Hi Caro,
I know exactly what you mean about the problem of hot weather clothing – though this year in Sydney we have scarcely put our hot weather gear through its paces; it has been a disquietingly cool summer –everyone here is muttering “global warming”…
I agree 100% with Ironkurtin that linen is the ideal way to go, as it has natural “spring”( as do some quality silks)- which means it tends to stand out and away from the body, creating a gap between fabric and one’s skin which allows air to circulate. Cotton does the opposite; the minute it gets moist (from perspiration) it sags and clings to the skin --unless the cotton is a voile (which has a lot more natural body) and is cut very loose-fitting. Unfortunately voile is see-through, so you need another garment underneath. But cotton that is deliberately wrinkled all over for effect will tend to sit out from the body and allow air to pass along the “corrugations”, so that can be a workable solution. And there are some synthetics with “body” or deliberate wrinkling too.
Re “structured” linen garments: I have a tailored linen shirt which behaves beautifully but is a bit tight-fitting along the arms - which traps the heat in. I also have a linen jacket (unlined) which I wear buttoned over a bra, no cami underneath, which works better in the heat. It is an eighties collarless style in navy (no see-through issues) cut wide under the arms, with a ¾ sleeve. I got it secondhand and took out the shoulder pads. I’ve found that today’s tailored linen garments tend to be full of oppressive (synthetic) linings and double thicknesses of facings. Those extras will make a garment hotter; whereas simpler (unstructured?) stylings have less fabric extras and are therefore more likely to feel cool.
As you prefer pants to dresses, how about loose-ish linen capri pants with a linen shirt over? I got my first pair of linen capris a few months back from http://www.rodneyclark.com/sho.....5_1002220/ (I cut off the little drawstrings from mine.)The capris taper in nicely at the knee (Angie would approve!); the colour is great with white, grey, etc; and the fabric falls away beautifully from the body even after getting wrinkled, just like a nice linen should. Have you ever gone into Rodney Clark? I used to ignore them as being an “old lady”s shop, but they have lots of basic, quality fabric, textured stuff for layering. You could easily find a lightweight overshirt http://www.rodneyclark.com/www.....06A-zm.jpg -even a wrinkle-effect linen (look at the amount of “lift” in the fabric this next pic!) http://www.rodneyclark.com/www.....69B-zm.jpg Of course you could always shorten the sleeves as desired.
I also like a looser design more like this below - imagining the sleeves and the pants shortened to ¾ or 1/2 length http://www.ebay.com/itm/SHIRIN.....4abff7f28e
And knowing that you like to layer, what do you think of this pants/top style from the Canadian store Kaliyana that Suz mentioned a while back? http://www.shonmodern.com/img/.....004_02.jpg or this dress, (minus the underskirt of course)? http://www.shonmodern.com/img/.....001_01.jpg
Or how about a tunic over capris? NB. Love how you can almost feel the “body” in the fabric from this pic…* swoon*. http://media-cache-lt0.pintere.....dKll_c.jpg
That pic is from this pinterest board. http://pinterest.com/heather19.....-clothing/ My faves are the Japanese-influenced silhouettes. PS. You can usually find linen clothing at independent boutique designers in your area, also the local art and craft markets, or Etsy. You could even ask the designer to customise a garment e.g. add sleeves to a dress - many free-lance designers will do this if you ask.
PS, OT: Caro I always like how your photos have the corrugated iron roofing in the background; is that your bedroom? Love! stay cool.
