This outfit was actually from Friday, when it hit 81F/27C here (yes, I'm in the northern hemisphere). At first I was just outraged, but then I sighed and pulled out some pieces for one of my hot weather formulas, developed over 3 brutal south Texas summers. First up: a lightweight, woven, boxy blouse that allows for maximum breeze catching potential while concealing my braless state (so much cooler without elastic wrapped around my rib cage!). Since it was January, I chose a very dark teal colour for a more wintry feel. This was actually my very first woven, boxy blouse, that I thrifted soon after I moved here in 2010: it was a big risk at the time, because I was all about waist definition, but it sparked a love that grew into a closet full of woven blouses, many of them waist surrendering. So it has a special place in my heart: I also love the little polka dots (this is as much yellow as I can wear without looking jaundiced), the decorative top stitching on the neckline, and the puffed sleeves (I can't help it, they always makes me think of Anne). Next in this formula: either shorts or loose-ish tapered lightweight trousers. I refuse to wear shorts in January, unless there's tights involved, and I wanted to try out my new linen trousers anyway, so that was an easy decision. For indoor wear (I try not to run the a/c more than necessary to lessen my environmental impact), my 'third piece' was a brooch, a fox one to boost my mood (a smaller one probably would have gone better with the scale of the polka dots, but I was cranky about the weather and didn't care).

For outdoor wear, I prefer to keep my arms covered for sun protection reasons, so I add a lightweight long sleeve topper before walks, either a cardigan or boxy jacket. In this case, I stuck with dark winter colours by using a bitter chocolate silk cardigan. People are always surprised I'm wearing cardis in the summer (our days top 100/40 with terrible regularity), but as long as I don't button them, I can still catch a breeze, and I don't have to smear myself with as much sunscreen. For my walk I chose shoes that are comfy with bare feet, in a brown-ish colour to echo the cardigan. I was quite cool, partly because I chose to walk along shadey trails and there was a good breeze, but the dressing helped too. Because I enjoy seeing Ornella morph outfits, I thought I'd include what it looked like later in the evening, when the weather cooled off and my open windows led to slightly chilly feet and arms. I added some lightweight brown wool socks (I have a mild case of Raynaud's, which is why I almost always wear wool socks) and kept my cardigan on.

Now, about these trousers! They're my 5th January purchase, in a fabulous grey linen. I thought they'd be the perfect 'grey corduroy' equivalent for warm weather, with their lovely slubby appearance (I reach for my cords a ton to add texture to outfits). The waist fits me perfectly, and the taper at the bottom is quite nice and small too, so I assumed the exaggerated thigh width was a design element, a la jodphurs and plus fours. I felt quite jaunty and 1920s in them, actually. But my mom thinks they just look too big. I'm pretty sure it'd be easy to take them in on the side seams (and if not they were only $2, and I can use the fabric to make handkerchiefs), so I'm asking the forum if I should. Keep in mind, I'm not asking for figure flattery reasons: I know that skinny trousers show off my bottom half more. I'm asking if they look deliberately roomy or just sloppy & oversized. I've realise I can't quite trust my own eye on fit issues, and my goal for this year is to really work on the fit of my clothes. So brutal honesty is appreciated! I'm not easily offended. And I promise to listen this time. Oh! And the fabric is lightweight and drapey, not stiff at all, if that makes a difference. And the mirror behind me is making the inner thighs on the trousers look fuller than they actually are: I can see a bit of separation all the way to the fly when I look in the mirror.

ETA: I will not be tucking my tops into them, although I might also wear them with untucked tops with more waist definition. And perhaps under dresses/tunics.