Your Guide To A Comfortable Summer Wardrobe
Warmer days, lighter nights, Aperol Spritz on-tap, there’s plenty to love about summer. But trying to find the perfect summer outfit that allows you to be cool, comfortable and work appropriate can be a struggle. No one wants to be in tight trousers or restrictive shirts, and negotiating a strapless bra/no VPL underwear situation is certainly not how you want to waste time in the nice weather. Being comfortable in all of your clothes, and then not having to give your outfit a second thought all day, is essential when the warm weather hits.
Even fellow heat-lovers will testify that life is much better when you open your wardrobe to find an array of comfortable and practicle clothes that still let you express your personality. This isn’t necessarily something you achieve in one go, maybe you just need to sort out what you own or prehaps it’s time to start looking to refresh things (eBay is always a great place to start!). Wherever you’re starting from, this guide will help you build your most comfortable and stylish summer wardrobe yet.
Invest In Linen
Linen is your best friend in a warm climate. The natural fibres are lightweight and help to keep you cooler all day long. Yes it’s known for creasing but that’s part of the look so lean into it or steam it in your shower first thing to help some of the creases drop out. You can get anything in linen: jumpsuits, shirts, dresses, trousers - you name it. That also means its super versatile. There’s nothing like a linen shirt to take you from looking smart on your afternoon Zoom call to the doubling up as a cover up in the garden. The style comes back every year so buy well this time round, look after it and you’ll be thankful for the purchase for years to come.
Avoid Restrictive Underwear
Avoiding strapless bras, big no-VPL knickers, body tape and any other restrictive or complicated underwear option will automatically make you more comfortable. If you feel confident enough then just ditch the bra altogether, or if like me you don’t quite fancy doing that then nipple covers and bandeau tops are your best friend. They keep everything roughly in place whilst being far comfier than their alternatives, letting you still get plenty of wear out of your favourite summer clothes. But if you’re updating your wardrobe then keep this in mind. If you hate strapless bras and all the alternatives are you ever going to wear that off-the-shoulder top? The same goes for light trousers and dresses, if they’re see-through are you ever going to want to actually wear them? If the answer is no then avoid at all costs. Comfort starts with your underwear.
Go Oversized
Oversized styles will always look cooler and more contemporary than a fitted alternative, but they’re also much more comfortable in the heat. They allow air to circulate better and help to avoid any unwanted sweat patches but most importantly it’s much more comfortable. Size up 1 or 2 sizes in shirts and go for a ‘Mom’ style or slightly bigger size in shorts, particularly denim ones. We all know they come up tighter for some reason so why make yourself suffer, the number in the back literally has no real meaning, the actual fit and how you feel is far more important.
Getting dressed in the summer is always so much harder (especially when you’d rather be lounging by a pool on some far away island..) but I’d love to hear any extra tips you have for looking stylish but still being comfortable.