Style flies out the window when it's hot! - YouLookFab Forum

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Style flies out the window when it's hot!

Aziraphale

Veteran

Whine whine whine. Does anyone else have trouble with this? Summer is my style nadir. I've been walking around in flip flops and loose ugly shorts for two weeks. If I worked in an air-conditioned office all day it might not be so much of a problem, but as a MOTG I'm in and out of a hot car (which cools down with AC but that still takes a few minutes, enough so that you get all sweaty), outside in the sun, and back to a warm house that takes until 11:00 p.m. to cool down enough that I'm not sweating with the slightest exertion. Plus you need to put sunscreen everywhere in the summer -- not just your face. I'm constantly a sweaty, sticky, greasy mess. It's a good thing I'm team RATE because I don't think I could do polished if I tried!

I tried dressing nicely the other day when all I had to do was take the kids to their Tae Kwon Do class, where I can sit and relax for an hour. It didn't seem terribly warm that day. I wore a light pencil skirt, sleeveless top with a skinny belt and nice wedge sandals. Well, by the time we left the class and walked to the gelato shop for a little post-martial arts treat, my skin was all sticky under the belt, so off it came. The second we got home, off came the nice skirt and sandals and on went the ugly yoga shorts. Style will have to wait until September!

I know someone is going to suggest loose cotton dresses, and while I do wear those sometimes and they are indeed breezy and comfortable, I just don't feel stylish in them. One me a sundress feels like a nightie.

My hat is off to those of you who live in hot climates and always look put together. Does anyone (especially other MOTGs) have any warm-weather style secrets?

Dressing

26 replies

Latest reply was from anne

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Are you in Vancouver, Elisabeth? It's never hot there!

Mo

(website)

Veteran

I have switched from the cotton sundress to drapey woven dresses and am loving it! Sandals and a belt and you're done.

Anonymous

When I get home I change right away into an oversized handkerchief linen tunic and either linen clams/loose trousers or cutoff shorts. We've been having temperatures of 30-37C (with humidex feels like 40ish C (104F I think if I calculated that right), with almost 100% humidity.

I find a long sleeved linen top is actually cooler than wearing a tanktop. I find that the sun on my bare arms makes me hotter. The linen also wicks sweat and then the breeze cools you off. I also think a loose hat helps, so the sun isn't beating right on your head.

Aziraphale

Veteran

Lol, Angie, you say that because you lived in South Africa. It's hot for me! I get sweaty at the slightest rise in temperature. Also our house gets pretty hot. No one has AC in Vancouver because you're right, it's never THAT hot, but a few weeks of warm weather in a house with lots of windows (which are great for letting in maximal light on all those gray days), and you can imagine the greenhouse effect.

Mo, I tried the belt....my skin gets sweaty underneath it. I really do believe that some of us are not built for the heat. All my ancestors are from the British Isles and Scandinavia, where it's dark and damp all the time.

Mo

(website)

Veteran

Yeah, I hear you. It isn't easy - that's for sure.

qpswan

I live near Vancouver and need something that I can wear on hot days to putter around the house and do errands. Dresses are great for sipping cool drinks on the veranda but not practical for productive day wear.

I agree with the belt issue Elisabeth (I am thrilled to be going through menopause as well so I am battling inner and outer heat!).

Looks like we are in for rain - yeah!

Ginkgo

Veteran

Elisabeth, it must have been tough when you lived in California -- that was Marin, right? But I guess at least you weren't on MOTG duty.

Aziraphale

Veteran

qpswan -- ironically, in the half hour or so since I started this thread, the clouds have rolled in and it's POURING rain!

My condolences on the menopause. I'm not there yet but it's coming, probably within the decade. Yay! Sweaty all year round! May the process be short lived for you.

Gingko -- Marin was just fine until I had a child. I was inside air-conditioned buildings (I was enrolled at college full time) a lot more when it was really hot, and went out all the time in the evenings, which were balmy and beautiful. The evening is like a reward you get for suffering through a hot day! But then I had a baby and it changed my life dramatically. No more going out at night, and always either stuck at home in a stuffy apartment or looking for things to do with a baby all day when it's 100 degrees out. And yes, it really, really sucked!

qpswan

Elisabeth, I think that we have the same ancestors. If it is cool enough to throw on a cardie, I am happy...

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

And Hong Kong

Yeah, Elisabeth. You are right. Anything below 86 (30 degrees) is not hot for me. Not at all - and that includes humidity. I run VERY cold and handle the heat very well. I'm still in skinnies and ballet flats with a blouse at 80 - and very comfortable.

Count your lucky stars that you do not live in the South, the East Coast, Africa or in Asia and the Middle East. You would not be able to handle it if you're battling with Vancouver weather right now!!

So, lots of ice-cream and cold fruit for you

Aziraphale

Veteran

Mmm, ice cream. I could be convinced.

No kidding about the hot climates in Africa or the Middle East. I just wouldn't live there. It's not an option. Even California was pushing it. I've never even BEEN anywhere really hot. Most of my holidays have involved going back and forth to England, where most of my family lives. I've never been to Mexico, or Hawaii, or any of the popular beach vacation places that most people have visited at least once. I was in Tuscany once in July, if that counts. It was pretty hot but when you're backpacking, you expect to be dirty and sticky most of the time.

rachylou

Veteran

Or Tucson. After a few years there, I believe 75 is still sweater weather.

I do the cotton sundress thing, but not the loose sundress thing. I need some seams and a defined waist to look sharp. Otherwise, yes, I look like I just cut some holes in a pillow case. My whole solution to the problem was very fine, thin, almost-sheer lightweight cotton. Also helps with protection from the sun, because I can wear long sleeves in this kind of cotton weave.

I've been collecting tops and dresses like this for awhile now. Admittedly, you can't just run out and find them.

velvetychocolate

Veteran

Glad to hear about the rain! Though, I realize that too much rain for weeks/months on end throughout fall and winter can get old too.

Just wanted to say I can relate to being miserable in the heat, and furthermore - how I can understand being "too hot" even in the Pacific Northwest. My Dad's been complaining to me on the phone about the heat - same thing for him, and it's also because he's just not acclimatised to the hotter weather. Same thing with my Grandma, my Mom and my uncle.

Have you considered buying one of those window air conditioners? My Mom has one in her bedroom, and it helps her a lot. I think the main thing is having a chance to just cool down - like you said, it might be different if you were in an air conditioned office all day.

Unfortunately, I don't have any really great advice in terms of style in the hot weather - I find style flies out the window during the hottest months of the year for me too. I live in a place that is much hotter than back home, but I still haven't gotten used to the heat. My husband says to me, "You just don't deal well with heat..." and he's 100% right.

I definitely recommend getting a good window air conditioner. Whenever I read those stories about 'heat alerts' on the East coast or what have you, the advice is always that having a chance to cool off makes all the difference, and that when people start to feel heat sick (not likely where you are, just making a point about too many hot days), it's because of an accumulation of too many hot days in a row, without relief from the high temperatures. You might not use the window air conditioner 10 months of the year, but having it there will make July and August a lot more pleasant - you'll be able to sleep and you can always dip into your room or wherever you put it and just "chill" for awhile.

Marigold

I hear you and can commiserate! I'm not overly fashionable as is, but being MOTG and during the hot Northeast months, my 'uniform'in the last 2 months consisted of flip flops, swimsuit and cover ups...it's been getting here to over 90 degrees most days with high humidity (I used to run cold, since having the baby, I get hot so easily :/) and we are at the pool/lake every day. I just try not to think about it, fashion went to the back burner, today out of the sudden it's rainy and below 70, so I'm wearing boot cut jeans, cotton peasant top and ballet flats and feel most 'dressed up' in months!
But I love summer and the sun, fall and winter will be here before you know it!

BarbaraL

A hot summer is a distinctly different experience if you are NOT spending the majority of the daytime hours in air conditioning, that's for sure. My situation is a little different here in Oklahoma because we have a/c at home, but I choose to keep our home warm so that time outdoors and car trips are less of a shock to the system. And yet, it's 110F today so the difference between outside and places with a/c is anywhere from 30 to 40 degrees.

It is definitely an adjustment. I have to remind myself every summer to slow down, put away the pencil skirts, do errands in the morning or evening if humanly possible, drink cool drinks, avoid walking outdoors, and look for shade (for me and for the car), fans, and a/c. At home it's incredibly helpful to run a couple of fans -- even those little desk fans -- and aim them to blow on your body or your feet when you're relaxing at home. Cold meals are great, too.

I always wear skirts, and, now, dresses. My summer MOTG standard this year is a flowing a-line midi or knee-length woven skirt with a knit tank top and a woven short-sleeved shirt worn open over it in a/c, or a flowing lightweight knit dress with an a-line skirt shape. I would prefer lightly structured woven cotton/linen dresses and sleeved tops, but I don't have any yet.

As for accessories, I tried but gave up on belts for summer days on the go. My summer shoes are simple, nicer thong-style sandals. I wear earrings and bracelets but avoid necklaces.

missvee

Veteran

I can't agree with you enough! We have had a blistering hot, unseasonably humid summer so far, and fashion is the furtherest thing from my mind. My style goals are to be clean and cool, and believe me, that takes some doing. Most days I'm in a pair of shorts, Mephisto sandals, and some version of a lightweight top. Fall can't come soon enough for me. Like you, I envy those YLFers who live in hot climates and always seem to look smart.

JR

Veteran

It's tougher, that's for sure. But bright colours are all the rage, so I stocked up on T-shirts in eye-popping colour, along with a few tanks, and a couple of pairs of clamdiggers (not that I called them that before coming to this forum) and wear them with fun, dangly earrings for accessories that don't up the sweat factor.

And I usually have a light cardigan and/or scarf on hand to layer on when I hit air conditioning.

Add a pair or two of sandals that make me smile, and that has to do it for summer casual style.

I do expect a reward for listening to a Vancouverite complain about heat... LOL! We've had several heat advisories this year, and the weather has been so dry they are warning us of higher grocery prices all winter. *sigh*

Mo

(website)

Veteran

Lol JR, at the award! I went running in 105 heat index this morning, so I hear you.

Abie

Veteran

I do clams + cool knit top + sandals a lot. My cotton dresses that have a fitted bodice are nice. I can't do any shoes that require socks, or even closed toe when its over 100. As long as my feet are exposed I can get away with a little more clothing.

I end up way more casual in the summer too. I also get sick of everything I have and need to restock, tops especially about midway through. Then I get all bitter that everyone else is wearing their fall layers and I'm still in 100+ temps.

Here are some outfits I've worn lately. These are to the office where I only go out a few times a day,

http://abie.lookfab.com/

On the weekends when I'm running around I wear the cotton dresses without a cardi/shrug etc.. and clams with tanks or tees + sandals.I try to pick nice fitting tanks and tees and nice looking ones instead of shabby, but I think there is an argument to be made that if you are going to be outdoors, in those temps, you need hot weather gear, just like the northerners need those crazy puffy coats.

velvetychocolate

Veteran

Ahh...but I've experienced this phenomenon - when it gets 'hot' in Vancouver (not all that hot really), it's *horrible*. Nobody's used to it, the humidity level is insane and no one has air conditioning. It lasts for a few weeks - mid/end of July through to possibly the end of August (hopefully not that long), and you know what? It's pretty awful.

The temperature doesn't "seem" all that hot, compared to some places in the US, but the thing is - until you've been there when Vancouver gets "hot" for a few weeks, you don't know what it's like. It's tough to deal with. It's semi-reasonable inside, provided you don't have a lot of southwest facing windows....but then when you go out to your car....you're sweating like mad, and wondering *why* it's bothering you so much, when you can supposedly handle 104F in a place like Colorado or what have you.

The same is true in winter - there's a cold snap somewhere in between the end of November and possibly mid-January, and it feels unreasonably cold. Ninety percent of the time it's fairly mild, albeit way too rainy and way too cloudy. But then when the 'cold snap' hits in December or the 'hot spell' hits towards the end of July, it's really noticeable, and very uncomfortable.

...

Looking forward to summer's end

Echo

Veteran

I sometimes wonder whether people born and raised in warmer climates handle warmer temperatures better, or if it is simply an individual thing. Still, in my travels to warmer climates, I rarely see locals sweating to death like I sometimes am.

I wish I had good suggestions, but I run warm and always have. I keep the house set to 66 F degrees in the winter and I am comfortable, but I have to keep it set to under 70 in the summer or I am miserable. Fall and winter are my seasons, and jacket/coat and boot weather makes me happy. We've had an unusually warm (and dry) summer this year, and it has been positively awful. There have been weeks where even the kids don't want to play outdoors because the temperatures have been well over 100 F degrees.

My answer is to hide out in air conditioned homes and buildings until the weather is more tolerable!

Mo

(website)

Veteran

I understand when normally not hot places get hot. Our Tahoe condo has west facing windows and the 3rd floor is a good 20 degrees warmer than downstairs. A few times most summers it will top out in the 90's and of course no one has a/c. I commisserate, I really do. Interestingly, here in FL I never get the chill of a/c that many ladies mention regarding bringing a light jacket or sweater to a restaurant or mall.
My BF was born in Miami and hates the heat more than just about anyone I know, except maybe his mother lol. Must be the red hair and fair skin . . .

Abie

Veteran

I don't get the AC chill either Mo. Others in my office do evidently because there are some that wear jackets and sweaters.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

The same thing happens here in SF and the Bay Area. Most public buildings have a/c now but most houses don't, or at best a window unit in the bedroom like we finally got. It does make a much different experience on really hot days. I don't work in an office and there are definitely days where the late afternoon is just obnoxious at home.

When it's really hot and/or muggy, I find that wovens are cooler than knits. They're lighter and seem to let more air in and out. And looseness helps too. I've got a few "housedresses" and sleeveless woven shells and loose skirts for the really hot days. It's not always the most fashionable look but when it's 90+ with no a/c you've gotta be practical.

Aziraphale

Veteran

LOL at JR and Velvetychocolate! Yes, I know I'm a big fat whiner because, come on, it's VANCOUVER for cripes sake -- it can't be that bad, right? But what VC says is true. We're a city totally not equipped to deal with extremes in temperature or weather conditions. This goes for winter too. It's supremely hilly here -- half the city is built up the side of a mountain range -- and for the three weeks a year when there's maybe a bit of snow, the whole city falls apart. The rest of Canada watches us on the news, pointing and laughing. No one knows how to drive in the snow in the first place, and then the temperatures go up above freezing and drop down again, causing snow melt and consequent re-freezing into slick ice, and there's car crashes everywhere as drivers plunge, sideways and out of control, down even smallish slopes. Schools close and no one can get to work. We have an insufficient number of snow ploughs to clear the roads. It would be funny if it weren't so dangerous.

And for the record, my house is on a slope that faces south, with full exposure on the south and west sides. It's like a greenhouse in here. We do have a portable air-conditioner, which is absolutely necessary for the four weeks a year when it's warm -- otherwise no one can sleep!

anne

Veteran

Elisabeth I do feel for you. While our summers in Western Australia are much hotter, they are predominantly dry. I really felt the summers when I lived in Japan and the humidity was high. It is the only weather that has caused me to lose my (usually very robust) appetite.

I do really lower our expectations of ourselves during the really hot months - very hard to be productive. Is there a museum etc you could visit with the kids - I have enjoyed the A/C in such places.

We don't have aircon, as there is usually only have a few weeks that are really unbearable.

I am not much help with the clothing issue, as I am completely on team sundress. I don't really care if it looks like a nighty - there is no way I can wear a belt in the really hot weather. I hate how I look in shorts so only wear them around the house, but with your lovely legs I reckon you could pull it off.

You'll make it!