Which season do you find the hardest to dress for ? - YouLookFab Forum

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Which season do you find the hardest to dress for ?

Isabel

Veteran

I was flipping through Jessica Quirk's book at the bookstore today and it reminded me of the on-going conversations about how difficult Spring is to dress for. In particular, how seasons are much more fluid than just a block of weather for a certain amount of time ( I LOVED reading Manidipa's take on this in the Indian culture and 6 seasons ). Jessica's description of the varying weather possibilities within each season really struck me when she listed all the possible Spring scenarios. There were so many !!!

Though Spring is tough for me, Summer heat is the toughest for me to dress for. I realized that I depend allot on layers and accessories..both of which I can't stand in 100 degree weather with humidity. It also made me think that, except for Winter, most of Fall, Summer, and Spring are a real spectrum where I am. So that made me think that my wardrobe needs to be more of a spectrum too. But I have never looked at that way. It never struck me before, but Angie does this. She could have a Winter "outfit" but add things to make it look more "spring" in earyl Spring and so on...I like this idea. There is a true evolution, little by little.

Jessica also talked about seasonal "add ons". I like that way of thinking about things too. Things that are very season specific and cannot transition season to season.

I don't know if that makes any sense to any of you, but it has made me want to re-think my whole "seasonal" approach and being prepared for every scenario. Not necessarily with quantity, but having the right things.

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51 replies

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CocoLion

(website)

Veteran

Without question, I struggle with summer. I find it very difficult to look chic in high heat. Also, to be comfortable in the summer you need to wear LESS. However this goes against age-appropriate dressing. As a 53 year old, I go for covered arms, longer (just above the knee or longer) skirts and dresses, full-length vs. cropped pants, and capris/Bermudas vs. short shorts. These choices are not always in style (and I desire to be trendy!). If I were younger, I would find it easier to dress in the heat.

I keep thinking of dressing like ManidipaM does (slim pants, long tunics) this coming summer so that I'm covered and look chic! But it might come off as off-taste cultural appropriation.

Isabel

Veteran

Coco, I think that if one wears tunic and slender pants that are not "obviously" Indian culture, it would be ok. I really like that idea.

Louise

Veteran

Summer without a doubt is the hardest for me and I'm ashamed to say the heat we get here in the UK is nowhere near as bad as some of you gals get!! I wilt in the heat and can't wear my beloved layers x

Ana

(website)

Veteran

Summer, hands down.

christieanne

Veteran

The high heat of summer for sure. It's not a "native" temperature zone for me and except for one blistering hot summer spent in Chico, CA. I try to avoid.

My "hot weather" story from Chico:
We got transferred there and when we moved we pulled into our hotel on July 3 at 11:30 at night. There was a digital temp on sign outside and it read 104 degrees. I asked the hotel check in guy if that was normal for 11:30 at night. He says in total straight face "oh no ma'am....only between May and October".
It also concerned me that we had moved to an unfriendly place where no one talked to their neighbors and kept blinds shut all the time until I realized they were holed up in AC and keeping rooms cool.
When we moved to SF Bay/Oakland, my husband was so worried about no AC because he thought all of Cali would be hot.

Yuck. I am a wilting flower in hot weather.

Isabel

Veteran

Christieanne, that is a great story !!!! I am not only a wilting flower, I am a crabby one !!! I am more like an angry venus flytrap.

I am a wimp about the heat. we only get searing heat for a short time and I can't take even THAT !!

Mo

(website)

Veteran

I agree that summer in very hot climes is the worst. I am looking forward to summer here in the mtns though. Mid 80's is usually the highest temp and into the 40's at night. For my current climate, I suppose spring is hardest as it's sunny and bright out, but not exactly warm unless you have direct sunlight on you. Step into the shade and you need a jacket asap!

Diana

Veteran

Summer. I hate heat and I hate humidity even more, plus I run warm. No layering, no boots, no jeans, no scarves, very limited jewelry. Also, I have a very limited number of shoes/sandals that my feet can tolerate sans socks. And being sweaty is gross.

mrseccentric

(website)

Veteran

Isabel, this is a hot topic! And christieanne's experience very much applies! I moved from foggy, mild Berkeley CA a mere 18 miles east to 114F in the summer Pleasant Hill. All my tights, booties, layers and layers and hats and scarves - the very essence of my style persona all my life - completely unwearable!

that was 12 years ago, it started a major style overhaul. At the end of it i am SO GLAD that i went through all of that! Now i actually look forward to the hot days because i've figured out 'the bones' of my style and can come up with all kinds of comfy, really enjoyable looks.

Now i'm a big believer in stretching your style wings even when you don't 'need' to. Sooner or later something'll hit you, you will really need to change, and it's much better to have that experience so you can hit the ground running!

There is no sense whatsoever in spending months of every year hating what you wear. I just don't believe that's any way to live. (dismounts soapbox) Happy Friday! steph

Gracey at Fashion for Giants

(website)

I ride my bike to work so all seasons are sort of tough for me. I have to dress so I'm warm enough for morning but not too hot for the ride home. Not a lot of places to put a coat on a bike. And of course, there is air conditioning at work to contend with as well. It can be rough, for sure.

Biking aside, I'd say both winter and summer but for different reasons. For winter, it's hard for me to stay warm without adding a lot of bulk. I'm a tall, plus-sized woman so not adding bulk is one of my priorities. But, so is staying warm

Summer is difficult because I don't want to show too much skin (just a personal preference) at work but I also don't want to get too hot (i.e. sweaty).

kellygirl

Veteran

I don't think I find any season particularly difficult although I will say that summer is my least stylish season. It's almost a vacation from fashion because I am just trying to look decent and stay cool. My summer capsule won't be winning any fashion awards!

ETA: I do live in the Bay Area though--pretty mild weather overall.

Mochi

Veteran

I'll be very curious to see people's WIW this summer, my first on YLF. I just suspect I won't be making that much effort. It's so much about trying to stay cool for me, and feeling unencumbered...and though I'm not particularly athletic, I do try and have physical activity going on almost every day (which may yet include sailing again, this summer--and these are little wooden boots, not chic yachts, LOL).

I remember in my twenties when I lived in Tokyo....women there defied the heat and dressed very elegantly...and Tokyo had brutal temps and humidity. I guess it can be done, but I'm so into comfort. Please show me the light, fellow YLFers!

Lisa

Veteran

Summer! I like to wear boots and layers, neither of which work well in the summer months for me. I replace my beloved scarves with necklaces and start grabbing more dresses for quick on the go dressing in the heat. I have less patience to assemble an outfit when it's hot outside.

christieanne

Veteran

Steph - so right and that is why I stay put in Berkeley/Oakland even though I am tempted to look through the tunnel occasionally. It is so much warmer your direction and San Jose is even worse! Microclimates. Crazy.

Ana

(website)

Veteran

Hahaha Christieanne, I can totally relate to your story! I'm from mountainous Idaho, which, as Mo says, is hot during the day, but cools down as soon as the sun sets. So I moved down here to Austin and it is SO HOT during the day and I think, "That's okay, because it will cool down as soon as the sun sets." Yeah...no. It still weirds me out that it can be completely dark outside and I'm sweating.
: D

velvetychocolate

Veteran

Definitely summer - I'm very uncomfortable in the heat to begin with, so it's almost like whatever I manage to come up with won't matter, because I find the heat unbearable.

We got relocated as well, and we chose to rent for awhile, because we're really uncertain about the city and area. Believe it or not, this (renting, I mean) adds to my dislike of summer. The house we rent only has an evaporative cooler and it really doesn't work all that well. In addition, we seem to get a lot of bees and wasps ...it was so bad last summer that I couldn't use the back yard or use the backdoor at all.There's a flowering tree in the backyard, and last year it was literally vibrating with what looked like a kazillion bees. Awful! In fact, my husband got attacked my one very large bee (stung multiple times) as we sat outside in the backyard having a glass of wine one summer evening. That was the end of that - we didn't sit out in the backyard again until *November*.

We've got a window air conditioner installed in the bedroom, but it only cools that one room, and it's a very small room (think oversized closet). Not like I can set up my desk/computer in there or anything.

Could have bought a place, but here's the thing - any/all places I'd bookmarked that I was interested in dropped a whole lot in price over the next several months - by at least 30%, sometimes even up to 50%. Scary stuff. So, even though I'm hating this rental house, I'm glad we didn't buy when we first moved. We were lucky that our old house sold relatively quickly, before the corporate relocation package stopped paying for one place, so this meant we didn't have to pay for two places after all. Whew!

Sorry for the off-topic rant.

I do not like summer. If it's as bad this year as last year, I swear - I'm going to go and rent my own air conditioned office. Or move out or leave or something.

In the meantime, I have nothing to wear (for summer, that is). I think I might have a couple pairs of shorts that I still like, but I had an 'aha' moment when I realized that I really don't like some of the cheap polyester-ish 'knit' tops I was buying at discount stores last summer. I'm going to need to do something about this.

Hmm...I should go through my summer stuff now...it's going to get bad (way too hot) sooner than I think.

What does everyone recommend for tops?

Jonesy

Veteran

Spring. I am always ready to start wearing springy things, but the weather stays cold for a long time. In the summer I essentially give myself a pass and dress very casually, since I am working from home all summer, so I don't find it that challenging.

A question for all of you sweating it out in the summer: Do you mean that you live and work in settings without air conditioning? Or you commute long distances on foot or something? I am always wondering when people talk about dressing for the heat, because I basically just go from an air conditioned house to car to workplace, so I dress for 70 degrees or so (different of course when I am gardening outside, etc.).

velvetychocolate

Veteran

Yes, that's what I meant Jonesy - no air conditioning here, and I work from home. There is an evaporative cooler but it doesn't work all that well. Sometimes it's 90F inside the house. This year, I will just take more breaks and go for a drive in the car or something. Maybe I'll hang out in coffee shops with my laptop. Or...investigate installing central air ...might be cheaper than moving. I can't face moving again.

Jonesy

Veteran

D'oh, I see now that you stated that *quite clearly* in your post!! I lived in Tucson for a while and we had one of those evaporative coolers (called a swamp cooler there). Nightmarish. It would be 100 degrees F inSIDE THE APARTMENT.

Why don't you buy another window unit? Seems like it would be worth it. Then get your landlord to spray your backyard for the killer wasps :). We had window units when we lived in Chicago, and they made it slightly bearable (usually one in the bedroom and one in the TV/computer room). I would think you could get one on Craig's List for cheap. Okay, I will butt out of your life now!

Aziraphale

Veteran

Spring is, without a doubt, the toughest season, mainly because the weather seems the most variable. Plus it often seems to be the season I'm all ready for but it refuses to come. I'll be all set to wear nice light fabrics and no hose, but then it's persistently damp and, even on sunny days, surprisingly cold. It's very frustrating.

Summer, on the other hand, tends to be dry and warm, but not too hot. Easy peasy. And fall is also generally dry, but cooler, so I can layer more, which is fun. And winter is just plain wet and cold, but at least you're prepared for it, and sort of enjoying the cozying up with short days and warm fires.

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

Spring. They're long and cold in Seattle.

Ana

(website)

Veteran

Austin is an "outside" city. Many malls, cafes, and restaurants are in large part outdoors. Unless you want to wait for a long time, you'll probably be sitting on a restaurant patio at some point. I found out last year that most wedding venues are outdoor only when my friend got married. When it is very hot even walking to the car is pretty awful. I often commute by bus and standing at the bus stop is terrible.

velvetychocolate

Veteran

Thanks for the empathy Jonesy - and the suggestion to just get more window air conditioners. My husband was saying something along those lines, that maybe we'd just buy a few more of the window units. And yeah - we'll have to spray something to prevent the wasps/bees. Last year, it was wasps along the roof line, and we sprayed them. Gone. Then a short while later there were a kazillion bees. Ack!

Enough of my off-topic complaining (where's my embarrassed smilie when I need one?).

Jonesy

Veteran

OMG, a hot, crowded, stinky bus ranks right up there in terms of worst things ever.

Hot wedding story: I got married outside in the afternoon in August. There was a record-breaking heat wave that summer, and that day it was 99 degrees F. I still think about my poor grandparents sweating in the heat! What were we thinking? All of my pictures were awful because my face looked like a giant red tomato. So yeah, I can commiserate about the hot Austin weddings :). Blech.

ETA: I hate the heat, so I can totally empathize. My current situation is the first time I've had central air my whole life, and I can commute via car. I swear not a day goes by in the summer that I am not thanking the AC at home for its existence! Srsly. High heat and humidity just makes me so miserable.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

Jonesy, that's kinda how I reacted when I moved to the Bay Area - I was really surprised that anywhere south of Alaska didn't have air conditioning everywhere. We finally got a window a/c for our bedroom during one of those hot summers and it's a godsend - I can handle heat during the day but I have a hard time sleeping when it's really hot. Of course, last summer we barely had a summer, but the way things are going this spring I have an idea it'll be a scorcher.

Anyway, back on topic: I do find summer challenging, because I'm plus-size and going really bare is not the image I would like to share with the world. But the worst thing for me is a very variable day weather-wise. One thing that the Bay Area does have, despite its generally lovely weather, is a lot of days, especially in the spring and fall, where the temperature can range 20-30 degrees up and down. It makes it hard to dress, because if you dress for the early morning/evening cool, you have to strip down in the middle of the day and you look unfinished; if you dress for midday you have to throw on layers in the beginning/end of day that have little to do with the rest of your outfit and look weird. Growing up in the midwest, like Ana mentions about Austin, when it's hot it stays hot, even in the evenings, and when it's cold it generally stays cold, so it was a little bewildering for me to get used to and I'm still not that great at dressing for it.

Isabel

Veteran

This has been fascinating AND surprising !! I really thought that Spring would be the hands down top contender. I liked Mochi and Kelly's description of all fashion bets are off in the summer. That is exactly how I feel. It is also interesting how many people depend on or like layers. That is absolutely what throws me off.

Steph..YES you are absolutely right....in theory !! LOL ! It was SO hard to go from a big city, technology job to stay at home mom in small town without having to worry about climate. I don't think that I could do it. I will have to look at some of your pics from last summer to see how you do it.

BTW Mochi, don't be lookin' in my direction for "light" during the summer months !! LOL !

( Gracey....eeeeeee...I am so excited that you responded. I follow your blog and I really enjoy it. )

velvetychocolate

Veteran

You should have seen me going off to Houston on a business trip in JULY just a little while after moving to Colorado from Vancouver. It was only a few weeks since I moved from Vancouver - still rainy and cold there, trying to get used to Colorado - then bam - have to go to Houston. Just walking from my hotel room out to the car at 7am means my glasses getting all steamed up, my clothes stuck to me - you get the idea. Very traumatising!

Funny story about being all turned around weather/climate wise? I went back to Vancouver for a visit a few months after moving. I'm staying at my Mom's house. We're leaving her house to go shopping or whatever...I walk out the door and the very first thing I do is put my sunglasses on. Thing is? It's dark grey outside and pouring rain. Cats and dogs. My Mom just looked at me...rolled her eyes, and asked, "What are you doing?" I'm standing there in the rain with my sunglasses on, freezing. My Vancouver umbrella collection is packed away in a box in the basement in Colorado. I can't see and I'm getting pelted with rain.

....

Back to the topic at hand - summer is the *worst* as far as I'm concerned. I need to find better materials/fabrics I think. I don't wear long pants at all (not unless I'm visiting home). So far, it turns out that skirts and clam-length shorts work best. That said, I've bought a lot of tops that just turned out to be wrong, for one reason or another. Synthetics. Knits. That kind of thing. I don't feel good in these items, and they're not all that cool (comfort wise) either. What to do?

Also - what's a good dress style/fabric for summer? The idea of just pulling on a dress and throwing on some sandals has a lot of appeal. The dresses I got last year are either too short for my comfort level, or they are bad material (I don't like polyester in summer it seems). Any suggestions along these lines?

Isabel

Veteran

Velvety, ugh...that does sound miserable, I am sorry. It is almost sacrileges around here to say that I don't really like the Summer either. I am so glad there are others who understand !!!

We don't have central air, so when it was really bad last summer, I spent entire days in my bedroom or at my mom and dad's. I like your idea of just renting a little "space" somewhere with air conditioning.

Regarding tops, I really like lightweight cotton tops with a lightweight cotton lining. I am finding that cotton anything is hard to find this year and really expensive because cotton prices have gone up significantly.

Your Vancouver story it sooooooo funny, VC !

I LOVE linen in the summer. I get stuff from JJill.

Jonesy to answer your question, I am a SAHM, so I tend to be outside quite a bit during the summer : zoos, parks, beaches, and so on.

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bella

(website)

Veteran

It's summer for me as well. Tops are fine but I just don't know what to wear on my bottom half. I can't bear the thought of pants. I look horrible in shorts, bermudas, even clamdiggers. Pencil skirts are too warm, A-line skirts are boring, besides you have to find matching tops. I have a few dresses that I like for work, but casual occasions leave me stumped.

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