If you’re trying to beat the heat this summer, you’ve got an uphill battle ahead of you. Most of the country (most of the world, actually) is experiencing record high temperatures at least a few days out of every month. But not to worry. There are still plenty of ways to stay cool without running your electricity bill into the stratosphere with air conditioning. I’m talking, of course, about the clothes you wear. There are a lot of strategies to keep yourself cool, without having to resort to wearing a single look all summer. And some of these looks don’t look hot-weather-comfortable, but they are, trust me.
1) The Easy Way. I’m speaking here, of course, about wearing tiny clothes for hot weather. This isn’t all about showing off your beach bod. This is showing skin by necessity, or so we tend to think. Of course, tiny shorts and skirts and itty bitty tops may get you some breeze, but they’ll also allow a lot of sun on your precious skin. If you burn as easy as I do, you can’t afford that. Tiny clothes also don’t tend to look very professional. So I recommend little tops and bottoms for hot weather, but only when you’re able to give your skin a break from the rays or when you’re in a very relaxed situation. In reality, this may not be the best way to beat the heat at all.
2) Color as a Gateway to Coolness. Summer pros know about this one. Wearing heat appropriate clothing may be the way to go to keep from sweating your way through August. Any light colors will do, but why overthink it? There are lots of great ways to look good in white. White reflects the sun and also doesn’t store heat. So let the heat just bounce right off you. Not only will this save you some sweat, it’ll also protect your skin, especially if you’re able to cover most of it with your fabric of choice. I prefer white for tops, but you are of course allowed to go head-to-toe with it if you wish. It’s really up to you. I like a white top for heat reflection and a light skirt on the bottom, one that won’t store much heat. This way I remain more covered up but still cool. It’s pretty great.
3) Fabrics for Heat. There are some fabrics, like linen, that just automatically go with summer. But have you ever considered other options, like knits? That may seem like an impossible thing. But NIC+ZOE have made this a reality with their summer knits collection. They use a variety of knit fabrics that breathe and move to keep you cool on the summer’s hottest days. With clothes like this, you won’t be slave any longer to one kind of summer wear only.
As you can see, there’s plenty of ways to survive this hot summer without resorting to one outfit every single day. With a variety of fabrics and colors, you can wear whatever you want (and cover whatever you want) without sweltering your little butt off. So take these tips from a pro. You can enjoy the heat once more, and look how you want while you do it.
Article by guest author
Hi, I’m Anna the Editor of Beauty and Lace.