It’s a vest to people in the US, but a waistcoat or gilet to some of us who grew up in other parts of the world. To me a vest is an undergarment like a camisole, and not a sleeveless jacket. I’ll stick to “vests” to keep things simple, but whatever you call them, they are on trend for Summer. 

Summer vests come in all sorts of silhouettes, fabrications, weights, lengths, colours and fits. They can be dressy or casual. Rigid or soft. Heavy or lightweight. The photos here show a pretty good assortment of styles that can work in Summer. There are ultra breezy, soft crocheted and silk versions that are super casual and bohemian. There are moto styles, tuxedo styles with low stances, and classic suit style waistcoats for a more androgynous vibe. There are denim and utility styles with lots of pockets. And avant-garde silhouettes that are knee-length with either flowing and soft, or angular and stiff, voluminous drape. 

The fashion forward vests are oversized, like the denim vest that the Zara model is wearing. Fluid fit vests, like most of the other examples below, are very on trend. The fitted vest, although not as fashionable at the moment, is still in style.

You can wear most of these vests open for a ventilating and relaxed vibe, and to accentuate its fluid fit. Occasionally you’ll come across one that looks best buttoned or zipped up, like the Kenneth Cole Luna Vest, which is also fab. 

Vests are extremely useful for four reasons:

1. They add outfit interest because they function like a jacket. 
2. They are THE hot weather jacket solution because they allow you to wear a third piece without overheating. 
3. They provide effective outfit structure. 
4. They camouflage muffin top. 

Most of the photos here show a vest layered over a sleeveless top, and yes, that’s a fashionable way of wearing them. But it’s not the only way. By all means wear them over sleeved tops with trousers, skirts, jeans and shorts. They look fabulous over dresses too. 

I don’t own any vests because when I wear a jacket, I usually need sleeves for warmth. And since I wear toppers so frequently in Seattle, I celebrate the times when I can leave one off. I lived in a warmer climate in the ‘90s and wore dressy longer tunic vests to work quite often, and usually over a sleeveless or short sleeved top. I also wore lace vests and pinstripe suit vests. Fun over a sheath dress. 

Over to you. What’s your take on the Summer vest?

Here’s a roundup of comfortable knickers, many of which continue to rate tops for my clients. I’ve also thrown in the styles that I love to wear. Fabrications, colours and styles vary. And there are cotton options for cotton panty wearers. 

• Wacoal B Fitting Briefs: Comfortable coverage in a cotton-rich spandex fabrication. Not quite boy shorts, but almost there. Smooth and very soft. 
• Nordstrom High Cut Cotton Blend Briefs (Plus): A little less coverage on the thighs but very comfortable if you enjoy a high cut. 90% cotton is a plus for cotton lovers. 
• Wacoal B Smooth Briefs: A nylon-rich panty with excellent coverage and a high rise. Read the rave reviews. 
• Natori Bliss Girl Shorts: I’m a boy shorts fan, but stepped out of my comfort zone last year to try these low rise girl shorts and haven’t looked back. They are nylon-rich with a cotton gusset. They feel like you’re wearing nothing and stay put all day. Extremely lightweight. The lace does not show through your clothing. They launder well too. 
• Felina Aubrie Boy Leg Briefs: A full brief with a low rise and touch of pretty lace. No digging or creeping.
• Wacoal B Smooth High Cut Briefs: These are the high cut version of Wacoal’s B smooth brief, so there is less coverage. More rave reviews. 
• Natori Bliss Briefs: A cotton panty with a touch of spandex. It’s low cut so consider yourself warned. 
• Wacoal B Fitting Bikini: A more sporty version sans the lace that is just as low rise. No creeping and very comfy. 
• Hanky Panky Low Rise Thong: The lace hanky panky thong needs no introduction. I have clients who swear by this nylon style and will not wear anything else, ever. It’s a one size fits all in regular (US sizes 2 to 12), and here is the same style in plus. I find the style uncomfortable, but I’m in the minority. 
• Hanky Panky Lace Trim Boyshorts: This is my type of Hanky Panky because it’s a boy shorts style. I LOVE these knickers. I know they’re pricey but they look really good, and feel even better. They feel like cotton and stay put all day. No digging or creeping. They launder well and the lace trims are fabulous. They are definitely worth the price to me. 
• Calvin Klein Seamless Bikini: A classic CK bikini brief that is still going strong. I used to wear a very similar pair back in the ‘90s but prefer boy shorts these days. 
• DKNY Lace Curves Shaping Briefs: These are great for a little soft tummy shaping, and the operative word here is soft. Do not expect these to work as well as proper shapewear. They gently contour rather than suck the daylights out of you. They are comfortable, quite forgiving, and high rise. I love their retro vibe. Read the rave reviews. 
• Calvin Klein Hipster Briefs: A very lightweight hipster brief in fun colours. Provides more coverage than you might expect. 
• TC Wonderful Edge Briefs: You’ll have to like full briefs and gripper strips on the insides of the leg openings to enjoy this style. The gripper strips cause friction against the skin so that the panties stay put. It’s effective, but can also cause discomfort. Some people love this feature, while others don’t. The only way to find out is to give it a try. 
• Simone Perele Andora Stretch Cotton Bikini: I broke my boy shorts rule to introduce these into my knickers capsule. They are a matching set with a recent bra I purchased. They are cotton-rich and feel like you’re wearing nothing because they’re a little loose and forgiving. Super comfy, lightweight and feminine. I bought three pairs and am not looking back. Also pricey, but worth it to me because I love to wear pretty underwear. 
• Splendid Color Splash Girl Shorts: I bought these last year in an ink blue pattern to match an ink blue and white bra, and I love them.  Very comfortable and they look good too. They’re made of modal, which actually feels even better than cotton on my skin. This modal looks like cotton though, and has a very similar texture. They are low rise in the back, so consider yourself warned. 

I’ve found that one of the most effective ways to stop your panties from creeping up is to NOT purchase them too small. Size up if you need to, especially when they are cotton and you tumble dry them frequently. Truly, tight knickers are not your friend. They create muffin top, dig into your skin and ride up your bottom. Not so fab.

Few of my friends or clients enjoy ironing. Some loathe it to the extent that they don’t even own an iron or ironing board. They would rather wear creased clothes because it really isn’t a priority in the context of their casual lifestyle. Some skip the ironing process by tumble drying most of their clothes and folding them as they come out of the dryer to prevent creases. Some make a point of purchasing items that don’t require ironing and stay away from pieces that do. 

Then there’s the group that will iron, but to varying degrees. Some will iron sparingly, like for special occasions, job interviews, or presentations at work. Some will make the effort to iron regularly because the pristine effect of an ironed garment outweighs the tedium of the task. And then there’s a handful of people who enjoy ironing and iron most of their clothes.

Although I don’t enjoy it, I do iron quite regularly. But I do so for very short periods of time because the process is bad for the repetitive strain injury on my wrists and forearms. I never let the ironing pile up, and iron for no longer than fifteen minutes a few times a week. Although I wear creased linen, I love the visual effect of ironed clothing because it helps me achieve the polished and crisp style that I strive for. Ironed clothing also makes my clothing feel more luxurious. It panders to my inner control freak. I feel calmer when I’m wearing ironed clothing. I’m a yay for ironing. 

I get a head start by sending many of our shirts, blouses, dresses, skirts, pullovers, trousers and jackets to the cleaners. So this leaves far fewer items to iron from scratch. I’m not a fan of tumble drying — because I believe that the excessive heat ruins your clothes and alters their fit — so the fast folding trick is not an option. I don’t iron blue jeans, but I will iron white jeans. I will also iron items that are creased after wearing them already, but can be worn again. Worn clothing that isn’t quite ready for a laundry cycle is hung back or re-folded to prevent it from creasing.

If you bat for Team RATE, and deliberately sport a fashionable style that is “rough around the edges”, you might believe that creased clothing can add interest to your look, and be quite cool. Wearing pristine, ironed garments would undermine this look. In this case you can happily skip much of the ironing.

What is your pressing policy? Do you like or loathe ironing? Do you believe that ironed clothing adds to your style quotient? Do you have any tips for reducing the ironing workload?

I seldom wear a hat for sun protection because I don’t like wearing them. But I slather my face in sunscreen daily, snow, ice, rain, clouds or shine. I use a moisturizer with SPF 20, and I apply an additional layer of sunscreen over that (SPF 30). I try to find shade in very sunny settings so that I don’t need to wear a hat in addition to the sunscreen.

These days I’m rarely in the sun for long periods of time, so batting for Team Sunscreen works out well. Greg, on the other hand, would much rather wear a hat than apply sunscreen, so he bats for Team Hat and applies sunscreen to any areas that are still exposed. 

Over to you. Do you bat for Team Hat or Team Sunscreen? This time round you can bat for both teams because if you’re out in strong sunlight daily, you’ll probably need to wear sunscreen with a hat.