We’re currently in a bit of a heat wave in our moderate climate here. Looking office appropriate at 30 degrees Celcius (in the eighties F) outside & airco inside is no small feat. Which is why I’ve been paying more than my regular attention to other people’s clothes.

I’m seeing lots of dresses and skirts, from shift/pencil to A-line to a pleated or full skirt. Dominant lengths are above-the-knee to knee-length, and maxi. Hardly any midi dresses or irregular hemlines. Some ankle length trousers but also still those full length tapered viscose (often printed) trousers that have been around for years. No culottes or flared trousers. Here and there a pair of dressy shorts. Jumpsuits, though I feel there’s less of them than in past years. People are layering with denim jackets or lightweight cotton cardigans. Shoes are mainly white sneakers or strappy flat sandals, though every classic sandal style can be seen. Sporty sandals are out there too, but as I see it it’s the classic renditions (teva, Birkenstock) and not the current trendy ones.

I’ve noticed high summer style isn’t as trendy here as I would expect. Silhouettes, colors and prints don't seem very different from last year. Maybe my expectations are off based on what I see here (edit: on ylf) . Still, I’m used to being in a pretty trendy city. My theory, based solely on my own experience, is that we don’t have enough hot days to make people purchase lots of clothes for them. If you have only 20 really hot days each year spread out over 4 months and work/weekend/…, then your clothes probably last more than one season. I know mine do. Theoretically, you can layer to get more wear out of your hot weather clothes. But what with thinner fabrics, summery colors and prints, I'm observing that most people here have very specific hot weather items they don’t wear on colder days.

Do you notice similar things where you live, or is your experience completely different?