Having lived in Louisiana, and in Texas on caddo lake (which is more swamp than lake), I have some experience with dressing for 100F+ heat and 110F+ heat index. I grew up in Atlanta Georgia, and I thought I knew what heat & humidity were. Then I moved to Shreveport and learned what heat & humidity were. Or so I thought. Going to new Orleans in August taught me I didn't know anything about heat & humidity LOL
I also have COPD, which means I feel like I struggle to breathe in heat & humidity; anything I can do to reduce feelings of suffocation (be it lungs or skin) mentally helps me feel like I can breathe sufficiently.
Linen is your best friend. Cotton also works well. The thinner/gauzier the better.
I do a lot of tank tops in cotton, linen, & thin silk. Rayon/viscose type fabrics are not bad either, as long as they're not heavy fabrics. Again, think thin/gauzy--the type of stuff that drapes well but doesn't do structure well. I tend to do them loose so they don't feel as constricting; it helps with airflow and it also prevents any seams from chafing me because they're constantly rubbing skin.
I also do lots of knit shorts (think thin sweatshirt material in natural fibers, cotton knits, rayon knits). Sweatshirt material, no matter how thin, seems like it would be hot; it isn't when it's natural fibers. The fabric breathes well, and it also doesn't cause any chafing/irritation from seams rubbing around on sweaty, grit coated skin like my structured jeans, pants, or shorts do. An unstructured pair of pants is good on days where I'm not doing stuff that might risk my feet getting tangled in the extra fabric around my ankles (like climbing stairs/ladders/countertops/etcetera; if you're more graceful than I those are a good option.
Some days, I'll do a jersey knit maxi skirt in a natural fiber. Jersey knit dresses will do the same. These types of things are the ones I wear when my day isn't so labor intensive but I know I'll be outside.
I avoid synthetics at all costs in warmer months. They make me feel like my skin is suffocating. They also get a clammy/slimy feeling when I start to sweat. There's not much worse than feeling both gritty like sandpaper AND slippery like that slime they use at Nickelodeon. Some people also notice that synthetics smell weird after sweating on them; to me, everything (even the air) smells weird after I've gotten sweaty and covered in dirt/grit.
I'm on mobile, so I can't do any NEW finds for you, so I'll do some pics of screen caps to show you items that work for me in the Texas heat and existing finds that work (or would work) for me.
DH works outdoors all summer, and he swears by those "cooling" scarves/headwraps. He buys one for every employee every summer. They're just synthetic fabrics that feel cool when they're wet and will help dissipate heat from skin. He also does lots of looser, natural fibers for pants & shirts.
DH will NOT wear anything in summer that isn't white or light grey. The darker colors attract sunlight, the lighter colors reflect it. I'll wear darker colors, but they MUST be natural fibers, thin fabrics, and loose fitting. The upside to darker colors is that they don't show stains as much as lighter ones, which helps me feel a bit more put-together or something.
I hope you find some things that work to help you survive working in heat & humidity!
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