Summer fabric of choice - YouLookFab Forum

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Summer fabric of choice

Irina

Veteran

I see that linen is not very popular. Well, horses for courses as Angie says. I’m curious what would be the most used fiber. Cotton? Of course!
I love silk for summer, too but there is not a lot washable available. I’m always so tempted by silks and have a number of tops in my wardrobe. But it feels too dressy often. Also wrinkles. It’s on my no buy list aside for a special occasion items.

Cotton is very useful, all my t-shirts, more than half of the dresses and button down shirt, some pants are cotton.
My summer wardrobe probably is 20% silk, 45% cotton and 35% linen.
I have some blends with viscose but a few (by choice). No modal or polyester, acrylic in any form but for gear and swimming.

What about your preferred choice of summer fabrics to wear?

Dressing

26 replies

Latest reply was from Suz

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Good question, Irina!

100% COTTON by far - in wovens and knits

Some 100% linen - but not too much. I like it like you do! Just not too much of it

Some 100% silk - but not too much of it either. Too delicate for my very doggie life.

Love viscose, rayon and tencel BLENDS with cottons, silks, modals, and linens.

I wear a bit of 100% polyester too. Or polyester and cotton blends.

My yoga wear is 100% polyester. Can't stand wearing it. But it works best for yoga. Cottons don't work for my yoga practice, unfortunately! I've tried, and wasted money.

MsMary

Veteran

Honestly I am loving the tech fabrics these days. My husband and I call them "space clothes" and we like them for travel but I'm wearing them at home, too. These Old Navy pants, for example, are in constant rotation in warm weather. Beyond that, I like my cotton blends.

High-Waisted StretchTech Cargo Wide-Leg Pants for Women

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7

SarahD8

Veteran

Cotton, cotton, and more cotton! I just did a little summer wardrobe assessment yesterday so I feel pretty confident in saying so.

I love a woven cotton-silk blend, although it does read/feel a bit dressier to me. I can wash it in the machine on delicate, but prefer something a bit sturdier feeling for everyday.

I like linen, but prefer a linen-cotton blend, which can achieve the texture and airiness of linen without the problematic wrinkles -- rumple, not crease.

Actually I wear a lot of cashmere even in the summer -- mostly very lightweight cardigans, for morning/evening or in AC. As my local climate has warmed my use of summer cashmere has migrated more towards shoulder seasons and beginning/end of the day (and I've started using lightweight linen or cotton button-ups for a little shoulder coverage during the day). But I would still call it a staple fiber for me.

Cardiff girl

Veteran

Another one for cotton,don’t mind it mixed with viscose,Tencel is lovely and cool and l don’t mind a stone washed, soft linen but find quite a lot of high street linen scratchy.

Irina

Veteran

SarahD8, I’m happy to see someone else who wears cashmere in the summer! I keep a cardigan, a t-shirt and sweaters all year around

I love featherweight cashmere for the warmer weather but it is so hard to find!

ChristelJ

Veteran

Cotton for me too, although I do wear all sorts of other fabrics. Some rayon spandex dresses are good for my summers, and linen pieces, but the cotton ones feel the very best.

Dee

Veteran

My fabric of choice for summer is definitely cotton, organic if I can get it. I also have a few items in 100% linen and a number of linen/cotton blends. Surprisingly, as MsMary mentioned, some of the tech fabrics are pretty light, breathable and durable as well.

Sal

Veteran

I suspect I am fairly evenly split with linen, cotton, viscose with guest appearances with silk and polyester.

cat2

Veteran

About 2/3 cotton and 1/3 silk. I don’t understand the comment about silk wrinkling, I find it stands up surprisingly well to daily activity.

slim cat

Veteran

Rayon mostly, some linen/rayon mix, cotton - in that order .
Of course I live at the San Jose, CA where summers are very long ( May to October I would say ) and often hot.

always trying

Veteran

100% cotton-especially t shirts. Just found 100% cotton jeans-first time in many many years. Linen cotton blends, and so happy to find some newer tinsel, loycel blends.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

I prefer very thin cotton. I have a few blouses of this material and find them breezy but also sun protective. Silk is too hot for me usually.

Irina

Veteran

Cat2, my Eileen Fisher silks don’t wrinkle easily but other silk items - tops and pants get wrinkles from sitting. I do love silks anyway and wish I could find more casual style ones.

The Cat

Veteran

Cotton.

Star

Veteran

Cotton.

lyn67

Veteran

Denim, cotton, linen(&linen blends) +poliester, too (but mostly in bottoms only like pleated/midi skirts-or some smarter dresses).

Sisi

Veteran

#1 - cotton
#2 - viscose, a fabric that I have been appreciating more and more lately.
I am surprised that some of you mention silk, I find it warm and not breathable. But maybe your summers are not so hot and sticky like mine.

Olive Green

Veteran

Cotton about 80 percent of summer pants, shorts, tshirts, and blouses. Linen or linen blend tops about 20 percent. No synthetics or tech fabrics in summer except in swim suits.

Carol

(website)

Veteran

Cotton, rayon, and the occasional unfortunate polyester--I buy and wear what's thrifted and not fussy. I love linen, but more in movies where a suited person saunters to an outdoor cafe table in South America to meet their connection. IRL, it seems like a lot of work.

Irina

Veteran

Sisi, half of my summer tops are silk. I don’t find it warm for summer. For years I wore a silk pair of cargo pants in the summer months. My last pair from Club Monaco fell apart and I struggle to find a replacement. Such a useful thing!

lyn67

Veteran

Ah, forgot to mention viscoze. Viscoze can be wrinkly and shrinkly but after decades of refrainig myself of buying I found out viscoze of our times can be much more better quality than 30-40 yrs ago!:-)

Suntiger

Mostly cotton (tops) and rayon (skirts, harem pants). I have some linen, silk, and poly blends too.

rachylou

Veteran

Cotton voile when it’s super hot! But since I’m in the SF Bay, actually a summer Puffy!

Runcarla

Veteran

Invested in linen last summer, and was very happy (and comfortable). Also, some synthetic performance blend shorts that are lightweight and cool. Durable and colourfast as well. I think they are the first shorts (in maybe 10 years!!j that have made it into a second summer!

Some combination of the Finds (below) are my hot weather go-to’s.

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Jenni NZ

Veteran

Just checked. I have a lot of polyester, less cotton, a little rayon or viscose. Our summers are not that hot and so I can cope with polyester. I often need a summer cardigan at the beach for cooler wind. I have some quite fancy polyester like a Veronika Maine top which trumpeted “fabric from Italy! Made in Australia”. It’s a fine thin fabric but still poly!
My 3 shorts are all a linen blend. I don’t like the wrinkles but I live with them.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

It's interesting to hear comments on what works in the heat. In my experience, humidity levels, together with winds, are just as relevant as the temperature on the thermometer. Not to mention personal thermostat, which seems to vary so widely. And whether or not a person lives or works in a place with AC.

Most of my summer closet is cotton. I do have a few viscose or modal items, and a few polyesters (a skirt, a few tops -- sleeveless only, and loose fitting, in high summer).

I love cotton linen blends and have a few of those. I also have four linen shirts. And I do wear silk in summer if it is sleeveless or if the day is cooler.

I also have lightweight merino gear tees that are great.

I can't wear cashmere well in any kind of humidity. If the humidity is low, I can wear it comfortably across a range of temperatures (assuming it's not heavy weight).