaps I have control issues. Lol.

The only solution is to stop caring, which I do find a little freeing. Once the weather cools down, it's always fun to get back to the clothes I like, and to feeling good in my clothes, but in the summer, not caring about whether or not I look attractive is kind of like going on holiday.

The only thing that I think might also work is to take up Gaylene's idea of sipping wine on the patio. Anyone up for it? I'll bring the wine.

Ugh, I sympathize and commiserate. I really don't like the heat and humidity. We just had a couple of blissful summer days here -- lower humidity, cool nights, and getting up to the low 80s in the day time. But that is always short-lived in the mid-Atlantic.

I just go with shorts and tees on days when I'll more likely be out moving around in the heat. I also take shortcuts on styling my hair -- I'll dry the bangs and the crown just to get a little shape out of that part of my hair, and then let the rest air dry and go curly. Not ideal for my peferred style, but I'd rather give my hair a break since I'm washing it every day in the summer anyway.

I dunno, I'm spending so much time in bike shorts lately that I'm starting to not care what my legs look like in regular shorts, so I'm reaching that point of the summer where I'm desensitized to feeling self-conscious with more of me showing. At the start of the summer, I'm always a little freaked out by the idea of showing so much skin.

I love sack and shift dresses on other women, but they look HORRIBLE on me, so, sadly, not a style that helps me for hot summer days. And I think that dress Lisa posted is adorable, but again, I can't imagine it looking even halfway good on me.

I muddle through the summer somehow, and I have my moments when I actually feel like I look pretty good, but all in all, I'm mostly tolerating summer and not truly embracing it, stylewise. Wine on the patio sounds perfect.

I wish I had this problem!