What tips are there for dressing in a way that looks smart when traveling around the city on hot, humid days? In the summer I often feel like a sloppy, sweaty mess around noon, while others seem to glide by in a cloud of controlled coolness. How do they do that? – Adrienne, Paris
The unpredictable weather patterns and rising temperatures that are now part of our lives are changing the way we dress in more ways than one, redefining the meaning of “hot girl – or boy – summer.”
No longer can anyone store winter clothes in the summer and vice versa, and an entire cottage industry of materials scientists are putting their minds and pincushions on making fabrics to help people stay cool in the heat. For example, think of AIRism by Uniqlo And Polartec Delta And NanoStitch air.
Yet most of these developments are more focused on performance than on everyday life. That’s why, said Marie-Hélène de Taillac, the French cult jeweler who spends half her year in Rajasthan, India, where she works with the artisans of the Gem Palace jewelry emporium, you should start with clothes in natural fabrics such as cotton, bamboo and linen , because they ‘breathe’ – i.e. allow air to flow between your skin and the outside environment.
Then, she said, it’s time to debunk the biggest myth of warm monthly clothing: that less is more.
“The worst thing you can do is wear small clothes,” Ms. de Taillac said. “You don’t want the sun shining on your skin because it makes you warm. If you think about it, you really have to cover yourself as much as possible, but with ventilation.”
Inès de la Fressange, the famously chic model turned designer (and former face of France), who was about to head to St. Tropez, agreed. “The idea that you have to show your body because it’s hot is not a good idea,” she said.
All women recommended maxi dresses and skirts with sleeves, instead of cropped tanks and shorts. Also loose clothing instead of stuck clothing. Flat shoes that are not too tight because the feet swell in the heat. And nothing that could rub against your skin, including tight armholes, too many accessories or even belts. If you’re desperate for a waistline, try finding something with elastic.
“My uniform in India is a cotton poplin shirt or shirt dress,” Ms. de Taillac said. If you’d like to look like you’re in a muumuu or portable tent, the key to maintaining a neat silhouette is choosing a dress with narrow shoulders to create a regal line, she said. (For inspiration, see Cristóbal Balenciaga’s many elegant trapeze and tent dresses.)
For another strategy: “Dare to be simple: simple long skirts, simple long pants,” added Ms. de la Fressange.
Then opt for “pretty big things,” she said, especially her favorite pieces: cotton poplin men’s shirts. If you’ve noticed that shirts and shirt dresses seem to be No. 1 on these women’s lists, it’s no coincidence. Button-ups have a bright integrity and ease that holds up in the heat, not to mention longstanding associations with professionalism that push all kinds of subconscious buttons associated with the idea of being “pulled together.”
“Sometimes women make mistakes when they buy things in their size,” Ms. de la Fressange continued. But it is both more comfortable and fashionable to wear a shirt in a larger size, she said. You could even buy one and wear it as a dress.
Her favorite insider tip, regardless of the season, is shopping in the men’s department. “Don’t go where you’re supposed to be in a store,” Ms. de la Fressange said. “I always go to the men’s department. The shirts are often of better quality and cheaper.”
As for which shirt to choose, she said: “Light blue broadcloth. It works for everyone, every age, every hair color. Everyone is beautiful with it.”
Your style questions, answered
Every week on Open Thread, Vanessa answers a reader’s fashion-related question, which you can send to her at any time e-mail or Tweet. Questions are edited and condensed.
